Sunday Smile

Adorable baby picture found here. 

Today's smile-inducing post is happy news. Autoimmune Gal, health blogger, has just shared this:

...my husband and I are expecting our first child.  Yes, Autoimmune Gal is pregnant. 

We didn't know that having a family would be a possibility given my multiple autoimmune and health issues.  It took lots of communication and coordination with multiple doctors to just plan for the possibility of trying to get pregnant. 

Important medical questions and issues had to be addressed.  What medications would I be able to stay on?  Did I need to change medications or lower doses before becoming pregnant or was it safe to wait until a pregnancy was actually confirmed?  How would we keep my autoimmune disease in check, while trying to protect the baby?  Would pregnancy make my autoimmune manifestations worse, the same, or better? And these were just the tip of the iceberg.

I'm thrilled for this young family. But AG brings up some important issues since pregnancy puts an entirely different spin with different implications for a mother being treated for autoimmune disease. I wish her well and hope that she keeps us updated as her pregnancy progresses.

Congratulations, Autoimmune Gal!