Faye and Stevie are both wheelchair users owing to different physical conditions. They are also parents to son Rowan, aged 4. They talk about what their lives are like as parents.
I'm Faye and I've got a neuromuscular condition called spinal muscular atrophy. I've got type 2, and to basically put it in a nutshell, I can't physically do anything for myself because my muscles are very weak and I have to use an electric wheelchair to get around.
I'm Stevie, mine's a muscular condition called Duchenne muscular dystrophy. I use a wheelchair all day as well, to get around, and we have 24 hour care to help us look after ourselves and our little boy, Rowan.
Finding out I was pregnant was one of the happiest moments of my life. Yeah, we just always wanted a family together. Our main concerns were if Rowan was going to have our conditions, so we went to see a genetic counsellor. And thankfully the tests all came back positive, so the chances of us having a child with a disability was the same as anybody else.
So far I've loved every bit of being a parent, but it does come with a few tough days, here and there. I'd probably say the toughest thing is kind of when he falls over and hurts himself, but the good thing is, we've got someone with us all the time, so as soon as he wants us, they pick him up and just put him on our knee really. We adapted parenting to us.
The simplest thing is communicating with him, just chatting. If he hears our voice, he knows he's safe. I think the benefits of it is we've got a very independent little boy on our hands and I think that's starting his future off right for him.
He started walking, literally, when he was one. He's full of energy and we actually joke that he's got both of our energy combined.
Sadly, we have experienced discrimination and you do judge yourself a little bit, but in the grand scheme of things, I think every parent is judged. Same-sex parenting, single parents, every kind of parent. I think the thing you have to remember is as long as you and your child are happy, and you're doing the right thing for you, then you don't need to listen to it. Becoming a parent was one of the greatest things I've ever experienced. It's definitely the most joyful thing ever.
Our conditions
Faye: I've got a neuromuscular condition called type 2 spinal muscular atrophy. In a nutshell, my muscles are very weak, meaning I need help with physical tasks and use an electric wheelchair to get around.
Stevie: Mine’s a muscular condition called Duchenne muscular dystrophy. I use a wheelchair to get around all day too. We have 24-hour care to help us look after ourselves and our little boy, Rowan.
Becoming pregnant and concerns
Faye: Finding out I was pregnant was one of the happiest moments of my life.
Stevie: We just always wanted a family together.
Our main concerns were if Rowan was going to have our conditions, so we went to see a genetic counsellor.
Faye: Thankfully, the tests all came back positive, so the chances of us having a child with a disability was the same as anybody else.
Adapting parenting
Faye: So far, I've loved every bit of being a parent, but it does come with a few tough days, here and there.
Stevie: I'd probably say the toughest thing is when he falls over and hurts himself. But the good thing is we've got someone with us all the time. As soon as he wants us, they pick him up and just put him on our knee.
Faye: We adapted parenting to us.
The simplest thing is communicating with him, just chatting. If he hears our voice, he knows he's safe.
I think the benefit of our situation is that we've got a very independent little boy on our hands, and I think that's starting his future off right for him.
Stevie: He started walking when he was one. He's full of energy and we joke that he's got both of our energy combined.
Experiencing judgement
Faye: Sadly, we have experienced discrimination and you do judge yourself a little bit. But in the grand scheme of things, I think every parent is judged. Same-sex parents, single parents, every kind of parent. I think the thing you have to remember is that as long as you and your child are happy, and you're doing the right thing for you, then you don't need to listen to it.
Stevie: Becoming a parent was one of the greatest things I've ever experienced. It's definitely the most joyful thing ever.
