Disabled Women and Motherhood
5 Prejudices to Disprove
There are many disabled women who are advised against becoming mothers and who feel judged daily for their need to have a family.
There are still many prejudices linked to the world of disability. It is still a delicate subject, little explored, where there is a tendency to generalise without knowing. And when it comes to disability and motherhood, we get even deeper into a series of prejudices that are difficult to break down.
It is still thought today that a disabled woman is unable to carry a pregnancy and raise a child. And it is precisely this theme that we are going to touch on today, trying to dispel some of the most common prejudices linked to the world of disabled mothers.
1. For a disabled woman, pregnancy is more at risk
Not all disabilities allow one to have children, that is true. Whether or not one is predisposed depends on many factors, such as whether the disability arose after the age of development or not. Apart from a few cases, in general, however, we can say that pregnancy is almost always permitted.
If, for example, we talk about hypomobilitypregnancy may involve a high risk of gestational diabetes or thrombosis.
A woman in a wheelchair may experience problems following catheterisation, which is used to urinate. In this case, infections could occur that could lead to a miscarriage. Other disabilities, such as muscular dystrophy myotonia, do not provide for the possibility of carrying a pregnancy instead.
Many studies have focused on the effects that the childbirth and gestation can have on women suffering from multiple sclerosis and it was found that there are no contraindications to pregnancy for this condition. In fact, there are no differences in postnatal hospitalisation times between women with multiple sclerosis and healthy women.
2. A disabled woman has no sexual needs
I sexual and reproductive rights of women with disabilities are generically judged in a contradictory way. Because on the one hand there is still an idea of the woman as a sexual object or in the role of mother, on the other hand there is the concept that represents the disabled woman as as asexual and unfit to be a mother.
We can establish with certainty that being disabled does not mean not feeling sexual urges. On the contrary, women with disabilities can experience the same sexual desire as anyone else, quite naturally.
The problem? When it comes to disability, sex becomes an area undermined by taboos and prejudices. Often it is difficult to think about all the difficulties inherent in the sexual sphere of people with disabilities, other times it is thought that sex is not even a necessity for them.
Very often the prejudice starts from the family, which considers women with disabilities as asexual, unfit to live with a partner and to be mothers.
Sexual needs and desires are not seen as such and are automatically repressed even within the social context of which one is a part.
The same United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilitiesapproved in 2007 and subsequently ratified in Italy - both with an explicit reference to the exercise of sexuality and indirectly - repeatedly recognises in several articles, at the level of general obligations, the right to home and family, the right to life, freedom, inclusion, independent living, education and health, the need not to discriminate against persons with disabilities with regard to the full enjoyment of their rights, defining an ethical-legal basis for interventions that support the education and protection of human sexuality also for persons with disabilities.
In general terms, the WHO (2001) equated the right to sexual health with human rights in general. With this, sexuality became a fully-fledged part of the components that create a person's well-being, also analysed in a psycho-educational and social function.
Every woman must feel free to experience sexuality in a natural and personal way, as well as to have or not have the desire to be a mother and create a family with her partner. There are no rules, it is a world in which the rights of women with disabilities to make decisions about their own lives, sexuality and motherhood must be guaranteed and free from prejudice.
3. A disabled woman is too frail to carry a pregnancy
Women with physical disabilities are about as likely to become mothers as women of a similar age without disabilities, and even for women disabled from birth, pregnancy is not dangerous per se.
Looking again at the example of a woman with multiple sclerosis, she would have to discontinue therapy during pregnancy. As a consequence, typical symptoms such as balance problems and difficulty walking may occur. In general, the sense of fatigue during pregnancy may worsen.
For those who wish to give birth at home, we recommend Big Belly, a'midwife which offers a home service around Rome.
MIA MEDICAL ITALIA offers many types of services for the rental of all types of aids to facilitate the daily life of a disabled mother, such as electric bed lifts e indoor electric wheelchairs for the disabled to facilitate their autonomy and movement within the home space.
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4. A disabled woman in need of care is unable to take care of a child
There are many prejudices concerning new mothers with disabilities. How can they
taking care of another person, when they themselves are in need
help from someone else to carry out normal daily activities?
It is certainly true that depending on the nature of the disability, daily tasks
of a mother might be more difficult or challenging. If it is a
physical disability, there may be problems in picking up the child or in
perform activities such as shopping, housework, cleaning or cooking.
Disabled mothers with physical illnesses may need to use
adaptations to take care of their children through, for example, the
assistive technology or adaptations in technology or equipment to
safely lift or carry their babies, change nappies, breastfeed or
bathe them.
If a mother tires easily, she may find it difficult to hold the
step with a very active child. These are all real facts. But often it is not
considered the role of the partner, which is fundamental and
completely different from the idea we have in Italian society. Especially when the baby is small, the partner can play a fundamental role of
primary care.
In any case, once they have grown up, children can be involved in supporting and
in caring for a disabled parent and helping with household chores.
For a new mother with a disability, recognising when you need help can
be difficult, but knowing one's limits and planning in advance what support
will be necessary can help make things easier for mothers and their children.
5. A disabled woman can transmit the disease to her child
There is a strong fear of pregnancy and its consequences. For example, one
think that women with disabilities may have problems following childbirth or
may transmit the disease to their child. These concerns may
affect their lives, making them less independent in their decisions and
giving them less privacy.
When it comes to genetic disability, it is certainly important to undergo
any tests to exclude the possibility of transmitting the disease to the child, and
to know the risks of genetic abnormalities.
The world of disability is still a very complex issue. But if we can
putting aside all prejudices related to this issue, we realise that the
most important thing for a child is love. And love is something that comes
given in a completely natural way, regardless of the physical condition of a
parent. A woman with a physical disability will not be able to play football
with your child, but can sit on the floor with him to play with Lego.
The only thing children really need is love, as it is true that
every child always manages to adapt to the mother they have, because in the end,
Let's face it, no mother is perfect.
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