[blparent] introduction, expecting

Sun Aug 12 18:25:12 UTC 2012

He is doing wonderful. He is 2, and loves to help dad. The most cutest thing he did is when he was visiting us last, i Was feeling around for my cane, all over the table, on the couch, etc, and had just put his coat on him and told him we were going for a walk. After I felt around, he looked at my mom (we were visiting grandma), and smiled. He then ran into the other room and brought me my cain… I had forgotten that I left it in the kitchen when I was getting him a cup. I love 2-year-olds! smile.

Michael Babcock, Assistive Technology And Braille Instructor

Alaska Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Equipping Alaskans for success

Phone: 907-771-4303

fax 907.248.7517
www.alaskabvi.org

 michael.babcock09 at gmail.com

On Aug 12, 2012, at 8:22 AM, "Veronica Smith" <madison_tewe at spinn.net> wrote:

> So how is your son doing?  How old is he and what cute and adorable things
> is he doing now?
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Michael Babcock
> Sent: Saturday, August 11, 2012 11:32 PM
> To: Blind Parents Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [blparent] introduction, expecting
> 
> I think that all of this conversation is very intriguing to see the
> situations that other individuals went through. My son, Nicholas, came at 32
> weeks. This meant that after his mom was life flown down to Seattle
> Washington, from Ketchikan Alaska, we had to spend about eight weeks in the
> hospital. We really got to know the nurses there, and, they did ask us a
> couple of questions because of my blindness. She was not blind, she being
> his mom, and, I guess we really do not have that many problems. One nurse we
> did have some difficulties with, did not communicate as well as I suspected
> she should have. In regards to her, all we did was ask the head nurse if we
> could get a new evening nurse to work with us, and our son. It was very easy
> to make this change, even in the neonatal intensive care unit, (NICU), where
> staff was limited. The head nurse said, "I understand where you are coming
> from, and respect the fact that you would like to make the right decisions
> that you feel would be for your son." And, that's what really made me enjoy
> my time at Swedish medical Center in Seattle, even with the fact that I
> really wanted to just go home with my then girlfriend and our new sun.
> For those of you who do not know, me and that young lady are no longer
> together. She has our son 67% of the year, leaving me with only 33. Don't
> misunderstand this, I respect the reason why it is this way, and I hope to
> change it in the near future. But, I do understand where some individuals
> are coming from and regards to difficulties with the social worker. I think
> that all parents may have been asked the question, "How will you know when
> it is time to change the diaper?" My response was, my eyes don't work my
> nose does.
> One thing that I do want to let everyone know about, was a interesting
> situation that I always tell people when they ask me about my son. After
> about three weeks, he had not had his hearing test done. Sabrina, his mom,
> and I went to lunch. I stopped at the nurses desk and asked them "Could you
> please do Nicholas is hearing test? I would really appreciate it, don't take
> this the wrong way, but, if he is blind them we will be okay. If he has any
> hearing difficulties however, there may be some communication issues." We
> then came back from lunch about 45 minutes later, and the results of his
> stellar hearing test had been posted.
> The moral of the story is, for any new parent don't hesitate to ask
> questions. Your first concern should be the health of your child, and no
> question is too dumb to ask.
> 
> Michael Babcock, Assistive Technology And Braille Instructor
> 
> Alaska Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired
> 
> Equipping Alaskans for success
> 
> Phone: 907-771-4303
> 
> fax 907.248.7517
> www.alaskabvi.org
> 
> michael.babcock09 at gmail.com
> 
> 
> 
> On Aug 11, 2012, at 6:04 PM, "Veronica Smith" <madison_tewe at spinn.net>
> wrote:
> 
>> I had the same social worker and when she asked me how I would know if the
>> diaper was dirty, I calmly said, "how do you know?"  I then followed the
>> question with, I'm not trying to be rude or hateful, but everyone knows
>> whether they are sighted or blind when a diaper needs changing.  Honestly,
>> she didn't question me again!
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
>> Behalf Of Bernadetta Pracon
>> Sent: Saturday, August 11, 2012 3:07 PM
>> To: blparent at nfbnet.org
>> Subject: Re: [blparent] introduction, expecting
>> 
>> Tatyana,
>> First of all, Congratulations on your new little one. Do you know what
>> you're having?
>> I am a relatively new mommy too. My baby boy was born almost six months
> ago,
>> so I thought I'd share my experiences with you. Prior to having a baby, I
>> didn't really have much experience with caring for small children. I
> became
>> terribly nervous when I was expecting, because it was drummed into my mind
>> that taking care of an infant is hard work, and on top of that I'm blind,
> so
>> it must be twice as hard. I thought I'd be scared to bring my little one
> up
>> and down the stairs at my home for example, thought I would never learn
> how
>> to change him properly, or feed him for that matter. I thought I'd be
>> carrying him around in a front pack forever because I'd be afraid to
>> accidentally bump him into a wall while walking or something. Fast-forward
>> six months, and guess what, I haven't even used my front pack. Not once.
> And
>> I've become a pro with my little one, as has my boyfriend/partner. So far,
>> my baby has not incurred any injuries, not even minor ones.
>> I wanted to take  all of the classes offered by the hospital that Jo
>> Elizabeth mentioned, but the hospital I chose to give birth at was not
> easy
>> to get to on my own and I didnt' have the best transportation system in
>> place at the time. So I didn't end up taking advantage of them. However,
>> when I got there, I was confident and willing to learn everything I needed
>> to in order to safely care for my son. My partner who is also blind was
>> equally prepared to learn how to be responsible for our child. When we
> were
>> asked by nurses and doctors about how we would provide for our child, we
>> told them, patiently and confidently that we, like any other couple with a
>> small baby, would probably require some help and that we had my family
>> nearby if we needed them.
>> The only person at the hospital who got under my skin was the social
> worker
>> assigned to us: She was like a cross examiner, and for a social worker,
>> quite ignorant. She insisted on asking idiotic questions like, how would
> we
>> know if the baby had a poopy diaper, and she made it obvious that in her
>> mind, two blind people shouldn't live alone with a baby. We assured her
> that
>> we were going to be fine, and because we made a solid case for ourselves,
>> she had no loophole in which to slip in and cause trouble. It may have
> also
>> been helpful that my mom, who was in the hospital with us for the birth
> (per
>> my request) and then to visit the baby, assured the staff of the hospital
>> that if we needed her, she'd help us. That's not overstepping the lines,
> in
>> my oppinion; Every new grandma is eager to help with her child's new
> baby,.
>> Many new parents, whether blind or sighted seek their own parents
> assistance
>> with the baby for a time.
>> I ended up having a CSection which granted me a few more days at the
>> hospital. I took advantage of that; I asked the nurses to teach me about
>> diapering, swaddling, breastfeeding, and bathing my boy. Don't be nervous
>> about asking them for help, but be sure that at the end of your hospital
>> stay, you're able to show them that you've retained at least the basics of
>> baby care. If some nurse is being snooty with you and seems more willing
> to
>> berate you for being a blind mom than she is eager to teach you how to be
>> one, you should feel free to request assistance from someone else. It's
> your
>> hospital stay; The hospital should benefit you in whatever way they can,
> so
>> don't be  too shy to ask for help. I was fortunate to have had a great
>> hospital staff aiding my new family. The nurses and  PCA's, even the
> doctors
>> were supportive and seemed eager to give us a chance. But I'll tell you
> that
>> they did feel apprehensive, and had I not displayed my compitance and my
>> willingness to learn, they would have hesitated to allow the child to come
>> home with me. You need to be confident. You need to be sharp-minded and
> work
>> with the hospital staff. In most cases, they are just working in your
> baby's
>> best interest.
>> Well, that's that. I'm sorry for the long-winded message. i'm rambling. 
>> lol. Anyway, good luck, and if you need anything else, feel free to ask
> the
>> list, and since  I've been through all this recently, feel free to email
> me
>> off list if you need to talk and get advice, new mom to a slightly  more
>> seasoned new mom. lol Good  Luck!!
>> Bernadetta
>> 
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