Pregnancy with a Challenge

Erin Andrews is pregnant and there are the regular challenges she must face with have a baby.  Some might think she faces an extra barrier with this pregnancy.  Andrews is a congenital triple amputee and uses a power wheelchair for mobility.  She is determined to erase the stereotypes associated with pregnancy and having a physical challenge and start a bright future for her unborn son.

 

Andrews got the feeling that her OB-GYN was uneasy about the pregnancy.  Her OB-GYN recommended her to a perinatologist, a doctor that helps women in high risk pregnancies.  She also was told to see a doctor specializing in genetics.  Andrews knew that her physical challenge was no more risky than able-bodied women and that her condition wasn’t genetic but still agreed to go.

The perinatologist told Andrews she wasn’t at risk.  He even told her to advocate for a vaginal delivery.  Most women with physical challenges are encouraged to get C-sections because of the effect on the body.

 

 “You are probably the least high risk woman to come into my practice; but you make providers nervous because you’re not in any of their textbooks,” stated the perinatologist.

By the time this article is written, Andrews will have given birth to her son.  She stated she read an article that says women with physical challenges are “selfish” for having children.  She is sorry that when her son grows up in this world, he will have to face the stigma of being born to a mother with a physical challenge.  Andrews doesn’t regret her decision to become pregnant.

Article found on Facebook via Nikki:  http://www.apa.org/pi/disability/resources/publications/newsletter/2011/12/pregnancy-disability.aspx