Abstract
Though research suggests that women with physical disabilities are just as likely to be
pregnant as women without disabilities, there isn’t as much information for women with
physical disabilities about navigating pregnancy, childbirth, and motherhood. Women with
physical disabilities may face unique challenges when it comes to pregnancy care; they have
reported that their clinicians do not have all the information necessary to manage their
pregnancies, may be misinformed about their disabilities, and express harmful stereotypes
about disability and sexuality. Many clinicians do not have accessible offices and equipment
such as scales. Additionally, research has shown that women with physical disabilities may be
at higher risk for poor birth outcomes like low birthweight and premature birth. Our goal with
this study was to identify the unmet needs and barriers that women with physical disabilities
experience during pregnancy, childbirth and motherhood so that care can be improved at a
systemic level