THE magic moment when a baby appears via ultrasound is a memory a parent cherishes for life.

But the blind and visually-impaired have missed out on this special experience – until now.

A new project at the Hospital de Manises in Valencia, called ‘Mi Bebe 3D’, has given blind parents the opportunity to hold a silicone sculpture of their unborn baby thanks to 3D printing technology.

Rebeca Hendre Roig, in charge of the department of games at the ONCE organisation for the blind, said the 3D printing was the ‘the best technology of today’.

BABY PRINTER: The silicone feti at Hospital de Manises in Valencia

“Every mother has this crazy desire to see her baby, and this technology helps to shorten that wait,” said Roig, who herself benefitted from a silicone sculpture.

The figures are created from ultrasound images taken in the 32nd week of pregnancy.

Once made, the fetus is then installed upon a base with ‘personalised messages’ in braille, and parents can customise the skin colour.

Fernando Gil, head of the gynecology service at the hospital said that aside from the decision to gift visually-impaired parents a sculpture for free, ‘80% of pregnant mothers’ at the centre have also showed interest in the technology.

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