[blparent] introduction, expecting

[Pickrell, Rebecca M (TASC)]

Obgyn's ask every mom if she has help at home.
I've always wondered why they do this (since they can't just send someone over to help if you say no) and I have always wondered what they mean by "help".

-----Original Message-----
From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jo Elizabeth Pinto
Sent: Saturday, August 11, 2012 10:40 PM
To: Blind Parents Mailing List
Subject: Re: [blparent] introduction, expecting

Child Services wasn't involved when my daughter was born, either.  It was
the obstetrician who asked if I would have help at home.  Child Services got
involved when my baby was nine months old, but it turned out to be on
account of a bogus call by someone who didn't know what she was talking
about.  The social worker promptly wrote a report saying there was no reason
to open a case.

Jo Elizabeth

I am somehow less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein's
brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and
died in cotton fields and sweatshops.--Stephen Jay Gould
-----Original Message-----
From: Veronica Smith
Sent: Saturday, August 11, 2012 8:16 PM
To: 'Blind Parents Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [blparent] introduction, expecting

Child services was not involved in any way shape or form when Gab was born
and when I mentioned social worker, that is  just part of the services the
hospital offers. I believe that whether you have a baby or have any kind of
major surgery, this person comes by to see you.  Just in case.

-----Original Message-----
From: blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Bernadetta Pracon
Sent: Saturday, August 11, 2012 5:29 PM
To: blparent at nfbnet.org
Subject: Re: [blparent] introduction, expecting

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

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