Snowflakes and Spoons

I can not believe how time has flown by since we first found out we were expecting. At times it still feels like a foreign concept as we await the arrival of our little boy. For me, the 3rd trimester felt a bit like a 'hurry up and wait' game. At times, there seemed to be too many pressures, classes, appointments and nesting to attend to but all I could really do was be prepared-ish and wait. Here are some tips I picked up during this time: A squeeze until the end As baby takes up more and more room your lung capacity is decreased. Make sure to monitor your breathing and be assertive with your PHC when it is more than being 'pregnant and out of breath' and rather MG related. With this squeeze indigestion and acid reflux often increases. Thankfully most over the counter antacid liquids, like Gaviscon, are safe for MG mommies. Make sure to double check your brand. The baby shower  For me, this could only be described as 'A coming together of suppor...

The second trimester is typically said to be the best time of your pregnancy. For me and my growing belly, I have to agree. With nausea settling and my bump actually starting to be visible, here are some of my second trimester highlights and advice for MG mommies. Appointments: The Gynecologist was very insistent on seeing me every month as to monitor baby and my progress. While at times this seemed excessive it was always worth the sneak peek at our baby and to know that all was well. Our 20-week scan was at a specialized fetal assessment center for an in-depth evaluation. Currently, there are no known side effects of the medication I am on or having MG per say on the baby therefore this was to clarify any abnormailites. When going for any tests relating to abnormalities in your baby it is best to have an idea about what your decision would be if that test comes back positive. This also means that if you are placed in a high-risk category for anything you can decide if you w...

I was late but not certain. I crept out of bed early and found the pregnancy test I had bought the day before. So many times before I had taken this test and seen a negative result, but this felt different.   After doing a silent happy dance, much to my dog's amusement, I silently climbed back into bed, waited for my husband to wake up and prayed a thankful prayer. as I'm not very good at keeping secrets I woke him after 10 min to share our happy news! The first trimester is characterised medically by the first 3 months of pregnancy. Personally, it's been 3 of the most exciting, but anxiety provoking months of my life. If you have just found out you're pregnant or are planning here are 5 things to remember. 1. Choose the right Dr for you, preferably prior to conception.  Make sure to find a Dr. that will work with you and neurologist. First prize would be someone who has guided a woman with MG through her pregnancy. I asked my neurologist for a referral an...

Myasthenia Gravis and Pregnancy It took us 8 years to get to the point where we could confidently decide to have a baby. Before this, MG had made my health a bit of a rollercoaster ride. From having a thymectomy, three admissions for IVIG and three admissions for Plasma exchange, three different immunosuppressive drugs and a host of other drugs my body had finally got the combination that it needed to stabilise. I was in what I called a drug assisted remission. After consulting with the Gynecologist and Neurologist and getting the thumbs up we were warned not to get our hopes up for at least a year, given all the trauma my body had gone through. And then five months later, almost unexpectedly I knew I was pregnant. Confirmed by tests we are now embarking on a new adventure! I will do a series of blogs focused on MG and pregnancy during this exciting and scary time so stay tuned! Firstly I wanted to share some of the most important facts regarding MG and Pregnancy: ...