By Hanna SzekeresNoCamels. John Wilmot, the second Earl of Rochester, said in the 17th century, “Before I got married I had six theories about bringing up children; now I have six children and no theories.” Millions of new parents every year still face the same questions that arise from parenthood.
But when does parenting start exactly? If you ask couples, may would tell you – at the moment of conception. That is when they start asking themselves what is healthy to eat? How much vitamin is too much? What is the best position to sleep in? What ideologies are important to impart?
A new in-depth research-based project soon to be launched, aims to help couples go through pregnancy. 40weeks is the first cross-media project for pregnancy and birth with unique 3D animation.
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The project is a $2.5 Million production, which took two years, 25 animators and 20 scientists to create. It is a digital high-quality video guide that is accessible via the internet and also as a mobile application. The product accompanies the pregnancy, providing information that changes as the baby grows.
httpv://youtu.be/djQgDdZU5M8
The project includes three products: 40weeks – a digital guide consisting of 4 minute-chapters for each pregnancy week, 9months – a film, and a DVD for children named Where Do Babies Come From. All three products include 3D animation that allows viewers to follow the development of the baby.
Week-by-week advice
Niv Adi, founder of 40weeks, tells NoCamels that the project gives solutions to two major needs: “First, every pregnant woman (and couple) is curious about the development of the child, and there is only so much an ultrasound can do. The 3D animation shows you exactly how the fetus matures. Second, the project includes a mobile application where mothers can contact a doctor for assistance. This is made possible with the help of Clalit, the biggest health organization in Israel.”
Besides the videos, 40weeks provides online medical service with Q&A, personal assistance, hundreds of weekly updates and tips, a personal weekly folder, weekly deals and a built-in targeted advertising system.
The 40weeks video series follows three local couples who share their experience of pregnancy. In every chapter there is the embryo, the mother, medical exams and special tips. For example, it gives you an insight into how the food arrives to the fetus, what a delivery room looks like, and the exercises, massages and treatments that facilitate delivery. One episode might focus on how the sense of hearing matures (how your voice and surrounding noises affect your baby), another one covers teh baby’s brain development, or what physical changes a woman’s body goes through and why.
Demonstrating the movements of the fetus
The three dimensional features in the film represent a progress in terms of combining cinema and science. The series’ creators restored all the motions made by the fetus in all the stages of the pregnancy. “It has been possible for years to watch the movements made by the fetus by means of an ultrasound and different films. But taking a glimpse into the womb was occasional and mainly brief. However, the 35 minutes long animation demonstrates the reactions and the movements more precisely,” says the 40weeks team.
Niv Adi and his colleagues are launching the local, Israeli version by the end of this month, in Hebrew with English subtitles. With medical partners from the United States, they are already working on the international version. 40weeks won the Best Future Media format Award by FRAPA Format Awards.
