I am blind and have juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, this has been the case since I was a baby so I am very used to dealing with my conditions and am generally quite organised.
My able-bodied husband and I are expecting our longed-for first child, I am currently seventeen weeks pregnant.
I currently get some support from the Adult Social Services team at my local authority, they provide me with a personal budget which I use to pay PAs to provide me with support with personal care needs, cooking, shopping and general household admin.
I know I will need extra support when baby arrives, especially in order to attend appointments and access groups and activities with my newborn as going out alone with them will not be possible. I have good family and friend support and my husband is wonderful, however he works full time.
I plan to ask the local authority for extra support hours when I reach twenty weeks pregnant, I haven't wanted to approach them about this before then because I have been so anxious about this pregnancy and we haven't wanted anyone else to know before this point. I am capable of making important decisions about my child's care and welfare, I just need some extra help with everyday practical, physical aspects of caring for my baby. Has anyone had any experience of requesting extra support from Adult Social Services to help with safely caring for a baby. I have a very clear idea of what specific help i will require prior to requesting a reassessment but I wondered if anyone might have any tips about how to approach this with my local authority to get the best outcome for me and our baby.
Thanks.