What do you do to cope?

I (43) feel like I've aged so much in the past few months of dealing with all of this. I'm a special needs parent. 2 of 3 have ASD plus various issues. I'm used to dealing with stress because of all that. I am now dealing with my 25 year old daughter (ASD and other conditions) having schizoaffective disorder on top of her other issues. I've posted here about her surprise pregnancy (found out at 37 weeks) and her delivery 8 weeks ago. The stress from that alone feels like it aged me. Now, we are dealing with a 3rd hospitalization in 8 weeks. I have to care for the baby even when she is here. Doctors have not cleared her to be allowed to be alone with the baby. She's struggling to do basic care for the baby even with prompting. The baby is not responding well to her when she does attempt to care for her. Baby has had some mild issues as well. My other child with special needs is soon to be 19 and very reliant on me still as well. We have no extended family, so 90% of the care falls on me. I do have a partner, but he works a good chunk of the day to support us. He does help when he is here and awake. We don't know who the child's father is because my daughter has no memory of sexual contact with anyone. Yes, we have told all medical providers that, and yes, we are aware that may indicate assault. They have had no luck reporting because she has no memory of anything consensual or non-consensual. I would normally go to therapy to help me cope, but I can't afford it now because I haven't been able to work due to suddenly having a baby in my care. I'm having trouble finding low-cost or free services in my area. I'm trying my best to take care of everything and everyone, but I want/need help with the stress that comes with all of this. How do you manage?

Posted May 7, 2026, 12:31 PM UTC

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