So I'm Lame (+ Interesting Article)

First of all, I want to apologize for being such a slacker during ICLW. I had a big event at my work last night that I was in charge of, so Monday and yesterday were spent getting ready for that. I promise to catch up on responding to comments and reading blogs today. I promise to have a more substantial post up tomorrow.

Until I get my life back in order, I'm going to let my friends on Facebook do my research for me! This morning I scrolled through FB and stopped when I saw a post from a friend with the title, "3D sonograms let blind expectant parents "see" their babies."

The article explains how "Jorge Roberto Lopes dos Santos company, Tecnologia Humana 3D, has been developing new ways to build three-dimensional computer models using data from sonograms and other imaging techniques after initially setting out to enhance prenatal diagnostic tools. The work took a new direction when dos Santos realized that printing these models would give visually impaired mothers-to-be a chance to meet their babies in utero."

Basically, while trying to make diagnostic tools better, dos Santos has figured out a way to make 3D models of babies in utero, allowing mothers and family members who are seeing impaired "meet" their unborn child.

Image on the right is the 3D figure of the unborn baby. 

Of course, this process is expensive and not covered by insurance. However, "dos Santos said his reliance on common imaging techniques, such as the MRI and the CT scan, keeps costs relatively low — about $200 for a full model of a fetus at 12 weeks, and about $300 for the face and arms of a fetus at 24 weeks."

If you were visually impaired, would you pay out of pocket to have a model of your baby made? What if it was family member such as your mother or grandmother instead of you or your partner? Do you think it would be strange to walk into someone's house and see a statue of their unborn baby on their mantle, or is it the same as having sonogram pictures on the fridge?