Chronic pain. Parents of kids with special needs deal with it every single day. Not only our children's pain, which is what springs to mind for most moms and dads when the topic arises. But also our own chronic pain. We all experience it. Our pain can be caused by the physical demands of caregiving. It can be mental and emotional pain exacted by sleep deprivation, the trauma of seeing our … [Read more...]
A Special Needs Thanksgiving Prayer
Blessed Thanksgiving from Not Alone's special needs bloggers. We are so thankful for you and your dedicated care of children with special needs! ~ Jolene Philo … [Read more...]
Modifying the World to Welcome Children with Special Needs
Modifications. They are a necessary and natural part of life for families who want their loved ones with special needs to have access to the world. One of my earliest memories is watching carpenters build a ramp so Dad could wheel in and out of our house. Mom modified an old leather toiletry bag to carry Dad's urinal when we were out and about since few bathrooms were wheelchair accessible in the … [Read more...]
He Won’t Remember: Children & PTSD
Some things parents never forget. Like the first time a mother holds her newborn child. Or the first time a baby belly laughs at a father's antics. But when I think of our son's early days, one unpleasant memory comes to mind. Our baby's wince of pain when the nurse took him–bristling with drainage tubes, feeding tubes, IVs, and monitor wires–and placed him in his daddy's arms. Newborns Don't … [Read more...]
Alphabet Soup Is Hard to Swallow
Alphabet soup isn't hard to swallow. Not for most people anyway. But when a pediatrician says your newborn baby has esophageal atresia and tracheoesophageal fistula (EA/TEF), the diagnosis is a hard one for parents to digest. And for the baby with this condition, soup–or any kind of food–can be deadly. Alphabet Soup: EA/TEF Style My husband and I learned of our son's diagnosis about seven hours … [Read more...]