3D-Printed Ultrasound Lets Blind Mother-To-Be "See" Her Unborn Baby
(IN PHOTO)Haver Jarveoja works on a three-dimensional (3D) print model of an unborn baby in Tallinn January 28, 2015. An Estonian 3D technology company has found a way to make pregnancy more exciting, giving parents and loved ones the opportunity to touch their baby before it is even born by printing out 3D foetus models. Picture taken January 28, 2015. REUTERS

3D printing technology gift’s a precious ultrasound moment to a blind mother-to-be by letting her "see" her unborn baby for the very first time. The Brazilian branch of Huggies has captured this magical moment in a video called “Meeting Murilo,” which shows the blind mother-to-be experiencing the emotional first ultrasound moment even if she doesn’t have sight. The YouTube video's view count has jumped from approximately 50,000 to more than 1.6 million in just two days.

Tatiana Guerra, 30, the mother-to-be lost her sight at 17 and thus has been blind for almost half her life and is experiencing the world with just her touch.

The video, which was recorded as a part of Huggies' #CountingTheDays campaign with a key message "Every mom deserves to embrace each moment," shows her arriving for an ultrasound that was scheduled at the 20th week of her pregnancy. She is seen asking her doctor as to what her son looks like “whether he has her nose and what his ears look like”.

The doctor in return then asks her “If you could touch him, would that let you know what he's like?" When Tatiana replies in a positive, the doctor presents her with a 3D-printed model of the ultrasound that she can touch and feel which otherwise couldn't have been possible until he was born.

You can see the mother shedding happy tears as she caresses the soft shapes and grooves of her unborn baby's face while thanking her doctor. "I am very happy to meet Murilo… before he is born," she says.

Ultrasound machines that produce high quality, three-dimensional images have gained an immense popularity in the past couple years. The news that human fetuses could be 3D printed and kept as keepsakes for expectant parents first broke in 2012 when a Japanese company started offering this kind of a service. The same was later followed by US, South Korea and Estonia, prompting a debate as to why people are ready to shell $1,300 US for “weird fetus doll.” But after watching this video, the conversation is bound to shift as it has added a positive prospective to the technology.

Although, the doctors have said that 3D-printing technology is safe, the FDA has issued a warning against using them for non-medical purposes just to create keepsake pictures of unborn babies.

To contact the writer, email: ruchira.dhoke@gmail.com

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