Blind expectant parents have a new way to experience key milestones in pregnancy after Guide Dogs began piloting tactile 3D models made from ultrasound scans.
The models translate scan images into physical forms that parents can explore with their hands. For some families, they offer a more immediate connection with their baby than an audio description alone.
A scan that parents can feel
Reece Finnegan-Knight, who has been blind since his teenage years, is among the first participants in the pilot. He and his wife, Sophy, first encountered the limits of conventional scans during their routine 12-week appointment.
Sophy tried to explain what the sonographer could see, but Reece still felt separated from an experience shared by other expectant parents. When relatives later examined the scan image, he said it felt as though “friends and family knew more about my baby than I did”.
His 20-week scan offered a more inclusive experience. The sonographer described the image in detail and explained why the measurements and features she observed suggested everything looked healthy.
“The sonographer described everything to me, and explained why what she was seeing meant that everything looked good,” he says.
The couple subsequently received a 3D-printed model based on that scan. Reece says he continues to examine it, finding that its detail makes the baby feel tangible rather than abstract.
“I can’t stop feeling it to be honest,” he says. “It’s so nice to be able to fully access something without the need for other people’s descriptions or interpretations. It has enough detail that I know what things are and it just makes everything feel more real.”
The model does not replace the clinical information provided during an appointment. Instead, it gives blind parents another route into an experience that has traditionally depended heavily on sight and spoken interpretation.
Records and scans move online
Technology is also changing how visually impaired parents manage pregnancy and early parenthood. Kim and Sean Randall noticed a marked difference between the births of their teenager and their 11-month-old, 15 years apart.
For the couple’s youngest child, maternity records were available through an app compatible with a phone’s screen reader. That replaced the handwritten NHS blue book and allowed Kim, who has no vision, to review appointments and test results independently.
“I could check the notes, and any test results, when I wanted rather than waiting to have them read to me,” she says.
Sean researched ultrasound terminology, including measurements such as thigh length and head circumference. He then used a specialist AI screen-reading app to have written information read aloud and scan images described.
For some parents, this audio route provides more information than a tactile model. Others value the physical detail of a 3D print. The emerging lesson is that accessibility may require more than one format, rather than asking every family to use the same solution.
Preparation begins before birth
Reece and Sophy are approaching their baby’s due date with careful planning. Reece wants to be prepared so he can assist with practical tasks without feeling dependent on others.
“So I don’t get in the way or feel like a liability,” he says. The couple have labelled clothing, added Braille to baby books and arranged the contents of the baby bag so that every item has a known location.
Kim runs Facebook and WhatsApp groups for blind mothers. Alongside other parents, she has gathered practical advice developed through experience, covering everything from nappy changes to keeping track of a walking toddler.
- Carry a folding changing mat and keep nappy-changing supplies within reach.
- When changing a nappy, continue wiping after the task appears complete, then apply barrier cream because an early nappy rash may be difficult to feel.
- Add raised marks to syringes or scoops used for preparing feeds so parents can identify the correct fill level.
- Choose a baby carrier or pram that can be pulled as well as pushed, particularly where a guide dog or cane is used.
- Attach bells to a toddler’s clothing at home so a parent can monitor their location.
- Use a wipeable high chair and waterproof mat while weaning to contain mess and help distinguish food from spills.
The Royal National Institute of Blind People has published similar guidance for expectant parents and families with young children. Its suggestions include using baby gates to block the kitchen while removing something from the oven or the hallway while answering the door.
Parents with partial sight may rely on visual cues such as bright clothing. Kim prefers garments with distinctive textures that she can recognise by touch.
“I put them in feelable clothes so I don’t grab the wrong child,” she says. “One of my favourites is a shirt with a castle on it. You open the door and there’s a dragon inside.”
When her eldest began walking, the pair held hands and used a wrist strap to reduce the risk of the child running ahead. “We always held hands, but had a wrist strap connecting us in case she tried to run off,” Kim explains.
Matching socks can also create problems when colour is difficult to distinguish. Kim cuts the label from one sock so two otherwise identical pairs can be told apart by touch.
Why it Matters
These developments matter because access to maternity information affects more than convenience. It shapes parental confidence, independence, safety and a family’s ability to participate fully in a major life event. Digital records, skilled scan descriptions, tactile models and practical guidance all point towards a more inclusive approach, but pilots should not leave blind and partially sighted parents dependent on a patchwork of individual initiatives. The long-term test is whether maternity services and support organisations can make accessible information, staff training and suitable technologies a standard part of care rather than an optional extra.
