The Internet's One-Stop Resource for Parents with Disabilities
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Note: This item was designed for use by Trish, Webmaster for this site. Trish has Cerebral Palsy and uses a motorized wheelchair. She also has limited balance and arm strength.
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Even before our
daughter was born, I decided that I wanted to breast-feed. But the truth was,
when Diana was first born, breast-feeding was a lot of WORK for both of us,
because I was not able to support the baby enough to feel comfortable for
feeding. We tried all kinds of positions and lots of pillows, but nothing
really worked. Then, when I was staying at the National Rehabilitation Hospital
after I fell and broke my knee (THAT'S another story), my doctor asked the
Rehab Engineers to design a lap tray that would be lightweight and easy for me
to put on and take off without assistance. What the engineers came up with was
to carve a piece of hard gray foam to the shape of my wheelchair, and attach
canvas straps with a quick-release latch. One end of the latch is on the lap
tray; the other end is attached to my armrests. There's a 1/8" thick sheet of
plastic glued to the top of the tray so that the foam could not suffer puncture
wounds, and there are Velcro strips on the plastic sheets. The Velcro helps
hold the soft foam pillow that the baby lies on for nursing, or sits on when I
is carry or play with her. Neat, huh? (Note: This tray made all the
difference in the world for successful breast-feeding; Diana was instantly
comfortable on it and we could now focus on the really important
business!)
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