BEING AN AMPUTEE MUM

Being a new mum is one tough gig.

Being a new mum and an arm amputee is a VERY tough gig.

Now I’m not one for sympathy or feeling sorry for myself, that’s not what this blog is about.

Instead, this blog is a chance for me to be raw and honest and share with you how I’ve manage these past three months in a role that has been the most challenging yet.

Toward the end of my pregnancy I had a few moments of sheer anxiety, like most expecting first time mums - I worried whether or not I’d be a good mum.

But I also became upset at the thought of how I would physically do things like bath my baby and carry her while trying to do other things and how would I support her head while breastfeeding on my left side.

In the first few weeks I couldn’t bath my baby by myself.

I was literally unable to hold her and wash her at the same time.

It broke my heart that I wasn’t able to do it, but there is always a positive to every negative. Bath time is a joint task that I share with my husband, and it’s a bonding experience that we both share with our daughter. How very special that is.

In regards to holding her and doing other things at the same time, again in the first few weeks it simply wasn’t possible. If my baby girl was in my arms, no matter how tired I was, or hungry or urgently needing to go to the toilet – she stayed there. My back ached (and still aches) but again every negative have a positive and those hours and days when she was in my arms and I was starving or about to wet myself … those are the moments I’ll cherish forever.

Pushing a pram is easy, hanging onto a pram for dear life with one hand while walking down a hill is a different story. The muscles in my right forearm get stronger every day!
Pushing a pram while holding a baby who doesn’t want to be a pram when you’re at the shops, that is hard work! But we make it work, and again holding my precious girl in my arms while she is this little is something that won’t last. So no matter how sore my back is, it’s worth it.

Dropping something on the ground while holding my baby – well this requires technique! If it happens at home I don’t care, whatever I’ve dropped can stay on the ground all day if it has to. But the other day I was at the shops and I dropped my keys! So, while holding my little girl in my left arm, I had to delicately squat down and pick up my keys with my right hand.

Usually this isn’t an issue, but doing it in front of strangers as they look and smile sympathetically is another story. I had to grip tightly with my left arm to ensure her entire body and head was supported while I practically broke my back as I squatted down and picked up my keys, smiling the entire time as if it wasn’t uncomfortable at all … !

The positive in this … squats sure help with the post baby bum!

The moral of my story; three months on – my back hurts so much, I’m coming to terms with the sleep deprivation and I’ve finally mastered breastfeeding.
Being a mum is the hardest job in the world – for anyone, regardless of whether you have on hand or two.

But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Any other mums out there looking for products that are helpful, these are some that have really made a difference for me;

Sling – My Wild Bird

Baby Carriers – Marsupi (Fertile Mind)  &  Burrow Baby – Handmade Bamboo carriers.

Pram – Stokke (it’s much higher than most prams and easy to assemble)