Spinal cord injury and pregnancy: the stories of two women.

The women with SCI neither developed pressure areas nor experienced premature deliveries, major complications predicted by literature, and many of the psychosocial aspects studied proved to be common to pregnant women in general and not specific to individuals with spinal cord injury.

Abstract

This article describes some of the experiences encountered by two women with spinal cord injuries (SCI) during pregnancy. Pregnant women, with or without a SCI, encounter some common experiences. Common complaints of pregnancy for both include urinary tract infections, sleep problems, and constipation. Complaints specific to those women with a SCI centered around issues such as increased urinary incontinence, autonomic dysreflexia and delayed wound healing. The women with SCI neither developed pressure areas nor experienced premature deliveries, major complications predicted by literature. Women with SCI have felt that they were victims of inadequate environmental designs that hindered their mobility and inhibited their independence. Many of the psychosocial aspects studied proved to be common to pregnant women in general and not specific to individuals with spinal cord injury.