Blind Expectant Mother is Moved as She Touches Her Baby Boy’s 3D Printed Face

It’s a bit of a modern touchstone for expectant mothers and fathers to see the first ultrasound photos of their unborn children. It’s a moving, transformative experience for parents-to-be, but for Tatiana Guerra, it was an experience she was unlikely to ever have.

At 30 years old, Guerra was 20 weeks pregnant, so when she went to her doctor to discover how her unborn son, Murilo, was progressing, she had no expectation of actually seeing an image of what her baby looked like. Guerra unfortunately lost her sight when she was 17.

But with the aid of 3D printing, the young mother had a priceless experience. Her doctor surprised her with a 3D printed sculpture of her baby’s face which was taken from ultrasound image data. It allowed her to touch a replica of her tiny boy’s face and in a tactile way, take in how Murilo might look.

The revelation was part of a short film project funded by Huggies Brazil, and they called the ad “Huggies Presents: Meeting Murilo.” It was part of a larger ad campaign from the company dubbed “CountingTheDays,” and the tagline for the campaign, “Every mom deserves to embrace each moment,” had real meaning when it comes to Guerra and her baby.

“As a brand, Huggies considers each moment of this new phase in the lives of many women—the maternal role,” says Priya Patel, director of baby care at Kimberly-Clark Brazil. “Huggies believes that such protective embrace and bond helps babies grow up happy.”

Kimberly-Clark and Huggies Brazil commissioned ad agency Mood and 3D printing and digital design experts The Goodfellas to create the experience. Photographers Lucas Tintori, Rodrigo Westphal Galego, and Fábio Kenji captured the entire moment when Guerra felt the face of her unborn son, and the result is nothing short of tear-jerking.

As the doctor captured the ultrasound image and asked Guerra what she thought her little boy might look like, the technical team set to work via a mobile 3D printing setup in an adjoining room by The Goodfellas, and 15 minutes later as the doctor handed Guerra the sculpture, the story came full circle.

It really is a very moving moment. What do you think of this ad from Brazilian agency Mood and Huggies Brazil? Let us know in the Blind Mom-to-Be Touches Her Baby’s 3D Printed Face forum thread on 3DPB.com.  You can watch the full ad here: