Anyone else 3 months pregnant with virually no lung capacity left? similar to CF.

[hugglebug]

I need some reassurance of "don't worry- you'll be fine" etc. I'm 28 and 14 weeks PG with 1st baby. I have severe lung damage- infact only have a third of my overall lung capacity left which is asthmatic to add insult to serious injury. Anyway on pre PG consult the Dr said that my lungs were comparible to someone with late stage cystic fibrosis and I only scored 33 points on this special chart which is 17 under the minimum recommendation for getting PG. Made an informed decision to to give it a go but now I'm actually PG getting nervous. SO far so good though so that's reassuring isn't it? Anyone else with broken lungs done this already (and survived- relatively in tact?)

Can't help, sorry, but you might well get some useful advice on the cystic fibrosis forum. Several of the adults on there have got pregnant and successfully carried babies, often with lung functions like yours.

www.cftrust.org.uk/forum/viewforum.php?f=3

Yes I didit! doesnt sound as though my lungs are quite as bad as yours though. I was borderline with my 1st dd (me, CF) with 2nd was told i was under the line as it were but made concerted effort to get back on the border line and after 1 yr trying now have dd2 who is 18mnths.
Every night with dd 2 prg i would go to bed worrying whether i was doing the right thing.
after dd 1 gained back full lung capacity.
not quite after dd 2 and still not great but think this would have happened any way.
End of prg is hard but cut yourself some slack.
Best thing i did was have epidural for birth as soon as i went into hosp with both of them. meant i wasnt too tired and had them both naturally.
Good luck. would love to keep in touch and help if i can? let me know how you are getting on xxx
btw, both pregnancied totally worth it and then some.

thanks Petitmaman. It's odd coz I feel ok at the mo' but everytime I feel abit unwell, wheezy, breathless etc I worry that it's the beginning of the end as it were. Mainly worried coz my lung damage isn't recoverable and that any furture loss is also likely to be un recoverable. It's mad coz i probably present better than most CF patients and thank god my oxygen levels seems to remain quite good- even when my peak flow doesn't register! Just wondering if I'm being selfish especially with the whole life expectancy thing being a gray area. I've read a lot of the CF forums tho and they do give me hope and reassurance. Thanks again x

I've done it with two babies and bronchiectasis which is similar to CF in the lung aspect. My lung capacity is pretty low, but not as low as yours, but not great, and I have extensive damage across both lungs, like you not recoverable. I survived - I won't pretend it was easy, but both babies did brilliantly and are v healthy now at 7 and 4. I did get pneumonia a few times and just the usual pleurisy, bronchitis, asthma stuff (have that too.) What got me through was keeping going with my meds and physio, the doctors said some of the antibiotics were not great but not dreadul either, and it was more important that I was as healthy as could be to sustain the baby.
Don't worry everytime you feel wheezy etc - you will get through this. they may want to help you with labour because pushing may be too hard for you - they scehduled me for a c-section but I actually ended up with a normal delivery as I felt better after a weeks bedrest in hospital. Just make sure you get all the support you can, from your consultant and other health professionals, and go easy on yourself. Try not to worry too much and tkae it as easy as you possibly can. Hope you have a great and easy rest of pg.

I know what you mean about the guilt thing. I suffer from this alot. My mum once said to me "Well even if anything does happen to you (ie, whisper it, Dying, oh, i said it ) then the alternative would still have been for dds not to have been born. in what way is that a good alternative for them?" I still try and think of that when i am feeling low if that helps.