[blParent] Tips for Self-Advocacy During Delivery

[Jo Elizabeth Pinto]

Requesting not to work with an obstetrician who doesn't respect you is definitely something you can do, and should do.

My biggest tip is, answer questions with confidence but not with defensiveness. The obstetrician, who wasn't the usual person I'd worked with throughout my pregnancy because she happened to be out on vacation when I delivered, decided to ask me if I would have help at home right as he broke my bag of waters. I was obviously distracted at the moment by my personal plumbing problems, so I just gasped, "Yeah, sure. Doesn't everybody?"

Later, I got to thinking that as much as the doctor's timing had seemed inopportune at best, I was glad he had popped his question when he did, so I hadn't had too much of a chance to think about my answer. I hadn't made a blind issue out of what was really a general parenting thing at its core.


Jo Elizabeth Pinto

Check out my author Web site at
http://www.brightsideauthor.com.

-----Original Message-----
From: BlParent <blparent-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Natalie via BlParent
Sent: Friday, October 23, 2020 7:56 PM
To: 'Blind Parents Mailing List' <blparent at nfbnet.org>
Cc: natalieccharbonneau at gmail.com
Subject: [blParent] Tips for Self-Advocacy During Delivery

Hello All:

I've been trying to mentally prepare for any assumptions/attitudinal barriers I may encounter as a blind person during my pregnancy and subsequent delivery. I've made it to week 35 and just had my first negative encounter at my doctor's visit with one of the rotating OBs. 

 

I feel pretty confident in my self-advocacy skills, but the experience has me feeling a bit down and even more anxious about what I may  encounter during labor and delivery. So I thought I'd ask if anyone has any tips/advice on how to best prepare? I wrote out a "blind tips, open to questions, let's work together" section in my birth plan and discussed my concerns about being treated "just like any other first-time parent" with both the maternity coordinator at the hospital and with my OB. I also plan to tell my OB that if she isn't available for my delivery, I can't work with the OB I had today (I'm hoping that's something I can do? There are three other OBs in the practice).

 

Just hoping to find a way to prep/relieve some of my anxiety hopefully.

 

Thanks.

 

Natalie

 

 

 

 

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