Pregnancy & IBD: My Experience

By: Dr. Fasika Teferra

Pregnancy is a gift from above. I believe when a child is born, so is the mother. I am a completely different person now than I was a year ago. There is no one specific time, but the whole pregnancy and childbirth experience changed me to the core. The journey was not perfect; I had so many lows, as I had highs. Although it is difficult, I wouldn’t change a thing, and here is why.

I had always wanted to have a baby at an early age. I was never taught what it means to be a mother nor what a child expects of you; they don’t teach that in med schools. It was fair to say that I never got the proper guidance from anywhere, but I believe it is like that for most moms. We don’t know what we are getting into until we are actually in it.

The first time I felt this was when I was in labor. The word I could use to explain that moment is stuck. I felt stuck because I couldn’t do anything to make the pain go away. It reminded me of the awful pain I had around the time I was first diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease. I couldn’t take any medicine to make it stop (there were no epidurals in Ethiopia when I gave birth). I was not in control, which is something I was accustomed to. All the labor related videos I watched and the breathing technics by doulas didn’t help because I was in over my head. Labor sucked.

But my pregnancy journey was amazing. I loved seeing my belly grow, feeling my baby kicks, assembling his crib and getting him cute outfits. Although the fear of relapsing still lingered at the back of my mind, it was easy to set it aside and enjoy the process.

I am well aware that I was able to stay in remission throughout my pregnancy and that could have contributed to me having a medicine free throughout my pregnancy. I experimented with a lot of diet and meditation just to make sure I stay in remission. As each person’s journey with IBD is different, I encourage you to work with your doctor to find out when it is best to have a baby. I hope that for anyone reading this article that may want to be a mother someday but is scared, I am here to tell you that you shouldn’t be. Pregnancy and delivery, whether you have IBD or not, is a rollercoaster ride, but one that is worth it in the end.