Life-Size Models of Unborn Babies Impact Expectant Parents
"It's amazing to see [a parent's] face when they can hold the models, when they can understand very well the size, the scale."
(Brazil)—Brazilian designer Dr. Jorge Lopes used to make models of fossils and Egyptian mummies. Now, using ultrasound images and MRI, he has been able to create a 3-D computer model of a human fetus at various stages of a pregnancy. The process, as reported on ABC's Good Morning America, is called rapid prototyping, and the result is a life-size model of a fetus.
His models are now part of an exhibition at London's Royal College of Art.
"You can see the facial expressions," Lopes said. "I was trying to find something very original in terms of medicine. It's amazing to see [a parent's] face when they can hold the models, when they can understand very well the size, the scale." (ABC News/GMA)
"Prenatal bonding is really important for post-natal bonding," said Stuart Campbell, head of the obstetrics and gynecology department at King's College. "To have a model of the child they can carry around and feel and touch, to me, must help that process."
The report notes that models of unborn babies might also help expectant parents deal with fears of an abnormality such as a cleft lip.
"Holding the model and seeing the abnormality there actually helps them come to terms with it," Campbell said. "And actually it's less frightening."
See pictures of some of Lopes' models by following the link provided.
