CJMANN1 Posted April 28, 2004 Report Share Posted April 28, 2004 HAS ANYONE OUT THERE BEEN PREGNANT WITH POTS? ANY INFO WOULD BE GREAT.THANKS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MightyMouse Posted April 29, 2004 Report Share Posted April 29, 2004 Hi, welcome to the board. yes, there are folks here who have kids...or are pregnant now. I hope they will respond to you in person.Also, I would like to suggest that you try not to use the "all caps" when typing on the board--it's more difficult to read. On the net, it may also be construed as "yelling." Please don't take this as a reprimand from me...I don't mean it that way at all.Again, welcome to our part of the internet! Nina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinksflight Posted April 29, 2004 Report Share Posted April 29, 2004 I am a new mother, I have a 5 mos. old and prior to him there are 8 others..However, just this last one counts as a POTS pregnancy..I have had this illness atleast 2 years now, that I know of anyway.. If there is anything that I can help you with, I would be happy to do so.You can e mail me at cuzIcanave8@aol.com.You have come to the right place ...Everyone here is so helpful and so supportive..Even though I went mos. without even saying a word ...I read everything ...every night ...Just sobbing ...I didn't know what to say...I was in complete denial...I hated this new illness that had taken over my life and wanted it to go away...But ...as time went by...I landed my space ship...Came back to reality.and found that the strength of all these wonderful people here on this forum had actually helped to ground me...So A Big Thanks to everyone.....And always feel free to ask any thing..Most of us here know more than the Dr.'s do about our illness... pamela Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purplefocus Posted April 29, 2004 Report Share Posted April 29, 2004 Pamela, Hi. I have to tell you I admire you, being able to take care of a 5 month old baby and several other children. I know how exhausting that is. My son is almost 3, I can at least sit him down in front of Barney and give him a cup of dry cereal on my bad days. Of course there is reason I have to get up with him but with an infant there is so much more. If you have days like I do where you don't know how you are going to find the energy to walk across the room or brain fog so bad such as the day I gave my son the glass of extra strong ice tea instead of his sippy cup of juice....(can you imagine a wild little monkey)..........but what do we do??? the best we can and laugh at the rest. On my bad days I just spend my energy on making sure I keep my son safe. He may pull out every toy he owns, I don't stop him I just sit and watch. Curious to what the ages of your other children. Glad you found this site and I hope it helps you as much as it has me. Paige Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shayden Posted April 29, 2004 Report Share Posted April 29, 2004 I had my first child 1 year ago Sunday and I have had POTS for years. I'm not going to lie to you and tell you that having POTS while you are pregnant is not challenging...but it is worth EVERY single minute of it! Make sure to drink a TON of water! This is the beggest piece of advice I can give you.Take Care of Yourself!Susan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomtoGiuliana Posted April 29, 2004 Report Share Posted April 29, 2004 CJMANN1My daughter is 18 months old. I was diagnosed when she was 4 months old. I was very sick off and on with POTS from when I was about 5 months pregnant until then. Everyone's experience is so different with both POTS and pregnancy that it is hard to make any generalizations--although my understanding is that many women with POTS do quite well with pregnancy. My pregnancy itself was healthy--my daughter was born 2 days after her due date at 10 lbs 2 oz, 28 inches--she had absolutely no problems. I was not in good shape though, although my doctors attributed all of my problems to depression and anxiety for months. Despite the difficulties, it was all worth it. Today, my POTS symptoms are mild (some days still are hard--but overall I am doing well). Because of my experience with my first pregnancy, I do not plan another.Take a look back through forum discussions, there have been several over the past year on pregnancy that you may find interesting and helpful.Good Luck, Katherine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
migraine Posted April 30, 2004 Report Share Posted April 30, 2004 CJMANN1:My posted name is Migraine. That is my main POTs complaint, but if you look back at my replies and topics you will see that I always end up talking about my kids or this current pregnancy. I am 4 months pregnant. I have 3 girls ages 2, 4, 6 and we're hoping to have some XY chromosomes on this 4th one. We'll know in a month or so. I was unaware I had POTs with the first 3, so this 4th one will probably be a little guarded in my treatment.Are you thinking about becoming pregnant or are you already? Just like every pregnancy and birth experience is different...I think every POTS pregnancy and birth experience is different. From what I have read we need at least two bags of fluids before delivery and a keen eye for our blood pressure status. (By coincedence, I had those for other reasons) I have had a total of 5 epidurals (2 did not work on my last child.) From what I've read those can be very bad for POTs patients. I don't know if I experienced side effects from those or not. My migraines did become worse with each child which lead me to be tested for POTS.I really want a big family and it is worth it for me to put up with all those POTS symptoms in order to have children. I am very optomistic that once I give my body some rest, get some good medication, (and sleep through the night) my symptoms will ease. If not at least I will have 4 children to help me in my old age:) I am always interested in yapping about my kids and pregnancies, so let me know if you would be interested in talking through e-mail and such. Good Luck with whatever you decide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ethansmom Posted May 1, 2004 Report Share Posted May 1, 2004 I haven't posted in a lloonngg time due to being super busy, but I love contributing to the pregnancy discussions because I am always interested in other people's experiences. I have a 16 month old son and hope to have at least one more child in the near future. I have had POTS for about 2.5 years now, but my pregnancy was pretty easy and I felt great. I've been stable for the past year and do not feel that my condition has gotten better or worse, but it's definitely improved from how I was in the early stages. It's just nice to have a handle on it finally. I think that the previous post was correct in saying that each woman with POTS experiences pregnancy differently, and you have to be prepared for that- but in the end it's worth every trial. The hard part comes when they start walking and talking, lol!! It's physically challenging to be a mother with POTS, but having a child gives us a reason to get out of bed every day and do something wonderful. Feel free to e-mail if you ever need advice...jessica@sneeked.com. Good luck!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJMANN1 Posted May 3, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2004 Thank you all for your input. I really appreciate it! Does everyone with POTS have heart problems? Some of my concerns with pregnancy is not just the POTS, but I also have a kidney disease and of course heart problems. I did have surgery for the heart in 1996, but have been really sick every since.thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merrill Posted May 3, 2004 Report Share Posted May 3, 2004 No, not everyone with POTS has heart problems--and here, I assume you mean structural problems with the heart. The tachycardia that comes from pots (the "T" in pots) is not considered a heart problem.I had a full battery of cardiac tests when I was diagnosed with POTS (via tilt table test, which is the diagnostic test) and other tests of the autonomic nervous system. They needed to determine the reason for my tachycardia and rule out inappropriate sinus tachycardia (IST), cardiac conditions that can cause rapid heart rate, and other health problems (thyroid, tumor on adrenal gland, etc.) Mine was structurally sound and healthy and of normal size and all that. The heart's response to insufficient constriction of the veins in the legs upon standing (or even sitting up for some people), which is controlled by the autonomic nervous system, is to beat fast to get the blood back up to the brain and upper extremities. Sometimes the heart's response can be exaggerated, beating faster than it would need to. (It's all rather complicated...) And I know that some people with POTS do have structural problems with the heart and other heart conditions. But it is certainly not the case that everyone with pots has heart problems.For a number of people, surgery can be a trigger for pots symptoms; statistically, these people get better in a few years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MightyMouse Posted May 4, 2004 Report Share Posted May 4, 2004 Hi again CJ, have you seen a doc who specializes in high risk pregnany? That might be a place to start--they can help you figure out what meds are safe to continue and what you'd need to stop; also, they'd be able to help you sort out your risks.Nina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CJMANN1 Posted May 10, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2004 Thank you! I am seeing a very good DR and am trying to plan a pregnancy very carefully. I really appreciate all of your input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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