Get a life-sized 3D-printed figurine of your unborn baby

Why would you stick with a boring old ultrasound when you could have a life-sized replica foetus thanks to the magic of 3D printing?

For parents who just can't wait until after the birth to hold their baby, now there's a solution: get your foetus 3D-printed. Japan has had this service for a while, but a new one comes courtesy of 3D Babies, which will print you a life-sized replica so that you can preserve those memories forever.

Using a 3D or 4D ultrasound, the company will create a 3D print file of your baby's face, which you can have placed on a pre-made body in one of two poses and one of three skin colours. There are also three sizes to choose from: eight inches ("life-sized", according to 3D Baby) for US$600, four inches for US$400 and two inches for US$200.

There's even a "celebrity baby" souvenir you can buy: a replica of North West, the daughter of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, for just US$250.

"We are the parents of two wonderful little girls, ages three and one," the company wrote on its Indiegogo page, which did not even come close to meeting its funding goal. "We love being parents and have been cherishing our time with our girls. Every time another family member or friend has a baby, we are reminded of our first few months with our girls. More importantly, we are reminded of how much we have forgotten about that time. In an attempt to hold on to those memories, we created a way to make a 3D figurine of what our baby looked like at that time."

In spite of the failed crowdfunding campaign, it seems 3D Baby is now in full operation. However, we'd have to say that its products are just a touch on the pricey side, expensive Stratasys U-Print SE Plus printer notwithstanding — we have certainly seen more accurate 3D-printed portraits for less money.