Are you able to be happy again after having a child with cp

Question

my sister has a daughter that has cp(cerbral palsay) sorry don't know how to spell it. and she's always complaning that she's not happy and her life is over. but i dont' think it's really that bad she just needs to throw away the negativity and get some positivity in her life.

so is it possible to be happy again after having a child with cp.

her daughter is 14 months and can't swallow(at all) and is kinda blind...doesn't really move a lot. she moves her hands and legs a little bit.

any information will help. thanks :]

Answer 1

You have good times and bad times.  In the beginning, it's especially difficult.  In a way, even though her child is still alive, it's almost like she died.  All of the dreams she had for her, even the simple things like playing in the park, are gone.  She has to go through a mourning period, and she's never going to get completely over it.  Nobody who hasn't been through it really has a right to tell a parent of a kid with CP how to feel.  It's an indescribable feeling, and nobody who hasn't done it 24/7 knows just how exhausting it gets to care for a child with special needs.  Let your sister be upset if that's how she feels.  Just be there and offer a shoulder to cry on.  If you see that she's getting seriously depressed, encourage her to get professional help.

Answer 2

help her try other things to interact with the child,like music,or let the child finger paint-even use pudding or shaving cream/ also play in sand

Answer 3

she needs help, a break someone needs to step in and learn or go to a group or program specific for cp.

Answer 4

You have sad moments and happy moments and tell your sis she should be happy her daughter is still a live and be happy for what she got.

Answer 5

I think it is quite possible to be happy, if you WANT to be happy. Having a child with a disability is hard, b ut you can live a full and active life as long as concessions are made for the child's medical needs.

there are even playgrounds being built for handicapped children and able-bodied children to play together. they are made for heavy-duty strollers and wheel chairs...they have special swings that can hold a child who weighs like 150 pounds...equipment with ramps so the kids can play up high too.

I know this can be done. My son was in a body cast at 19 months old. We still went out to dinner, or shopping or things like that. since he could not sit in a high chair he had to sit on our lap or in a stroller. shopping he had to lay in a stroller or stand in a cart.

Hopefully once your sister has a chance to come to terms with her daughters disability she will start to see the light at the end of the tunnell. If the diagnosis is still new she is most likely mourning the loss of the life she had hoped her daughter would have. She has not started to plan the life that her daughetr WILL have. Just be her friend and support her.