Special needs
For years, whenever someone asked if I intended to have another child, I would spout my standard line: "If I did, I'd probably jump off the roof!" My life felt full, too full at times. Like most women I knew, I struggled to juggle a career with family life, which in my case included a daughter with autism.
Paige, 10, can cope with almost anything other than loud noises and chaos – two defining characteristics of any infant. So when the doctor told me almost two years ago that I was expecting my second child, the shock soon turned to panic.
Angst followed, as did endless hours preparing Paige for a seismic shift in her world.
Read more of Lisa Martin's column in today's Family section.