Katie recently reached out to us; she told us that she has lupus and has been taking hydroxychloroquine for years to successfully manage her lupus symptoms. Her concern? “I just found out I am pregnant and my rheumatologist was not sure if I can continue taking hydroxychloroquine during pregnancy. I am worried for my baby but I am also worried about stopping my lupus medication since it helps my symptoms so much. I haven’t had a flare in over a year! I can suffer through the flares if I have to, …
The Baby Blog: Mom's Health Conditions
When The Sniffles Strike During Pregnancy: Cold Meds & Your Questions Answered
Is it a cold? The flu? It’s just miserable. It’s Friday afternoon and you have had a tickle in your throat since you woke up this morning, pressure behind your nose and in your forehead, and, a drippy nose. You are sure that you have a cold and it is not a flu or COVID-19. You have been trying to get a hold of your doctor because you want them to tell you what you can take because you are pregnant and worried about taking the wrong medication. With each hour that passes you know that it is …
Coming to America Pregnant
Last year I was pregnant with my first child. At the same time, I was going through the immigration process to apply for permanent residency in the United States. I wasn’t aware of the many things that you must do to get your health records cleared by immigration and how that process can be a great source of anxiety during pregnancy. If you are an immigrant, you may not have health insurance or cannot understand the language, which can be another challenge. In order to have sound and …
The Day the World Went Dark: A Personal Account of Miscarriage, Abortion and Ectopic Pregnancy
by Sarah Obican, MD, MotherToBaby President Though I wish I didn’t remember the day well, I do. I was a maternal fetal medicine fellow in NYC and I was sitting with my two beautiful co-fellows. When I say my co-fellows were beautiful, I mean that inside and out. We were an odd pairing of three musketeers. Young, bright, professional women, training to take care of women with high-risk pregnancies… and all three of us were pregnant. It was completely unplanned and highly unusual for all three …
Examining Migraine Medications during Pregnancy Doesn’t Have to be a Headache
Migraine headaches affect one billion people worldwide. Migraines are more common in people who could become pregnant, and during pregnancy their frequency can increase, decrease, or stay the same. Last year we talked to Caroline about treating her migraine headache at five months of pregnancy. Now she has reached out to us to discuss treatment options before she tries to get pregnant again. Back when she was pregnant with her first child, she was using acetaminophen and sumatriptan, but found …
