"Hold your baby before birth"

[mamabadger]

Video here. What do you think?

This disturbs me a little. It seems to imply that parents cannot bond with their babies, or not as well, without the help of technology. I also find holding a plaster model of a fetus very far from actually "holding your baby before birth." It trivializes the importance of actual bonding.

The really ironic part of the video was the switch from a scene of a doctor talking about the vital importance of mother-baby bonding, to a scene of a crying newborn being taken from his mother by a nurse and isolated in a hospital cot. Apparently bonding is less vital when a real, live newborn is involved.

[RoseRedHoofbeats]

Okay, wow. What a colossal waste of time and energy. And I love how he talks about, "It could help with every parent's worst fears. LIKE CLEFT LIP!" Yes, because a mild deformity that is easily corrected by surgery is clearly the worst that could ever happen.

They could maybe, I don't know, let mamas hold their babies skin to skin and nurse them and co-sleep... but why would you want to do that when you can just hold a PERFECT LIFE SIZE MODEL?

~Rose

[shanniesue2]

This is weird. To me it would sort of set women up for missplaced bonding. I mean, when you're spending your prenatal time cuddling with a model (essentially a doll) instead of rubbing, singing/talking/reading to your belly...

[mamatolevi]

that's just sick.

[Brown Lioness]

this is very weird and disturbing to me.

[LionessMom]

but i already am holding my baby. the same way i wil hold her after she is born. close to me. close to my heart. how closer can i get to her than when she is inside me. where she can hear my heartbeat all the time. i didnt watch the video. after reading the comments i didnt want to.

[Belle]

I could see how it would be useful if for instance there were conjoined twins and the surgeons wanted to get a head start on planning the separation surgery.

But apart from that rare instance its kind of disturbing. I didn't have an ultrasound for my second child at all and I didn't have more trouble bonding with her than I did with her sister where I had one ultrasound. I can't really see how having a plaster cast of a fetus will help with bonding with the actual child.

[lovebug]

cant watch video at work... i will be back...

[adoremybabe]

Pretty ridiculous. Yes, maybe there are some medical benefits to having a
3-D model before birth but....



I have been bonding with my unborn child perfectly Thank. You. Very. Much.

[bajamergrrl]

I noticed there were no interviews with women (or women at all!) who used this technology before giving birth.

I guess I could see a model helping a dad-to-be who views the baby as an abstract notion. I don't know.

I can see the potential benefits to surgeons and students.

I can see a whole new industry springing up...come get your 3d/4d ultrasound and a life-sized model of your baby.

However, I agree with OP that the video does seem to imply that parents have a hard time bonding with baby pre-birth and that technology is the answer to that. There was no talk of how bonding actually happens and why it might be disrupted. That's disturbing to me.

All I know is that, for me, a plastic model of my pre-born baby, while interesting, could not replace the bonding I've experienced just by being able to physically feel this baby inside me and wanting him/her so much.

[Storm Bride]

I haven't watched the video, but I get the gist from the comments.

I held Jenna plenty before her birth. For one thing, she was inside me! For another...after losing Aaron, I had a lot of emotional stuff to work through. Throughout this pregnancy, and particularly in the last few weeks, I held my belly and talked to Jenna at least once every day. I could feel her moving under my hands, and I talked to her about everything, especially how much I loved her and that we'd be okay. So...I don't need a model, yk?

[wombatclay]

I watched the video and really, I think the "hold your baby" aspect is more the spin being put on it by the media rather than the actual concept behind the technology. The technique was developed by an artist (working on museum modeling and whatnot), and it seems that the primary non-academic use would be to plan medical treatments for children with prenatally diagnosed conditions and for the parents of these children to get a head start on adjusting to the look/feel of those conditions.

The person in the clip who mentions pre-natal bonding impacting post-natal bonding is the same one who mentions cleft lip... and the idea was that if the parent has a chance to actually see the extent of the condition and get used to how the child will really look it can resolve some of the fear/shock. Knowing how media outlets like to edit interviews to fit soundbites, I'm pretty sure the guy wasn't trying to say that all parents should have a "baby doll" or that you can't bond with your babe without such a tool.

It's the same story with regular u/s of course... the idea that if the parents are prepared for a child who may look different or who may have specific medical needs then they'll have an easier time adjusting once the babe arrives. But obviously there is a potential for abuse (like those "womb with a view" shops that provide 4D u/s for "bonding purposes") but given the expense of the technique (you need some fairly specific and not inexpensive technology) I doubt this fetal modeling system will be cropping up in malls any time soon.

[Raene]

As someone who cries often in this pregnancy from not feeling connected to my baby, I think this is a great idea.

I was completely connected/bonded to my first baby when she was in the womb. I felt like she and I could talk and understand each other from her conception.

But this pregnancy I haven't felt at all connected. I've gone through feeling sad to angry to frustrated and back again.

Maybe something like this could help...I don't know. I don't think it would hurt, though, and I think the idea is nice.

[lovebug]

i dont know about 'bonding' with a model of your baby, but i think it would be cool to be able to show you LO what they looked like in your tummy. i think the bonding part is a bit much! and the shock part is a spin that i dont think is needed.

[JennTheMomma]

Being pregnant is already holding your baby, in your womb instead of arms. I will agree that it can be hard to bond, I know it was hard for me as I developed Prenatal Depression at 3 months pregnant, and I didn't have the feel-good hormones that help with bonding. However, I don't think possibly endangering your baby with extra ultrasounds and have a model made of your baby is the answer. I think classes that help mother's understand whats happening inside of them, talking to the baby, and enjoying pregnancy and getting help with PND is the way to go.

[BeckyBird]

I think the idea is neat. It is a way to visualize the actual baby, sort of like a 3-d ultrasound. Maybe use it to show young siblings what the baby looks like.
Just yesterday, I drew a picture of what our baby might look like, and I held it up to my belly. My son is 6, and I want him to be aware that there is a real little person living in there!

I would not want one of the baby models for myself, but it is a neat idea for other families who might want one.