She never imagined she would experience this pregnancy milestone in the same way as sighted expectant mothers do—that is, the thrill of seeing the shifting black and white shapes of a growing embryo appear on screen for the first time—because she was born with bilateral coloboma, a rare condition also known as cat-eye syndrome.
She didn’t have the opportunity to experience it ten years ago when she was expecting her oldest daughter, Phoebe. When asked by medical professionals and social workers if she could have taken care of a newborn at that time, Karen said that because she was blind, she was treated differently and experienced depression.
Ruby, Karen’s second daughter, is eight weeks old now, and her scan ends at their Surrey home.
She claims that her nose was the first thing she noticed. My husband’s nose is on her. Her nose, the bridge of her eyes, and the top of her head were all palpable to me. I will always cherish it.
When asked by doctors and social workers if she could have cared for a baby at that time, Karen replied that she was treated differently and went through sadness because she was blind.
