A mum of autistic twin girls says she has repeatedly been advised to give up work to care for them full-time due to a lack of affordable childcare. Betsan, from Trebanos, Swansea, said she wanted to give her "princess-loving" girls "a full life", but could not afford to do that without working. She said friends, council employees and a disability organisation had suggested she "give up work" when she struggled to find suitable care for her daughters during the school holidays.
The Welsh government said it was working to ensure all children had access to childcare and the opportunities that came with it. Bowann and Brielle are Betsan's "fabulous and sassy" eight-year-old twins. They are both autistic, require one-to-one care and are non-verbal, although have recently started to say a few words and sentences, much to their parents' delight.
But Betsan, 49, said the juggle of caring for the girls, caring for her mother and her job in TV production could be absolutely exhausting. "Just even getting up in the morning, having to hold them down to brush their teeth and put them in bear hugs to brush their hair and to dress them with meltdowns..
. it is a huge struggle," she said. "That is before I even get to work.
" Betsan said she and her husband "live off coffee and diet coke" because the girls do not sleep well. But she said working gave her a personal focus and mental respite. "When I do things for me, it helps me be a better mother," she said.
"I get to express myself and it's a.
