A blind mom was able to ‘see’ her unborn baby—thanks to a 3D-printed ultrasound.
Taylor Ellis was born with glaucoma and has very little vision. When she went in for her 20-week scan and was unable to see her baby, she was left in tears.
When doctors found out she was upset, they conducted a special ultrasound and made a 3D print out of her unborn daughter’s face.
26-year-old Taylor and her husband Jeremy, who is also visually impaired, received the special scan in the post a week later. They were able to feel the baby’s face as a result, and it was a dream come true.
Baby Rosalie is now ten weeks old, and mum-of-three Taylor said the 3D printing technology—most commonly use to make car parts—has been “life changing.”
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Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore usually uses the technology to create models of unborn babies with spina bifida. It allows surgeons to get a clear image of the spines of babies to see if they need in-womb surgery. When an ultrasound sonographer at the same hospital found out, he suggested the technology be used to help blind parents. It is thought to be the first hospital in the world to offer the service.
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Taylor, a stay-at-home-mother, from Cockeysville in Maryland, said, “I always thought about what my baby would look like and was always saddened to know I wouldn’t have the same opportunity as seeing mothers.
“My sight wasn’t as bad with my first two children, so I could see the 2D ultrasound.
When she received the 3D ultrasound, Taylor said of the exciting moment, “I had the realization that this was my baby’s face, it was so heart-warming. I showed off my scan to my daughters and my parents on video chat.”
Proud mom Taylor, added: “This pregnancy has been so scary but so exciting the whole way through, I just wanted this [moment] really really bad.”
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Really wonderful story. Nice to see technology being used for such a heartwarming reason.
Thank God for some people,
The wind beneath our wings.