I’ve been paralyzed and dependent on a wheelchair for almost two decades and, I tell ya, becoming a mom has required more of my creativity, problem-solving skills, and brain power in adaptations than anything I’ve gone through.
The main reason is that pregnancy and motherhood have forced me to account for more than just myself in everything I do; it’s not just me anymore, so I can’t be as [calculated] reckless with my body as before. Most times more than I’d prefer, that fact has opened me up to people’s help (unnecessary or not, annoyingly or not) and some of the most beautiful workarounds I’ve seen. It has been a wild ride, folks.
Since the beginning of my pregnancy journey and still now, there has been a giant learning curve – socially just as much as physically. The learning curve is my “wild ride.”
I talked about accommodations I made all I was pregnant, but there’s another book I can write about accommodations for new motherhood. There’s also little to nothing published in terms of a guide, so I’ve figured most of this on my own. That’s a familiar consequence of disability because we’re all so different, but I can at least give a head start.
First and foremost, my best hack is a transfer sling I use constantly and every day. I couldn’t be a mama without it. It’s made for people who want to put their baby in to rock/sling them to sleep, but I use it to move baby to surfaces, onto or off my lap, on and off the floor, and anywhere I put him. Without dependable core strength [and especially as he gets heavier], the sling is a must.