For expecting moms who are eagerly awaiting the latest digital image of their little baby, there is a new development that has just hit the market. The Parkside Hiroo Ladies Clinic in Tokyo, is offering their female patients the option of purchasing a 3D model
of their baby fetus to take home with them.
The engineering behind the “Shape of an Angel” model combines MR imaging technology with the latest 3-D printing technology to produce an ultra- realistic 3D model of the mother’s baby while it is still in the womb.
The 3D model is quite small, measuring at 90 x 60 x 40 millimeters, but the price is quite large. Expecting mothers need to have a budget of 100,000 yen, or around $1,230, if they want to bring this unique piece of memorabilia home.
While this keepsake might just be for the incredibly tech-savvy (ie “geeky”) expecting moms and probably will not catch on with most moms around the world, there are other trends that have taken off this year and are becoming quite the rage among expecting moms all around.
Here are some of the latest pregnancy trends in 2012:
Expecting couples ask their doctor to write the gender of their baby in a sealed envelope, then entrust the secret envelope to their favorite bakery. The bakery will make the couples favorite cupcakes with the gender colored icing inside. This way the gender of their baby will only be revealed when they choose to bite into the sweet treat, whether its among friends and family at a baby shower or alone in the night seeking to satisfy a midnight sweets craving.
- Baby Bump Photos
While women historically have tried to conceal their nude “baby bump”, today women are flaunting it for all to see. Many expecting moms seem to be following the latest celebrity trend –which is to have your exposed baby bump photographed and featured on the cover of the hottest magazine–only most of the photographs end up posted on the cover of moms Facebook page.
Also known as a “Daddymoon” or “Manshower”, this party is for the expecting father and his friends to celebrate the upcoming arrival of his baby. It is equivalent to a bachelor party; otherwise another excuse for your man to party and embrace the last moments of freedom before the next chapter of his life begins.
- Birth Photography
The New York Times recently reported that birth photography is on the rise. For those women who are interested in documenting the birth of their baby every step of the way, they can actually hire a professional photographer to be in the hospital room taking snapshots throughout the entire process.