As though expectant parents didn’t already have enough to worry about, there’s apparently one more thing you need to do.
Top UK parenting video website Channel Mum is predicting that 2016 is the year 3D-printed casts of foetuses really take off.
Although the mementos have been around since at least 2014, Channel Mum is tipping 2016 to be their break out year, with a quarter of British parents apparently wanting one.
A quarter.
I am imagining that the other three-quarters are, like me, still struggling conceptually with the question.
So, what is a 3D-printed foetus?
The “baby sculptures” are based on ultrasound images of your baby, and depending on where you get your pre-birth baby cast, they can be fully formed or just a head and shoulder bust.
They are made by a handful of companies, including from an ultrasound clinic in the UK, online retailer 3D Babies and Wolfprint 3D.
And they are pretty creepy… right?
Look at their tiny little squishy faces. I’m not creeped out, not AT ALL.
You can also get your unborn-baby-bust framed, so you can take it with you to work, or hang it in the living room as a talking point,which it undoubtedly would be.
“We add the next dimension to 3D-ultrasound scans by 3D-printing Baby Sculptures using ultrasound data,” Wolfprint 3D’s website says.
“Wolfprint 3D is one of the first companies in the world creating a precise copy of an unborn baby in the form of a 3D-printed sculpture, which looks exactly the same as the little citizen of the world who is still hidden in the mother’s womb.”
It will look like this.
Not creepy at all.
These unborn babies will set you back between AUD$300 and AUD$800, depending on which service you chose, and whether you want a “whole” baby – or just the head and shoulders.
3D Babies also offers you the option of a “lifesize” version, which really, wouldn’t be accurate for long.
Anyway, maybe the addition of the 3D-printed foetus will help expectant parents pick a name.
The future is now.
Top Comments
Or you could wait a couple of months and have... you know... an actual baby.
Unfortunately for some people, an actual baby is not the outcome they receive. Stillborn births happen every day for various reason. They are a little weird, but I can understand why some would have loved the opportunity to have this done, if they knew they weren't going to go home with their baby.
Couldn't you argue the same thing with ultrasounds? And yes, I know ultrasounds are foremost to check that the baby is growing correctly and whatnot, but they let people see their unborn child and take home a disc of photos for a reason - because people want another way to connect with their baby. In ultrasounds, it's visual, in a 3D print, it's tactile. Also, considering humans have been making momentos of their loved ones for hundreds of years, should we really turn our nose up when new technology is used for this purpose?
I don't think this is creepy at all. What about the blind who can't see ultrasounds? This is a great idea. I'm sure once people were saying ultrasound scans/ imaging were creepy too. This is sweet.