Preparing for Baby: How to Get Ready for Parenting with a Disability

Preparing your home — and your life — for a new baby can be a big task, one that comes with many worries. As a new parent, you want to give your child everything he needs and make sure he’s safe, happy, and comfortable. As a parent with a disability, you also want to ensure that your own daily needs are met and that you’re able to keep everything easily accessible. From feeding to sleeping to bathing, your child will need lots of care, and knowing how to prepare your home will go a long way toward helping everyone stay safe and healthy.It’s also imperative to prepare your physical and mental state for a new baby, as the potential for stress and anxiety is greater. Your lifestyle will change, and if your disability leaves you feeling tired, you’ll need to balance your child’s needs with getting enough rest. This is one of the most common issues for new parents, and since lack of sleep over an extended period of time can be dangerous and unhealthy, it’s important to learn how to take care of yourself.

Read on for some great tips on how to get ready for a new baby when you’re living with a disability.

Find the Right Resources

It’s important to find resources that will help you get through the difficult days as well as to help you prepare for parenthood, whether it’s getting the right medical care or finding community support. It’s also a good idea to garner support from your friends and family during this time, in part so you’ll have help — especially during the first few months with your new baby.

Take Care of Yourself

There are some simple ways you can prepare for parenthood that will also help you take care of yourself, such as getting into a routine, making meals ahead of time and freezing them so you’ll have something easy after the baby comes, and setting up babysitters for the future so that you and your partner will have some time alone together. One of the most stressful parts of being a new parent is not having the time for your relationship, so it’s important to make time.

Find Healthy Ways to Cope with Stress

Parenting is one of the most stressful jobs there is, so it’s important to learn how to cope with stress and anxiety in a healthy way. Whether you conceived your child or adopted, there will be a learning curve — especially in the beginning — where you’ll figure things out, and you may feel overwhelmed at times. Know that this is natural and that no one parenting method is right for everyone.

Make Your Home Safe

Your home should be a place of safety and comfort for the entire family, so it’s important to go from room to room and make changes that will help you stay mobile more easily after the baby comes. This might include installing ramps, adding a grab bar or stool in the shower, or removing any possible trip hazards that could cause a fall while you’re holding the baby. Taking care of safety now will give you peace of mind and allow you to focus on your child’s needs.

Preparing your home and your life for a new child can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be. Try to focus on the positives now so that you can enjoy this time, and keep communication open with your partner, friends, and family so that you can make sure all your needs are met.

by Ashley Taylor from DisabledParents.org
"The various psycho-educational testing Dr. Liz conducted on our son gave us critical clues about where his learning strengths and weaknesses lie so that his needs could be better addressed at home and school. Moreover, because of their warm, kindhearted personalities, both Dr. Liz and her associate, Stephanie, formed an immediate bond with my son. He eagerly looks forward to his weekly therapy sessions. We are so lucky Dr. Liz came into our family's lives when she did! For stressed-out families trying to help their children as best they can, she is a calming voice of reason!"
- Julie C.
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- N.L.
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"My teenage son had been seeing Dr. Matheis through his senior year of high school, as he was only diagnosed with ADHD at 16 years old.  Dr. Matheis came highly recommended from our pediatrician and she has done wonders for our son as well as our family, navigating new ways for him to deal with his diagnosis without the use of medication.  She taught him ways to organize himself and even when something did not work for him, she patiently continued teaching him new ways to keep himself on track.  She has also helped us as parents to understand how his mind works so that we did not continue to blame his lack of focus on him, rather on his unique way of thinking.  Thank you Dr. Matheis!!!!"
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"Dr. Liz is the best! Our family was directed to her by our Pediatrician to assist with figuring out severe mood changes, severe anxiety, strange new fears and food aversion that had come onto one of our children literally overnight. After just a couple of visits, she suggested that the issues may actually be rooted in a physical issue and suggested we immediately take our child to be swabbed for strep, because Dr. Liz suspected PANDAS (a pediatric autoimmune disorder brought on by strep). The same Pediatrician that suggested Dr. Liz would not do the swab (they do not believe in PANDAS and we no longer go there) but I took my child to my doctor who did the swab and it was positive for strep. When our child went on antibiotics, within 24 hours all symptoms went away and our child was back :-) Dr. Liz then recommended a PANDAS specialist who helped us and our child is in complete remission and is happy and healthy. We are incredibly grateful to Dr. Liz for her knowledge of all things, even the most remote and unusual and for helping us so much! Thank you!"
- Anonymous
"The various psycho-educational testing Dr. Liz conducted on our son gave us critical clues about where his learning strengths and weaknesses lie so that his needs could be better addressed at home and school. Moreover, because of their warm, kindhearted personalities, both Dr. Liz and her associate, Stephanie, formed an immediate bond with my son. He eagerly looks forward to his weekly therapy sessions. We are so lucky Dr. Liz came into our family's lives when she did! For stressed-out families trying to help their children as best they can, she is a calming voice of reason!"
- Anonymous
"Thank you, Dr. Liz. Although we have told you countless times, it will never feel enough. You have listened when J could barely speak and continued to listen when he was sad, angry and confused. You've challenged him and directed us in our roles as parents. You've helped J face his fears while the list evolved and changed, and yet you've stayed committed to 'the course.' We pray that your children realize that time away from them is spent helping children learn and that vulnerability is a sign of strength and bravery."
- June I
"My son was admitted to an Ivy League school when only 2 years ago, you assessed him and saw his struggles, his Dyslexia. We are grateful that he no longer has to carry that deep feeling of inadequacy or shame that must have kept him so self conscious and from reaching his potential. He has the PERFECT program for him. He has A's in high math and economics. He became a Merit Scholar, a Boys State legislature, the HEAD captain of the football team and help a job ALL while studying and managing his classes and disability. I am PROUD of you, a young doctor, who knows and sees the vulnerability of children and helps them recognize "it's NO big deal" God bless."
- Anonymous

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