Adopting a Baby When You Have a Disability
And mourning things I didn’t know I’d be sad about.
“And you know you can’t be alone with your child under any circumstances, right?”
I blinked a few times. Her words took me by surprise, even though I agreed with them. There was something about hearing them out loud that filled me with shame.
“Yes,” I said, nodding my head, trying to hide my reaction of feeling gut-punched.
Yesterday was my 37th birthday. It was also the day my wife and I had our home study to start the process of adoption. The journey will be an interesting one. On top of all the uncertainties that come with adopting a baby, our situation is made more complicated by my disability.
When I was born, the umbilical cord wrapped around my neck, cutting off the oxygen to my brain. As a result, I have cerebral palsy. CP manifests itself in different ways, depending on the severity. For me, it affects my balance and my fine motor skills.
I live a full life, and I find ways to adapt to my surroundings as needed. When my wife Diana and I got married, we knew we wanted to have kids. We also knew our situation would present challenges in caring for a baby.
