Find professionals who understand that your disability isn’t the first thing about you – that you’re a pregnant woman first and foremost. Find out if you can labour and deliver your baby in water; you may find it easier to get into positions for a calmer birth. If you have difficulty using your arms and hands, you’ll need help learning to hold, cuddle and feed your baby. It keeps your hands and arms free – and also sends a clear signal that your baby is, in fact, yours. Being called an “inspiration” is tedious: it implies you’re special and perpetuates the myth that disabled people don’t have children.

Source: The Guardian October 13, 2018 08:26 UTC