Since I announced my pregnancy, I’ve had a few people ask how or if it will be impacted by having MS. It won’t be! My MS doctor explained to me that 1/3 of people with MS will feel the same while pregnant, 1/3 will feel better while pregnant, and 1/3 will get worse or have a relapse. It’s very uncommon to relapse while you are pregnant, even if you are off of your medication. Most MS medications suppress your immune system to prevent your body from attacking itself. When you are pregnant, your body naturally suppresses it’s immune system, playing a similar role as the MS medication would. Most women stop their MS medication while pregnant, as they are generally not safe for the baby. I stopped my treatment, and there are little to no concerns since the pregnancy plays a part in keeping my immune system low! My doctor told me years ago that when I got pregnant one day, I’d probably feel the best I’ve ever felt! I wouldn’t say I feel the “best I’ve ever felt” but I do feel pretty good! Baby boy has been very easy on me and it’s been a very smooth pregnancy so far!

In terms of postpartum care, there are a few things that will be different for me. I met with my doctor this past week and we have a “plan” in place for what this will look like. Women with MS have a VERY high chance of relapsing within the first 3 months after giving birth. This is because we are off of our medication and the immune system that was suppressed while pregnant ramps up pretty rapidly. To help prevent this from happening, I will receive 1,000mg of steroids through an IV immediately following birth. These steroids will remain in my system long enough to tie me over until my next infusion, which I will receive at 4 weeks postpartum. I will also meet with my MS doctor in Houston at 8 weeks postpartum to check on things and make sure my body is recovering well.

In terms of baby boy’s health, there is not much I am doing differently than the typical expecting mama. I am still under the care of a general OB and do not need to see a high risk doctor. I had my anatomy scan last week and will continue to have “growth scans” every 4 weeks until birth out of precaution. My doctor doesn’t believe there is anything to be concerned about, but prefers all patients with a serious health condition do this. I’m ok with it if it means I get to see baby boy more frequently!

Because I received my Ocrevus infusion a few months prior to when I got pregnant, we will be checking baby’s b-cells when he is born. Ocrevus eliminates the b-cells from your immune system, and there is a very slim chance that the drug transfers to the baby (unless you receive the drug while pregnant), so my doctor has recommended we check his levels before he receives any live vaccines. If he has a suppressed immune system and receives a live vaccine, there is a chance he can get the actual infection from the vaccine, so this is done out of precaution. Again, there is a very, very, small chance this will be the case, but better to play it safe! If he does have low b-cells, they regenerate within the first few months, so we will just have to be a little more cautious of germs and hold off a little while on his first vaccines.

This about sums up what I’ve learned so far in these first 20 weeks of pregnancy. I’m sure I will have lots more to share after we have baby boy in July!