[blparent] introduction, expecting

[Bernadetta Pracon]

It's interesting that hospitals involve child services right away, 
before the baby can be released. I'm wondering if it's just because 
hospitals aren't educated about blindness and parenting, or if it has 
to do with the parents involved. I'm saying this because, though I was 
observed extensively as I said in a previous email, I wasn't threatened 
with child services. Could it be that the demeanor of the blind parents 
dictates some of what the hospital staff puts them through?
I don't mean to be judgmental or criticize people I don't know, but 
perhaps it would benefit some new or perspective parents to get some 
pointers on what they should and shouldn't do or say when people are 
challenging their ability to care for their child.
Who's to say that some people really aren't capable of caring for their 
child. Can we honestly say that in each case in which parental custody 
was terminated due to a hospital's intervention, the termination was unfounded?
I'm sure there have been some cases where a parent or a set of parents 
either conveyed that they wouldn't be able to care for their child 
successfully, or in fact, were incapable of doing so. It might not 
necessarily have to do with their blindness in general, but with issues 
stemming from their blindness.
I think it's great that people are advocating for hospitals to be more 
educated about parenting as a blind person, but maybe it's not always 
the hospital's fault. It seems that the majority of parents who say 
that they haven't had any issues with child services are the ones who 
exude confidence and seem competent, while those who claim they have 
had issues with people intervening to the point where their custodial 
rights were terminated seem a bit more unsure and don't know how to 
hold their own when it comes to state workers and hospital staff. When 
I was pregnant, I felt that the possibility of having my child taken 
away by social services should be on the top of my list of concerns. 
But the more I observe, the more I understand that the majority of 
blind parents seem to say that they didn't face issues to that extent.
 I don't mean for this message to be inflamatory; it's just something 
I've been wondering about.

Bernadetta