A Look at the Portuguese World

 

h facebook h twitter h pinterest

"Maria on wheels, delights and challenges of maternity of wheelchair women"

Written by  yvette vieira ft direitos reservados

From the authors, Carolina Ignarra, Tatiana Rolim and Flavia Cintra who was in Portugal recently, is a book that particularly addresses the challenges of motherhood, rather than disabilities. It is the story of three Marys at peace with their life, happy and fulfilled in their role as mothers.

Tell me the story of how you got to the Maria on wheels adventure?
Flavia Cintra: When I got pregnant, I was very frightened by the curiosity that people had about my pregnancy. It was so funny, they said, but how could you? Do you really want me to tell how? It was in the conventional manner. After the children were born I started to answer many emails from women in wheelchair, wondering, as how I had done it? Had some adaptation? How could I take care of the babies and decided to create a blog on the internet. I started writing about it, like a diary, sometimes I created a solution, a cushion to support the babies and posted, I have two children and had to breastfeed them, because I had such luck, I was pregnant with twins. I thought the blog was read only by those wheelchair women who wanted to have a child and sought me some information or advice. Then I was surprised to see that people who were not interested in having children and even men, people without disabilities also read it. So, I and two wheelchair mothers decided to gather our stories, because I had difficulties they have had, or have lived the same problems, but found different solutions and other situations even though I have not lived and thought only my experience for a book was little, so I gathered many different stories that I thought was a more complete content.

But how did you meet Carolina and Tatiana?
FC: We already knew each other, then I would say to them, people, there is a pregnant woman in the Northeast of Brazil and two pregnant in the South and we celebrated, believing that it was possible, because oddly enough we are speaking of the XXI century and still there are people who think that sexuality does not exist in the disability condition and that motherhood is impossible. To break this taboo, take this information is very pleasurable. You serve as a resource and reference for someone who changes their life to be happy is very nice.

The book was published in 2012, the first edition sold out soon.
FC: And this second edition is already over, the third is coming.

You imagine this publishing success and that would be read by such a wide audience?
FC: Yes, I expected. When I decided to write the book, I knew that it mattered and there was no literature available in any language. Nothing, people thought that there was not, especially because it was not a technical book, it was about human stories. So turns out to be interesting for anyone who is not handicapped, who has no such doubts, but is interested in sensitive reports. So we have practical issues, for example, issues related to urinary tract infection, which is very important for whom is in a wheelchair and pregnant women have a higher propensity to have this type of problem. If she's in a wheelchair her chance is much larger, is also one of the main causes of miscarriage, because there are more likely to lose the baby in the first three months. There are two factors together. This is a very important tip and the mother does not know, cannot care for and ends up losing the child.

And what were the most frequently asked questions?
FC: If you can breastfeed, have normal birth, if it will create sores, bruises to be in the wheelchair and the chance to have them is much greater, because I know my body, I have an adequate cushion to my weight then I'm not sore, but when I get pregnant each month my weight increases and the pressure on the pad increases, if I do not adapt month to month this difference, I will have sores. So these tips, they pass among women. Then they ask, if it's hard being a mother in a wheelchair? First I do not know how to be a mother in a different way and so do not know if it's more difficult.

So being a mother of twins is different? Comparing your experience with mothers of twins walking?
FC: I do not know how to be a mother of one child, I only can be mother of twins, two at a time and in a wheelchair, must be strange, do things once, I'm used to doing all two times. So people think I'm a winner, because I take care of two children, but people, for me it's normal, I do not know do it any other way, maybe I'll be more clumsy if I only had one baby.

What are your biggest fears now?
FC: I'm afraid to die before they become adults and ever needing anything I cannot give. Only that.

Your journey was so strong that have inspired the character of Alinne Moraes in "living life", which was one of the most remarkable characters of the soap opera and in fact was a favorite of the public. You did think it was a good portrait of what's being a woman sitting in a wheelchair?
FC: Absolutely yes, of course it is a tv show shielded by a scenario, to be on television, so there no way to show everything, but I could see a more important part. I think the great achievement of the show is that a beautiful woman, Alinne Moraes, in a wheelchair was received as a tragedy by the public. People began to do what they do whom they like, rooting for her to walk again, so there was a very large crowd for Luciana to walk again. When she started to leave the house, to promenate, exercise and date, people began to wonder, do she and Michael are going to kiss? And they will be able to have sexual life? They will marry? And they will have children? People did not asked anymore if she was going to walk again. They wanted to know if Luciana would be happy and the wheelchair was so part of the scenery and its history did not matter, so I think the great achievement of "living life" is that there is a happy ending with the wheelchair.

And now, having traveled thru Brazil with this book and abroad, who come to you to talk about this story of Maria on wheels? Are only wheelchair women or not?
FC:. No, I think to most people without disabilities than with disabilities. Because society, we grew up with the idea that people with disabilities should be protected, cared for by an institution and the world has changed and when people see stories like mine they open their minds, broaden understanding, what is good for them too because the more different people we know, the greater the changes to grow as a human being, learn to develop free of prejudice, people are happier and live better. They are very touched by my story because it shows that things they thought were true when they were growing up are not.

Are thinking of publishing a second book?
FC: Not yet, there is the idea of a film, a documentary, but it is still a draft.

It is a documentary about your lives?
FC: With other women.

To show the daily life of women in a wheelchair?
FC: Of wheelchair mothers.

1 comment

Leave a comment

Make sure you enter the (*) required information where indicated. HTML code is not allowed.

back to top
FaLang translation system by Faboba

Podcast

 

 

 

 

Eventos

Follow Us

f facebook  f twitter  f pinterest

Articles

Yvi Magazine

Contacts

telephone: +351 962 971 279

email: yvette AT revistayvi DOT com

Revista Yvi © 2025

Supported by Navega Bem - Web Design