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Prenatal visit

S

Sar

Hi everyone,
Next week my husband and I go for a prenatal visit to discuss what preparation we may have to do in order to have a healthy pregnancy, since we are hoping to try starting a family at the end of the year. I have many health issues, Crohns, previous DVT, ME/CFS, and Fibro... many of which are still being further investigated. I'm on a number of different medications which would likely not be good to take during pregnancy.
I definitely will discuss my health conditions and my medications during the prenatal visit. However, I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions on some questions I should be asking during this first visit?
P.S. I was super excited when I made this appointment many months ago, but now I'm nervous since my health has declined drastically since the referral went out.
 
teeny5

teeny5

I think the most important thing would be telling them all the health issues and meds you are taking. Ask what meds may need to be changed and how far in advance to trying for a baby. Also ask what the general steps are...what tests they will take when, what the next steps are if a problem is found. This way you know the steps involved. You can ask if your pregnancy would be high risk (in the sense that you would need to be more closely monitored). Not sure what else.
 
FrozenGirl

FrozenGirl

I agree with teeny. Right now I would focus on meds you may need to get off to have a child and the general risks of being pregnant with your various conditions. Maybe ask if there is anything you can do to help, prenatal vitamins starting early, exercise as tolerated, diet etc.
 
S

Sar

Great points, I'm glad you mentioned asking about the general steps. Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in my health problems specifically, I don't think I would have thought to ask about the general process. I think that's going to be important to know and then we can discuss how my situation may differ slightly due to the meds/health problems. The bonus is that I have to change my meds right now anyways due to a bad flare, so it will be good to get her input now. I would hate to change it just to find out in a few months that I would be better on something else during pregnancy. Lifestyle changes such as exercise and diet are also going to be key points as you mentioned FrozenGirl. Thanks!
 
Snickerdoodle

Snickerdoodle

Location
New Jersey
So glad you came here to ask what you should ask at the OB...but take it from someone who has been where you are...don't be surprised if the doctor doesn't know all of the answers to your questions right away. Many of the medications Crohns patients take are not familiar ones to those who are trained in womens health. I found that my OB was very honest and did research on my questions before he would give a definitive answer. Humbling, but I know he appreciated learning how to best answer my questions.

Take this time in your journey to try to relax as much as possible. Becoming pregnant in the middle of a bad flare will most likely be difficult since your body is concentrating on other things. Getting your Crohns under as much control as you can will help you have an easier time during your pregnancy. My GI kept me on my prenatal vitamins even when I was not planning to become pregnant just because they are an excellent source of vitamins you may not be absorbing from food.

I hope it all goes well and smoothly for you and please update us how everything went!
 
S

Sar

I will let you know how it goes for sure. As for taking it easy and slow that's definitely my plan. I'm wanting to be smart about it but ideally work on a family with as little stress and as much enjoyment as possible. I've asked for the consult early on so that I can get some more insight into the process. This way once I'm feeling well and my husband and I are ready we can stop birth control when we want to. My family doctor actually did start me one the prenatal vitamins a few months ago and I'm certainly thinking they would be wise to continue after. I'm happy to hear that you found a benefit with them. And you're very right, it's always humbling when a doctor is able to be upfront with you when they are not familiar with something.
 
S

Sar

Just an update. The prenatal visit went really well. She was honest and upfront about which medications she wasn't sure about and said she would do some further research on them. She'll also communicate with my other specialists to make sure everyone is on the same page. She is also sending me out of town to consult with a specialist in prenatal care for chronic conditions. This way that individual can give some further direction and be aware of my history in case I have to see them for complications during pregnancy. She said the biggest thing now will be to get my ibd under control for at least a few months before getting pregnant to reduce the risk of possible complications. She was really great. Easy to talk to and down to earth. I'm looking forward to working with her.
 
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