But it’s not just scans where visually impaired parents can struggle.
Reece, like many blind parents, says he wants to be extra prepared for when the baby comes, “so I don’t get in the way or feel like a liability”.
“We’ve been labelling clothes, putting Braille in baby books and organising the baby bag so that I know where everything is,” he says.
Kim, meanwhile, runs Facebook and WhatsApp groups for blind mums. Together, we have collated a host of tips and tricks from blind parents over the years for what to do when the baby arrives.
They include things like:
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Carry your own folding mat for nappy changes and always have everything you need close at hand
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When changing a nappy, if you think you can stop, “keep wiping” – and use barrier cream, because the start of a nappy rash can be hard to feel
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Score a raised mark on any syringes or scoops you might use for making up feeds so you know where to fill them to
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Use a baby carrier or pram which can be pulled as well as pushed, in case you walk with a guide dog or cane in front of you to get around
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Once they start toddling, bells clipped to clothing are a handy way of knowing where they are at home
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When weaning, use a wipeable high chair with a waterproof mat underneath, to keep mess contained and know what they’ve eaten and what’s gone on the floor
The Royal National Institute of Blind People , external(RNIB) has also produced guides for expectant parents and those with young children.
They suggest ideas like using baby gates to block off the kitchen when you are removing something from the oven, or the hall when you are answering the door.
For parents who have some but not total visual impairment, Kim says children can be dressed in brightly coloured clothing while out and about so they are easier to spot.
“I put them in feelable clothes so I don’t grab the wrong child,” says Kim, who has no vision.
“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 started walking, she says “we always held hands, but had a wrist strap connecting us in case she tried to run off”.
For me, clothes pegs were always useful for keeping outfits together wherever possible.
Also consider buying socks the same style and colour – matching those is still a nightmare for me a decade later. If two items feel the same but are different colours, cut the label on one of them.
