Well, the cat’s out of the bag. I’m 14 weeks pregnant (tomorrow) with a baby BOY! We will be family of five in mid-July. Since as long as I’ve remembered, I’ve envisioned my life with three children, I just never thought it would happen in the middle of a pandemic! Bobby and I feel extremely fortunate with all the outpouring of love, support, and congratulations during this exciting time for our family. As an IBD mom, I feel constant gratitude that my remission has held strong these 5-plus years and enabled me to have healthy, uneventful pregnancies. So far, out of all four of my pregnancies (miscarried between Reid and Sophia), this one has been my “easiest”. Aside from too many migraines to count, the nausea and fatigue in the first trimester were minimal and I feel great most days.
While I plan to be transparent and share content over the next six months about my experience being a high-risk pregnancy during these crazy pandemic times, I also want you to know I’m cognizant of the fact that pregnancy announcements, and pictures of baby bumps can be a trigger for our community. I am empathetic to the fact that family planning can look differently for those of us with Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis. Because of this—I’m excited to announce I’ll be launching a special series on Lights, Camera, Crohn’s entitled “IBD Motherhood Unplugged”.
IBD Motherhood Unplugged topics will include (but are not limited to):
- The decision not to have children due to IBD
- Being told you can’t carry a child and coping with that loss
- Adoption
- Surrogacy
- Infertility
- IBD pregnancy after loss
- Single parenting with IBD
- Biologics and pregnancy/breastfeeding
- The list goes on…
If you want to share your experience of navigating family planning or motherhood with IBD, please reach out. I already have several women lined up, ready and willing to share their personal journeys. I’m anxious to share their brave and resilient words with you.
My advocacy focus has always been to be the voice I so desperately needed to hear upon diagnosis and through all of life’s milestones. I want you to feel seen. I want you to feel heard. I also want you to remain hopeful that pregnancy and motherhood is possible for most women with IBD, we all just get there in different ways.
lights camera crohn's 
Congrats! Would love to share my IBD and IVF experience after being told by my colorectal surgeon that I’d never have children. I’ve had one pregnancy almost ibd free and one pregnancy with a flare that has continued post partum for 10 ongoing months.
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Thanks, Shayna! Can you please send me an email through the Contact section so we can get in touch.
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Congratulations and thank you for spotlighting this topic. I underwent and autologous stem cell transplant 1.5 years ago for my Crohn’s and becoming a mother was my motivation-and I feel awesome. I will be 40 in 2 months and have had Crohn’s since I was 6 and an ostomy since 10.My experience is what drove me to become an ostomy nurse 13years ago, but I have longed to be a mother for so long. Prior to my transplant I went through two egg retrieval cycles. I was hoping this past year that I would meet someone, but the pandemic has put my dating life on hold. I am currently looking into surrogacy as a single mom, but not a lot of info out there as it is much more focused on single men. I also question myself if I am being selfish doing this single and with a chronic illness. I am looking forward to these discussions.
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