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Thoughts about pregnancy, motherhood, and CF
I grew up in a time when women with cystic fibrosis simply didn’t have children.
For one, many women didn’t live long enough to start a family (my life expectancy at the time of my birth was 20) and those who did were oftentimes advised to not have children for the sake of their health.
In addition to concerns about the impact of pregnancy, infertility in women with CF was not well understood.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a profound desire to be a mother. Morgan was my miracle baby. She came into this world before CFTR modulators existed and resources for pregnant women with CF were scarce.
Now, thanks to medical and scientific advances, more and more women with CF are having children. It’s no longer a rare thing! I see new pregnancy announcements at least weekly! (“Trikafta baby” is a common phrase these days.) There is now an abundance of resources available to current and prospective mothers, and the online community is incredibly active and supportive.
I am amazed at the progress I’ve seen in this area during my lifetime, but more specifically in the last decade. It seems that the medical community has shifted from the mindset of “you can’t/shouldn’t have kids” to “how can we support you in this journey?”
We frequently talk about how research, fundraising, and advancements in care lead to better health and longer lives for people with CF. But what’s just as important to me is the ways in which these things provide new opportunities (like motherhood) and drastically improve our quality of life.
Motherhood has been the most fulfilling, rewarding, and soul-altering journey. I’m thrilled to see so many of my friends getting to experience the same thing. I also love knowing that this generation of young girls with CF will have even more support and resources available to them should they choose to have children someday.
If you are a mom with CF, have you felt supported in your pregnancy/motherhood journey? Are there aspects of your CF care that you wish were different or better in regards to motherhood? If you are a prospective mother, do you have access to information and resources about pregnancy and motherhood?
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