{"id":269,"date":"2022-05-05T15:44:50","date_gmt":"2022-05-05T15:44:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/send-email-campaign.eu\/?p=269"},"modified":"2025-02-21T14:36:46","modified_gmt":"2025-02-21T14:36:46","slug":"motherhood-with-chronic-illness-7-things-i-wish-id-known-beforehand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/send-email-campaign.eu\/index.php\/2022\/05\/05\/motherhood-with-chronic-illness-7-things-i-wish-id-known-beforehand\/","title":{"rendered":"Motherhood With Chronic Illness: 7 Things I Wish I\u2019d Known Beforehand"},"content":{"rendered":"

This will be my first Mother\u2019s Day as a mom, and I am bursting with thoughts and feelings.\u00a0So much work, energy, healing, and luck went into making this possible.\u00a0I have been open about my journey<\/a><\/span> of motherhood with chronic illness \u2013 my fears of not being able to conceive<\/a><\/span>, but also of getting pregnant and then being too sick to be a good mom.\u00a0Being pregnant in the first half of this pandemic and then raising an unvaccinated baby as the world opens up (despite no end to the virus) have been adventures of their own.\u00a0I feel eternally grateful for the support of my Friends in the Fight \u2013 my community of patients and their loved ones who get what it\u2019s like to live with chronic illness.<\/p>\n

While I\u2019ve had an outpouring of love and encouragement from my Friends, I\u2019ve had an even larger spout of questions! My not-yet-parent patient Friends are always eager to hear more about what motherhood with chronic illness is like. I remember feeling like that myself, before deciding it was time to give parenthood a go. I genuinely didn\u2019t know \u2013 could I do this?\u00a0Could my body withstand pregnancy?\u00a0Childbirth?\u00a0Would I have the energy to enjoy motherhood with chronic illness?\u00a0Was there anything I could or should do beforehand to give myself and my child the best chance?<\/p>\n

And so, on this my very first Mother\u2019s Day, I\u2019d like to share the insights I\u2019ve learned about being a sick mom:<\/strong><\/p>\n

**Note: these are my insights, based on my experiences alone.\u00a0Just like every chronic illness experience is different, no two pregnancies are the same.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

1. Healing first\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I always knew I wanted to be a mom, but I knew motherhood with chronic illness wasn\u2019t going to be easy. I decided to do everything I could to prepare my body beforehand. At one point I hit a wall, wondering how on earth I could find the time for healing. Thankfully, I was laid off a few months later\u2026 this period of unemployment was challenging in its own right, but it allowed me the space to focus on finding good care and the time to rest. I saw a million specialists, nailed down a diagnosis (or three), and diligently tracked my symptoms and triggers to figure out what I could do on my own to avoid future crashes. I honed in on a diet and exercise regimen that caused more good than harm. And did I mention rest?\u00a0I let myself sleep and lay down to my body\u2019s content.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And what a world of difference it all made.\u00a0The fog lifted and the constant pain eased.\u00a0My gut learned, for the first time in over a decade, what it felt like to work properly.\u00a0Not only did this healing result in my hormones self-regulating, allowing me to conceive without intervention, but it gave me the energy and routines I needed to get through the next chapter of my life.<\/p>\n

This healing was made possible by lucky timing, constant support, and immense privilege. I am ever grateful to have had this opportunity.\u00a0<\/strong>It also took a lot of hard work, and I mention all this because I am glad every day to have done that work.\u00a0It gave me tools and habits that I lean on daily.\u00a0Motherhood with chronic illness is a huge commitment. It\u2019s tough, with a baby, to find moments to cook or exercise, for example. I spent years perfecting the recipes and workouts developed during my healing year so that they are now second nature.\u00a0I can\u2019t imagine trying to figure out all of that as a new parent.\u00a0<\/p>\n

2. My body will never be the same<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I think rationally I knew this on some level, but I continue to be floored (sometimes literally!) by how drastically my body was altered by pregnancy.\u00a0I have seen my body change from illness over the years \u2013 <\/p>\n