hi out there, can anyone advise on parenting with arthritis? my partner has rheumotoid arthritis. Is there any advice or equipment that would help carry a baby/toddler from the floor to say table level? as we are being refused fertility treatment due to my own medical problems and that of my partner who say that he would not be able to cope with lifting a baby/child as it gets older.
we are bothwithout knowing how your partner is affected by the arthritis, it is hard to
I wrote a wonderful reply and the gremlins ate it.. I am 54 and my husband and I are raising our 2 grandchildren now ages nearly 5 (may 21) and 18 months. We have had the older one since she was 15 months, then just got the baby the day after christmas. he was 14 mos I will tell you it is EXHAUSTING.. It can be done, but your support system has to be really there. your partner has RA, and feels it will prevent him from lifting any children? Depending on the severity of his RA he may truly be unable to do much at all with the baby. Are you 100% certain he WANTS a child? maybe he feels more comfortable blaming the disease rather than jut saying no kids. What are your medical issues? if your partner is having a bad day will you be able to take full care of the child? parenting in good health is exhauting and difficult. With medical issues.. it can be ever so much more so. I had to develop independence in these kids very quickly..both had to navigate stairs at a young age.. like 14 months.. both have chores already.. they had to learn how to get in and out of the tub safely, because I cant lift them out. my fingers had trouble with baby food jars and bottle nipples. forget putting on those teeny clothes.. sadly my kids all but live in jammies. I have a cousin with cerebral palsy who had a child about 16 years ago. She was completely unable to lift the child so needed to have him placed in a sling, or spend a lot of time is a cosleeper type bed. It CAN be done, but it is NOT easy. It CAN be done... I adore these kids and wouldnt give them up for the world, but if I had been as sick when I was younger as I am now, I doubt I would have had children. This is a situation that needs really deep introspection. As one who dealt with infertility I know the longing for a baby.. Could your desire to parent be filled by an older, less physically needy child? Only you can answer this.. feel free to talk to me any time. I'm not 100% sure I understand the situation either. Do you guys have children? Or are you considering them? Kathy your suggestions are really good ones and many I used after my daughter was born. One good piece of equipment I was lucky enough to have......but not everyone is was a 4 year old! Bless his little heart; he was a life saver! I do believe what Kathy said about teaching them to be independent at an early age is a must! You need to be firmer with discipline as well. It's one thing to tell a toddler no from a sitting position across the room......but it's another for that toddler to actually hear you; and listen!! You have to teach them things like this early to avoid possible harmful accidents as they age. Teaching a toddler to get in and out of the tub and up and down the stairs alone avoids having to lift them as often. It also helps to avoid accidents if one of them actually gets out of your site and decides to navigate the stairs alone. I've always been a big believer in teaching a child to navigate stairs alone as soon as possible. It's amazing how resourceful you learn to be when you know you have to change that diaper but you really don't think you can pick up that 18/20lb child one more time today! Change them on the floor. It's not easy; but I had no real choice. I didn't develope full blown Ra until after the birth of my daughter. By the time she was crawling it was a struggle to manage. I don't regret a minute of it (Not now anyway...lol). Children a blessing and I could not imagine my life without them. Good Luck to you both.
answer this question. i think it is possible as long as one of the parents is
able to lift at all times. children also take a lot of energy and if you are both
ill and fatigued all the time, it will be very difficult to keep up with a childs
energy level. children are very labor intensive. but if you really want
children and have a good support system, it is very possible to have kids
and take good care of them.
teenager. The best thing about a baby is that they start small. Yes it can
be painful but as the child get heavier, your muscles develop . My biggest
advice is to make sure you have a backup person for when things get
rough. I am blessed in the fact that I am surrounded by family. He
spends the night with either an Aunt or grandparents once a week. He
loves it since he get spoiled and I get a night were I don't have to worry
about anyone but me. It's a bit eaiser now that he is more self sufficient
but there are still issues. Now it's the "push me" on the swings and
helping him in and out of the bathtub. Still, I love every single second of
every day.
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