Shane and Hannah Burcaw have never shied away from discussing their relationship or addressing misconceptions about their life together. Now, the couple has shared a new update on their journey to becoming parents.
Hannah, who is able-bodied, and Shane, who lives with a severe muscle-wasting disease, announced in September that they are expecting a baby.
“We are beyond ecstatic to announce that we’re expecting our first child this coming January!,” the couple wrote on Instagram.
“Hannah is 20 weeks pregnant and although we’ve been thoroughly enjoying this special time in privacy so far, we’ve also missed sharing all the joy with you, and there’s so much to share.”
Shane and Hannah Burcaw pregnancy
Since then, they have continued documenting the experience. In a recent video, the pair revealed that they were just one week away from the third trimester. They also addressed remarks from viewers who had suggested that Hannah did not look pregnant. Shane quickly pushed back, saying: “I guarantee you with my own god-given eyes, she looks pregnant right now. There’s a big old belly there.”
Hannah, meanwhile, offered an explanation for why her bump might look smaller than some people expect: “I’m almost 6 feet tall. So this, you know, there’s a lot of vertical room for baby. They don’t need to go out as far as if I was shorter. So that’s definitely why I have less of a bump,” she said according to UNILAD.
Shane has also been candid about the emotional side of becoming a father.
In a Facebook post, he previously explained one of his biggest concerns: “One of my biggest worries about having children is the extent to which I’ll be able to physically interact with them.”
“It’s the most wild thing in the world”
Shane acknowledged that he understands love and parenting don’t depend on physical ability. Still, he admitted that he sometimes struggles with deeper anxieties about what fatherhood will look like for him.
He has also had the opportunity to experience one of the more memorable moments of Hannah’s pregnancy firsthand: feeling the baby kick. In a recent video, he reacted with a mixture of amazement and excitement.
“It’s the most wild thing in the world to feel it moving around in there.”
Shane and Hannah have also been speaking with other couples in interabled relationships to learn from their experiences of raising children. Speaking to People, Shane said those conversations had helped reassure him.
“One thing that has made me feel good is that they are reminding me that so much of parenting is not the physical stuff,” Shane said.
“A human being, yes, needs physical care as a baby, but a lot of parenting is about the mind and emotions and learning and love.”
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