Posts
Q: What has been the biggest challenge as a father who is deaf?
A: Not counting the communication issues with my girls, I would say the biggest challenge was overcoming my paranoia of S.I.D.S. (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) because I could not hear their breathing. I'd sneak up to their crib and look at their chests for breathing movement. I used to rely on a device called Cry Alert that would make certain lamps flash on/off and shake the bed when someone cried loudly enough. My problem with that was...I could not see what was going on, let alone know where the sound was originating from. So, I put up video monitors at strategic locations in order to pinpoint the source. The monitors didn't ease my S.I.D.S. fear though. And now? I would say it's keeping the youngest one on the straight and narrow. ;)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
I was a nervous wreck but then sleep deprivation drastically takes over and you forget to care...lol :)
I was sent over by Shelle.. great blog.. Yeah SIDS scared me too and even though I can hear I couldn't always hear them breathe.. so I too looked for their chests to move.
Shelle - haha! My wife would gently reassure me that all is well because she could hear them breathing through the baby monitor. The thing was...my paranoia was magnified when my wife wasn't home.
Vodka Logic - yeah...but I always worried when they were covered up and I'd worry about waking them up when I placed my hand on their chests for "verification". :)
Oddly enough, of all the things I worried about, S.I.D.S. was not one of them.
However, I can completely understand how it could be a larger fear for someone who cannot hear at all or even someone who has minor hearing problems. Hell, I don't have any hearing problems (generally speaking) and I can't always hear my children breathing while they sleep.
you know? even with hearing parents it's not an uncommon fear to have at all. i can understand why you would feel even more 'helpless' in that regard. thank goodness both babies are growing strong and healthy. i'm sure you've come up with lots of unique ideas to work around things.
Post a Comment