[blparent] Anxious

[Pipi]

Stacy,
I can tell you that it does not happen to every blind family. When my 
daughter was born, the hospital staff were wonderful. The birth mother is 
blind and so am I.
Since I didn't go through the pregnancy or delivery parts of being a parent, 
I can't give you experience on that part. I can give my suggestions though. 
I would say to be proactive, yes. Research doctors, hospitals, mid wives, 
everything. I wouldn't say to choose one birthing plan over another based on 
your blindness. I would say to get all of the information you can about your 
choices and then make the decisions based on what kind of birth you want, 
how you feel the hospitals and such feel about your blindness, whether you 
want a water birth, all of it. I suggest having a birth plan in writing. 
Tour the hospitals early.  Be as prepared as you can be, but also be 
prepared to have to make changes because no pregnancy, labor, or birth are 
exactly the same.
I suggest taking infant first aid and cpr. I suggest that if there are any 
things about caring for a baby that you feel you don't know how to do, 
either take a parenting class or do what you need to do to find out the 
anser. no one knows everything, but I think being prepared is always a good 
thing.
Try not to let things like what has happened to this family discourage you. 
Like I said, it doesn't happen to everyone. And hopefully with things like 
the information Deb is putting together, the discrimination will become less 
and less of an issue for disabled parents.
Pipi
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Cervenka, Stacy (Brownback)" <Stacy_Cervenka at brownback.senate.gov>
To: <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, May 28, 2010 11:12 AM
Subject: [blparent] Anxious


> Hi, everyone,
> I'm fairly new to this listserv. I'm not currently a blind parent, but my 
> boyfriend and I are both blind and we're beginning to move toward marriage 
> and a family, so I've been lurking on this list, hoping to learn a little 
> about what Greg and I will be in for in the future as blind parents.
> Anyway, I've been reading the posts the last few days about all the issues 
> blind couples run into when giving birth, especially when both parents are 
> blind, and honestly, it's got me really discouraged and anxious. Does 
> every blind couple run into these sorts of problems at the hospital? Is 
> there anything we can do to be proactive and prevent this sort of thing 
> from happening to us? Is it better to give birth at home with a midwife or 
> in a birthing center, where you can get to know the staff beforehand? I 
> know that having kids is a few years away for me, but this has me worried 
> sick. My number one goal in life has always been to be a mom and I can't 
> imagine having the state stand in my way.
> FYI, I've emailed info about this couple's case to Gary Wunder and a few 
> others, so hopefully somebody will be in contact with the couple soon, if 
> they haven't been already.
>
> Stacy Leigh Cervenka
> Legislative Assistant
> Office of Senator Sam Brownback (KS)
> 303 Hart Senate Office Building
> Phone: (202) 224-6521
> Email: stacy_cervenka at brownback.senate.gov
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