Being Disabled and Pregnant

I always knew I wanted to have a baby; don’t get me wrong, I was quite happy plodding along without one but I got to a point in my life where both my husband and I felt the timing was right and we decided to start trying.

I am not going to lie, it was daunting! Being disabled obviously meant that it was going to be a completely different experience for us and we weren’t exactly sure what to expect. I had been on the mini pill since I was 18 and once I came off it, we were lucky that I fell pregnant within 8 months of trying. I will never forget the overwhelming joy I felt when we saw those 2 red lines appear, though it still took 4 more tests for me to believe it was really happening!

As anyone who thinks they are pregnant would do, I went to my doctors and he referred me to a midwife. In my first appointment, the midwife’s first words were ‘I’ve never had anyone in a wheelchair before’ and that was when it really hit home that not only were we learning as we were going along but the professionals probably would be too. Because of this my midwife wanted me to be under the additional care of a consultant.

The first consultant that I saw left us feeling completely overwhelmed after our initial meeting; bearing in mind we’d never done this before, she spoke to us like we had, bamboozling us with questions about my condition and advice on what she thought would be best for my pregnancy. We came out of the appointment more confused than when we went in! We were told that I would have to speak to my neurologist, I would have to have a general anesthetic because I couldn’t have an epidural, I’d have to see a hematologist and I’d need daily injections from 28 weeks of the pregnancy. I was also prescribed aspirin, calceos and vitamin D.

My disability became more of an issue when physical challenges presented themselves; I would always take a urine sample with me to my appointments as I wouldn’t be able to do them there and most particularly in our first 12 week scan as I was unable to transfer onto the bed. So when the sonographer could not get the baby in the right place and I wasn’t able to turn over or walk to get her in the right position, the scan had to be re-booked. This meant that I would have a double appointment and they would book a manual hoist so I could be lifted onto the bed to make the scan easier. This carried on throughout my pregnancy, a hoist would be booked for each of my scans and I would always lay on the bed.

My midwife appointments were better in the way I could stay in my wheelchair as it lays flat enough and the midwife could check the baby’s heartbeat easily.

Nothing was organised and no birth plan discussed until I got to about 24 weeks and at a growth scan, the consultant I saw who was different to normal, was very shocked that I had got this far through the pregnancy without a plan in place. He then proceeded to organise what needed to happen at this point and referred me again to another consultant who would be able to conduct my monthly growth scans and be the main point of contact through the rest of my pregnancy. She was very concerned about my health and the impact the pregnancy and birth might have on me, so arranged for all sorts of tests to be done for ours and their reassurance.

I had growth scans every month from 28 weeks onwards, two glucose intolerance tests at different points in the pregnancy (due to the baby apparently measuring big), a lung function test, an ECG Echo on my heart and appointments with both hematologists and anesthetists. Luckily, every test I had was ok and they were happy that the pregnancy could progress ‘normally’ to 38 weeks which is when my c-section would be booked for.

The next decision we had was on how I would have the c-section; I couldn’t give birth naturally because I have weak muscles and it would’ve been very difficult to push! Initially I wanted an epidural because I would be awake during the operation and would meet the baby immediately afterwards, it also meant that my husband would be with me as he wouldn’t be allowed in the operating theatre if I had a general anesthetic. But due to my condition, I had spinal surgery when I was a teenager and titanium rods in my back to straighten my spine as a result, so after a discussion with the anesthetist, he informed me that an epidural gave me a much higher risk of infection in my spine which could lead to complications in the future and because of scar tissue due to my previous operation, it may not be 100% effective and I’d end up having general anesthetic in the end anyway. Having the general anesthetic would reduce the risk of infection but did mean my lungs/heart would be under more strain.

Obviously either option wasn’t fantastic! But in the end, I decided to opt for the general anesthetic as the risk of infection with the epidural for me just wasn’t worth it and as my lungs and heart were both strong, I wasn’t too worried about the risks involved there.

As for the physical side of pregnancy, well it was definitely interesting! I was very lucky in the fact I had no sickness at all, only nausea (though for the first 3 months that was bad enough to stop me wanting to eat!) and I had minimal heartburn. But the discomfort in sitting down all day everyday with a growing baby in my belly was pretty tough. I use a ceiling hoist to transfer into bed / the toilet etc. and it became very uncomfortable, I was going to the toilet way more times than normal which was such a pain! I also had to try many different ways to get comfortable during the night, it definitely prepared me for waking for all the feeds when the baby was here as I would wake so many times! I had to use towels and pillows to help support my bump and because I can’t sleep on my side, I actually slept on my back (I know, completely frowned upon) but I sat propped up by my adjustable electric bed which my midwife said would be fine.

Throughout my pregnancy I had around 25 hospital / doctors’ appointments, this was the worst part for me as it was constant! But as I look back, they were all for good reason and to ensure that our baby was delivered as safely as possible. I ended up having Zyra Belle at 37 weeks instead of 38 which is what we had aimed for due to a drop in her growth at my last growth scan which meant they wanted to get her out, luckily at 37 weeks it’s quite safe to give birth, so I wasn’t too worried but it was a bit of a shock knowing I was going to have her sooner than planned!

I absolutely loved being pregnant, the feeling of her kicking and moving (though sometimes taking my breath away!) was incredible and something I’ll never forget.

I know there’s lots of you out there that will have more questions about this so please feel free to contact me via my instagram page linked below.