The Lyme Pregnancy Journal Is Back

Hi Friends,

I've been entertaining the idea for a while, but tonight I decided to open up the LPJ and pick up where I left off a couple of years ago.

I will start by saying that I am not, I repeat, I am NOT pregnant (don't worry, Mom!), but a few realizations have hit me over recent months and I'm inspired to write again:

1. I have kept up with current protocols and treatment guidelines, and some of them have changed since I began this project four years ago

2. I still get just as many emails from women who are pregnant or considering becoming pregnant as I did when this blog was active. This tells me that current resources are still lacking, and I want to help if I can

3. When I was pregnant, I was IN it. Everything felt urgent because I was sick, hormonal, scared as hell, and man, looking back on these entries, you really got a play-by-play of my life, which is kind of weird but also a little cool because I immediately rehashed doctor info and explained bizarre physical symptoms. I am here now to say that the retrospective portion of this pregnancy story will be just as helpful. There are things I would have done differently. Some the same. I would have prepared more for life AFTER baby, which I will get into later

4. I try to stay off of the Lyme/Facebook forums as much as possible, because they either depress me or make me want to kick people, which says a lot because I'm CLEARLY a lover not a fighter, and besides that, I don't waste my spoons! When we start these health blogs, I'm not sure we all realize how greatly our words can impact a reader, so while it's good to be able to vent our frustrations about chronic illness, if we are spreading fear, negativity, or inaccurate information in the process, we are not really helping our healing cause. That said, the doom and gloom in Lyme Land is bringing me down, and I'd like to counteract that with a little dose of positive realism and sprinkle in some hope. The beautiful thing about having the internet AND freedom of speech is that, while I may (respectfully) disagree with some sentiments about never being able to have kids while battling Lyme, I can offer you the other side (what you're hoping is true in your heart or else you would not be reading this blog): If you feel up to the challenge, yeah you sure as hell can

There are a whole bunch of pregnant Lyme moms this month-- more than usual have reached out.
I thought it might be a good idea to have an old school Q&A post similar to the entries from the beginning of the LPJ. Within the next week I'll compile a list of my most received Lyme pregnancy questions and answer them here. In the meantime, if you have any questions you'd like answered, please post them in the comments section or email them to me asap: lymepregnancy@gmail.com if you're not into posting publicly.

I look forward to hearing from old friends and making new ones. I hope you are all doing well and feeling as healthy as can be.

*Note: My brain isn't what it used to be. Mush and vertigo after ten minutes of nighttime computer, so please excuse any errors. It's not laziness-- just the best I can do until I start making money and can hire a proofreader ;)