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Special Needs
Intro and a lifting question
Hi SN friends,
I'm a proud mama of four (6, 5, 4, and 2)--three of whom have special needs (mild to severe)--and am pregnant, due on Valentine's Day. My question is about "safe" lifting practices. My four year old is a survivor of Shaken Baby Syndrome (she has a TBI, severe CP, a seizure disorder, is non-verbal, wheelchair dependent, button fed [exclusively], etc.). While she is tall for her age, she's also rather solidly built. In short, she weighs roughly 43lbs and her weight is all midsection. She's an awkward carry (she is completely "dead weight") pretty much always, but I'm hypersensitive about lifting her now that I'm pregnant (and, I should note, my last pregnancy a few years back ended in miscarriage). While I only have to cope with moving her around every third day when my husband,a firefighter/paramedic, is on shift, does anyone have any easy-peasy moving/lifting tips for me? By the end of August, I'll no longer have to lift her at all on days he's gone so it's basically just for the interim. Anyway, I'm trying to keep all lifting to a minimum and changing the nature of the time we spend together (more massage and gentle manipulations/stretching/and so forth, less pulling her onto my lap and then trying to get out from under her, etc). I'm lifting with my legs and not my back, but I still worry about the strain of it all. Anyway, nice to meet all of you and thanks in advance for any suggestions you might have where safe lifting is concerned! 
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Re: Intro and a lifting question
Welcome and congratulations on your pregnancy! I am curious to hear what answers you get. My DS has low tone and is about 30 lbs. He is standing and walking with help, but I often wondered what I might do if he did not start to develop the tone. I still do carry him around often, but it's easier now that he has some muscle tone.
I am wondering if something exists that is like a big sling, attached to something like an IV-pole, that you could use to get her from one position to the next?
I would also ask your OB/GYN for some ideas on ways to help with lifting. They should at least be able to refer you to someone. If not, what about her physiatrist? That is who we talk to about equipment, and s/he might have some ideas.
GL! Wishing you a happy and healthy PG!
Welcome to the board and congrats on your pregnancy!
Yes! These are called hoyer lifts. Some can be installed for long term use and are electronic. Others are a manual lift that are not installed into the home. With a hoyer lift I (with a very small frame) could lift a 300+ pound adult by myself. Basically you have a set of slings and the one lifting frame. (There are different slings available for the bath as well as bath chairs so if bathing is an issue, make sure to inquire about those at the same time!)
Hoyer lifts are definitely available for home use, but they're expensive so you'll want to get it covered by insurance, if possible. I'd contact the pediatrician or physiatrist/physical medicine doctor and your PT. The therapist will be able to get you in contact with an equipment company or if you're aware of local vendors you could contact one yourself. From there, you'll need a Letter of Medical Necessity from a medical doctor and a therapist in order to get it approved through insurance, so its best to get them on board from the beginning. If your DD has Medicaid, her caseworker would also be a good person to get assistance through on this. And yes--asking your OB about lifting is also good. I think I recall mine saying 25 lbs was my limit. DD is super tiny so that didn't effect me, but I have had to pay much more attention to HOW I hold her as my belly gets bigger so that she doesn't inadvertently kick the baby when she flails a limb.