Katie Kermod, 32, owner of private baby scanning company Baby:Boo, said: “People do think it’s a little odd. But it’s similar to creating casts of a baby’s feet or hands. It’s a lovely keepsake. The 3D figurines are a unique way to share the excitement of your new baby with family and friends, there will be no need to look at scan pictures, they can almost see the real thing.”
Layla Macmillan, 28, of Farington, Lancs, is expecting her fourth baby and she is Katie’s first 3D model customer. “Having images and a DVD of your baby is one thing but having a real model to hold is so unique,” Layla who is a photographer, said.
“It is so special to be able to hold a cast of your baby’s face before it is even born.”
Katie set up her company in Tarleton, Lancs, specialising in 2D, 3D and 4D ultrasound scans, after losing two unborn children. She now has Alfie, three, and Sienna, two, with Craig, 36.
“After I lost two pregnancies, I had fertility treatment and finally got pregnant with Alfie. But there was no way I could wait for 12 weeks to see everything was okay. The NHS isn’t there to provide a service for you, it’s there to check everything is going well with the pregnancy. There are a list of checks they need to do. They can’t be spending time cooing over your baby ,” Katie said.
It is recommended that a model be created from a scan at around 28 weeks, but as the baby is bigger then, there can only be a model of the head. “If you want to have a model of the whole of your baby you would have to come at around 16 weeks,” said Katie.
“We want to ensure that the experience remains extra special and give our customers a keepsake they can’t get anywhere else,” Katie said. (DAILY MIRROR)