mobileWOMEN.org: reproductive health and pregnancy

Showing posts with label reproductive health and pregnancy. Show all posts

Paralyzed and Pregnant…Rolling with Baby on Board

By Patty Kunze, RNC, BSN, The Rollin RN ™

Patty Kunze, "The Rollin RN" & her family

What a “labor of love” in creating this article. The women seated in wheelchairs have rolled to the top of their highest mountains. They are some of the strongest women on this earth and NOTHING stops them. Next time you encounter a woman in a wheelchair think, “What is she all about and how has her life impacted others in a positive way?” Never underestimate a woman in a wheelchair because you will be astonished by what that woman has done since her life-changing incident.They are major go-getters, major winners, and major champions in their lives. I have found lawyers, nurses, writers, artists, students, engineers, models, mentors, bloggers, volunteers, designers, you name it and I found it……all while sitting in a wheelchair. That chair is only our mode of transportation but the true individual and talent is the one sitting in the chair. The chair doesn’t define us; it only made us 110% stronger as women. We all started out the same but some catastrophic event placed us in a chair but that was only the start of the climb. Once we started up the mountain there was no stopping us. These women are the strongest women on the face of the earth. Don’t let the wheelchair fool you. Fact is only 18% of spinal cord injuries are women but there is a lot of FEMALE FORTITUDE sitting in that chair.

Researching the material on becoming a parent while spinal cord injured and being spinal cord injured (SCI) myself, I wanted to include every bit of information I could find.

I have had children, two sons, and I went through pregnancy and delivery b.a. (before accident). Being a previous Labor and Delivery nurse, I knew the pertinent medical content that I wanted to include but after some thought, found it necessary to organize and funnel my knowledge to this particular subject, and compare and contrast it to spinal cord injured women. By revisiting this subject from a new perspective, I have had a total BLAST with this topic. It was so much fun posing questions to my friends and sifting through the responses.

The Intersection of Disability and Menopause

By Gemma Fletcher

Menopause is a difficult time for most women, but for women with disabilities, there's more to the story. The symptoms and problems that go along with this stage of life are compounded by the fact that some disabilities and chronic diseases are affected by menopause in unexpected ways.

Women and Menopause

The most well-known symptom is the hot flashes that most menopausal women experience, but there are many others: depression and other emotional disturbances, migraines, palpitations, insomnia, weight fluctuation, night sweats, dizziness, memory loss, and bladder and urinary problems.

For women with disabilities, there are additional problems to contend with. Depending on the nature of her disability, a woman may experience more severe bladder problems, lower tolerance to heat, poor circulation, and skin problems. For women with chronic diseases, menopause may lead to an accelerated progress of disease or a worsening of symptoms.

Pregnancy After Paralysis

The desire to be a mother is an impulse that begins in childhood for most women. But once a spinal cord injury occurs, many women assume having a baby is just not in the cards for them. They are concerned that their bodies can’t handle a pregnancy, or that they can’t be a good parent because they’re in a wheelchair. However, the truth is that women with SCI are able to carry babies to term, and to become incredible mothers.

A new fact sheet on pregnancy and SCI that was just published by the Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center (MSKTC) highlights these facts:

§ Having a spinal cord injury does not affect your ability to naturally become pregnant or to carry and deliver a baby. It’s easy for a woman with paralysis to become pregnant.

§ Women with all levels of injury have had children following an SCI.

§ Your injury will not impact your baby. Your baby will develop normally, as all babies do.

§ Mothers with paralysis report that the positive effects of parenting usually outweigh the perceived difficulties.

If you’re thinking about getting pregnant, advance planning and preparation will help prevent problems. Consult your doctor to check out all drugs you take, because some medications are harmful to the fetus. It’s wise to get a full gynecological examination before you begin trying to get pregnant. Seek out an OB-GYN in your area who has had experience with mothers with SCI, and make sure your obstetrician consults with your rehab doctor on issues such as autonomic dysreflexia (AD), bowel and bladder management, pressure sores and how your injury will impact your pregnancy, labor and delivery. You also need a urology check-up beforehand, as the growing baby will put pressure on your bladder.

Most often, managing a pregnancy of a woman with SCI becomes a team effort among all her doctors and the members of her family. And once a baby is born, parenting becomes a team effort as well.

Reprinted with permission from FacingDisability.com

10 Common Misconceptions about Women with Disabilities

By the mobileWOMEN.org Team

Misconception #1: We can't speak for ourselves.

Ever notice when you're in a restaurant and the hostess asks the person you are with, where you would like to sit?

Guess what? We are able to communicate ourselves! Even if someone can’t speak, chances are they have found a way to express themselves. We lead active, productive lives and have no problem answering a question or finding another restaurant!

Misconception #2: If you're married, you must've married before you sustained your injury/disability.

No, actually we do date and have active social lives. We have plenty to offer in a relationship. Many can see our strengths, attributes and beauty!

Misconception #3: Women with disabilities don’t have sex.

We can. We do. We like.

Women with disabilities have the same needs and desires as everyone else. They are also used to being creative and thinking outside-the-box, so watch out!

The Fun Doctor

by Elizabeth Treston

What I first entered the exclusive club of spinal cord injury my girlfriends and I used to call the gynecologist the "fun doctor". The rationale behind it was that if you were seeing a gynecologist you were having sex. Well after I was first hurt, my first assumption (which is very wrong) was that I would not be having sex; therefore, the gynecologist was not on my list of doctors to see. I was more interested in finding out where I could get a new pair of glasses.

Mobile Women Dress for Pregnancy

by Cheryl Price

The period of time between discovering that you are pregnant and having that bundle of joy placed in your anxious arms consists of a whirlwind of events. You must plan and prepare a nursery, purchase baby clothes and supplies, perhaps register for those all-important baby necessities, and start budgeting for the new family member. While there is much to do, the most important task of all is to take good care of yourself throughout the pregnancy. Proper nutrition, getting plenty of rest and following doctor’s orders are paramount. As you move along in your pregnancy and begin taking care of these tasks and yourself, you notice that your body is changing. Before you know it, your belly is growing…a lot! You know what this means: it’s time to start maternity shopping!

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