A new video from the husband-and-wife team Squirmy and Grubs has caught Shane Burcaw doing something he feared his disability would prevent: feeling his baby kick. Burcaw lives with spinal muscular atrophy and relies on a wheelchair.
On September 8, the couple announced they were expecting their first child, following years of trying to become parents. A video posted on their YouTube channel on September 30 showed Shane feeling the baby move inside Hannah’s womb.
“It’s the most wild thing in the world to feel it moving around in there,” he said.
The Kick Shane Feared Missing
From the beginning, Shane spoke of it openly on Instagram, where he described the terror that had lingered at the back of his mind while he and Hannah got ready for their baby.
He wrote “One of my biggest worries about having children is the extent to which I’ll be able to physically interact with them,” a statement that stands on its own as his answer to the question at hand.
He explained that while he believed “parenting and love do not require physical ability,” he still had “deep down anxieties” about what his disability might mean for fatherhood.
The concern became real when Hannah’s pregnancy reached the stage where the baby started kicking. Shane admitted he hoped he could reach Hannah’s stomach and feel the movement himself, but he didn’t know if his arms would stretch far enough.
He wrote “I hoped, but didn’t know for certain whether I’d be able to reach my arms far enough to feel the kicking myself,” which is a quotation.
The Moment That Answered the Worry
Just a few days after raising the concern, the video provided an answer to it. Rather than failing to reach the baby bump, Shane got to feel the movement himself.
The milestone followed the announcement of the pregnancy, during which the couple revealed that Hannah was already 20 weeks along and that they were expecting their first child in January 2027.
In their announcement, they wrote “We are beyond ecstatic to announce that we’re expecting our first child this coming January!”.
Preparing for Everyday Parenting
Shane and Hannah have given careful thought to how the baby can join in with day-to-day parenting before his arrival.
They told People in a September 17 interview that they had been “thinking through every possibility” so Shane could physically help with their baby.
| Item | Example |
|---|---|
| Ways for baby to rest on Shane’s lap | Using pillows |
| Wheelchair attachments | Carrier |
| Mobility aids | Stroller Shane can push |
Another father with the same diagnosis has also spoken with Shane. He once worried about not being able to lift his child, but he eventually found his own ways to connect.
“Things are small, but they’re a physical connection,” Shane said. “I can’t wait to figure out all those little ways that we can make it work.”
What Fatherhood Isn’t About
Shane believes that the biggest part of becoming a parent has nothing to do with physical tasks.
He told us that talking with other interabled couples gave him a clearer sense of what fatherhood might actually look like.
“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 told People.
He went on to say, “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.”
Later on, he added, “My disability will not inhibit me from doing that with our kid in any way. So that’s been really reassuring for me.”
Protecting Their Baby’s Privacy
Before their baby arrives, the couple understands they must be cautious about what they post online. They delayed telling others about Hannah’s pregnancy until she reached five months along, choosing to keep the news private for a while.
“We felt like we are bringing another human into the world; they can’t speak for their privacy right now,” Shane explained. He said they wanted to be “deliberate and intentional” about what they shared.
The person Hannah most wants to shield is their child, from the very sort of harsh remarks that Hannah has had to endure personally.
Facing Assumptions About Their Relationship
For years, Shane and Hannah have had to answer questions about their relationship, since they form an interabled couple.
Before, they discussed how outsiders frequently presume that people with disabilities cannot engage in romantic or s*xual connections.
“We’re seen as asexual beings,” Shane said during one discussion about the assumptions people make about him.
The Announcement’s Reach
The couple’s announcement touched on the challenge of making a pregnancy announcement for those struggling with infertility. Years of unsuccessful IVF had given them personal understanding of that particular kind of hardship.
“After going through IVF unsuccessfully for many years, we understand all too well the difficulties that many people experience when trying to conceive,” they wrote. “Our hearts go out to you.”
A Happy Answer to a Real Fear
Shane feels the baby kick, answering the worry he had voiced publicly. It’s a small moment, yet it holds weight because the fear behind it was real.
Shane Burcaw worried that his condition would stop him from ever feeling his baby move inside him. He was wrong. He has now felt it.
Practicality and thoughtfulness define how the couple is approaching fatherhood. They are weighing every option so that Shane can be physically involved with their baby, considering everything from pillows to carriers to strollers.
The video is a happy answer to a real fear.
See the video the story is built around at Bored Panda.
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