Blind Mom-to-Be Gets to ‘See’ Her Unborn Son
Touch is how Tatiana Guerra has been able to see the world since she lost her sight at age 17. So when the pregnant 30-year-old — filmed for a Huggies diaper campaign in Brazil — asks a doctor giving her an ultrasound if the son she’s expecting looks like her, it tugs the heartstrings.
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Guerra sweetly describes imagining that the baby she’s named Murilo has a nose resembling hers, “like a little potato” and a small mouth. And when the doctor asks, “If you could touch him, would that let you know what he’s like?” the woman has no idea she’s about to be blown away — much like the more than 540,000 viewers who have watched the video since it was posted on YouTube April 30.
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Unbeknownst to Guerra, during her appointment an ultrasound image was sent to a mobile 3D printing station and turned into a sculpture of the unborn baby’s face and his arms on the spot. Written in Braille on the gift is a note: “I am your son.” And as the doctor presents the sculpture to Guerra, she weeps carefully touching the shape all over. “I am very happy to meet Murlio,” she sobs. “Before he is born.”
Ultrasounds, after all, play an important role in the relationship between parents and an unborn child. “Seeing a baby for the first time gives parents a sense of reassurance about their baby’s health and growth,” psychotherapist Amy Morin tells Yahoo Parenting. “Ultrasounds also make the experience very real to parents as they’re able to see a baby’s features for the first time.”
There’s even research that shows how 3D ultrasounds can promote a better sense of closeness, compared to 2D ultrasound images, adds Morin, author of 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do. “The more parents can tell about their unborn child, the more they’ll be able to imagine this baby joining their family,” she says. “There’s evidence that women take better care of themselves after an ultrasound because seeing their baby causes them to think more about the baby growing inside them.”
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