The HSE has confirmed that partners of pregnant women will be allowed to attend the 20-week scan.
Partners have not been permitted to attend scans since earlier this year because of concerns about the spread of COVID-19.
Partners are now going to be classified as an "essential companion" from this week.
Yesterday, Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín described the restrictions around maternity services as "inhumane and disproportionate".
It comes as more than 52,000 people signed a petition calling for changes to the measures.
Caroline Cumming from Uplift, who organised the petition, says the move by the HSE over 20-week scans is a step in the right direction.
Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast, Ms Cumming said she is "cautiously happy".
She said: "This is obviously great news for a lot of people, it will make a big impact on those couple experiences.
"It is really just the first step in what should be many, there are a lot of changes that we still need to see.
Ms Cumming added that the Uplift campaign is about bringing back the support that women need throughout their pregnancy, labour and post-natal experience.
She explained: "The 20-week scan is a really important milestone along that journey and it's great the partners are going to be allowed back in and I don't want to downplay the importance of that.
"But there's also the 12-week scan where partners should be present as well, it's often the first time a miscarriage is picked up and it can be a very anxious experience, particularly for couples who have had pregnancy loss or maybe a long fertility journey.
"We're also calling for partners to be present through the woman's labour, at the moment they're only brought in at a certain point when she's considered to be in an established labour.
"Even the World Health Organisation has very clear guidelines that there should be a birthing partner in the hospital."
Ms Cumming said that no one who signed their petition wanted to put any healthcare workers at risk by permitting partners to be with the pregnant woman in hospitals.
However, she added that "at this stage of the pandemic" she believes there are ways in which this can be facilitated while being safe.
She said: "We are asking that the woman's emotional wellbeing would be given consideration when discussing how to be as safe as possible."
