Toomey J Gazette (Vol. 11, No. 1, 1968 - Polio Place

A CHILD ADDS SO MUCH,, ,
by Jean Legried
We had been married for a
year and a half when our
doctor confirmed the fact
that I was pregnant. We had
hoped some day to have a
family but we felt there
were too many obstacles.
I was born with muscular atrophy. It is a progressive, sup-
posedly hereditary, disability that affected my feet and
hands. It progressed to my knees and to my elbows and when I
was 13 years old (1952), I got a wheelchair. From then on,
though, I didn't get any weaker. I have a certain amount of
general body weakness but it is almost unnoticeable and I do
almost all my own housework - a ll except some heavy cleaning.
When I found out I was pregnant, though, I started realiz-
ing the things I couldn't do. Safety pins and buttons were
at the head of my list so the next few months were spent Cry-
ing to find substitutes and easy ways to care for a baby.
My pregnancy was normal and X encountered no difficulties.
A big stomach isn't as unhandy as you might think!
Virgil Peder was born on July 17, 1964 and weighed seven
pounds and seven ounces. My mother stayed with us for six
(.reeks after we came home from the hospital. When she left I
had to use all those ideas I had been thinking of and invent
new ones as new problems arose.
First, was food. I wanted very badly to breast feed our
baby but it seems I wasn't given the proper equipment:
Actually, the canned formulas, the terminal sterilization
method and a helpful husband simplified everything. As soon
as possible (around six weeks), I put Virgil in his infant
seat for feedlng. When he was five months old, he started
holding his own bottle so than feeding was a breeze. I burped
him In the ordinary "over the shoulder" method.
Diapers were another problem. I cannot handle snaps very
well and safety pins not at all so I used diapers with Velcro
nylon tape fastenings. My arms were strong enough to lift
Virgil even when he was over 30 pounds. He always lay still
for diaper changing so I never had problems there. He was a
strong baby, too, which made handling him so much easier.
When Virgil was tiny he wore drawstring nighties and kimo-
nos. Until he was a year old, he wore terry stretch pajamas
with a zipper, which I could work with a pull-chain. Then I
found Simplicity pattern 63497 and adapted it to summer sun-
suits and winter denim pants, all made with Velcro tape.
I am unable to put on my own shoes and socks so Virgil's
were an equal problem. He would not keep his shoes on at home
so often he went barefoo~ed!
Until he was four months old, Virgil "lived" in a sturdy,
big second-hand buggy. Then he progressed to a Montgomery
Ward nylon mesh playpen and from there to a walker.
The thought of toilet training bothered me but it wasn't
bad. I started when Virgil was a few days under two years old.
By this time a child has a very independenr streak and he
started taking off and putting on his pants in no time at all.
Soon he didn't even want me in the bathroom with him!
Playing outside became a problem in his second summer.
Virgil loved to be outside but we don't have a ramp for me to
get outside. Also, we have a big, bumpy farmyard so I doubt
if I could get around well. So we put hooks on both outside
doors and Virgil had to stay in until Daddy came home. When
Peder came in the door, Virgil went out:
Peder has always been most helpful. HE ALlJAYS bathed and
dressed Virgil and made his formula when he was tiny. He wash-
es clothes, too, but drying, folding, and putting away always
has been my job. Raising a baby would have been more diffi-
cult without his help!
Having a child in the family is a delightful experience!
They are always doing something new and charming - and often
mischevious! A child can add so much to your life. You'll
never be out of work and his sunshine fills the darkest cor-
ners of your home. Besides - where else can a child find a
mother with ready-made monkey bars to climb on?!? e