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Hi there,
I've been ill with ME/CFS for 13 yrs and have been waiting to have a child until I got better. Well, this has not happened, and now as I turn 40, my husband and I are realizing we must make this very difficult decision.
I would like to ask if anyone:
a. Has gotten pregnant AFTER already having CFS/ME and what their experience was like.
b. Does anyone know if you can pass on this disease to your child?
c. Are you a parent now and what raising a child is like with having this illness?
d. Has anyone ever adopted while they've been ill?
e. If you had to do it all over again, knowing you would have this illness, would you have a child?
I have been battling this decision for years and it breaks my heart to think this is yet another thing my illness has taken from me. My biggest fear is that I could pass it on to a child, and my husbands biggest fear is that I would get sicker and relapse. Unfortunately, we also do not have any additional support system for child care. (ie: Local family or paying for a live-in nanny etc).
There is a big part of me that see's this as very risky. Yet another side of me that wonders 'what if it is ok?' and I could fulfill this one dream. I just don't want to make the wrong decision.
We would also consider adopting. That solves a couple problems, but it still remains to be seen if I could actually manage to care for and raise a child with the limited energy that this illness allows. My husband needs to work full time, so realistically, that would fall primarily to me. I range between a functioning average of 35-65% depending on my output and catching bugs.
I would love to hear from the community their experience and knowledge, so I can finally make this decision once and for all.
Thank you so much in advance, much support to all those who have to deal with this terrible illness...
I've been ill with ME/CFS for 13 yrs and have been waiting to have a child until I got better. Well, this has not happened, and now as I turn 40, my husband and I are realizing we must make this very difficult decision.
I would like to ask if anyone:
a. Has gotten pregnant AFTER already having CFS/ME and what their experience was like.
b. Does anyone know if you can pass on this disease to your child?
c. Are you a parent now and what raising a child is like with having this illness?
d. Has anyone ever adopted while they've been ill?
e. If you had to do it all over again, knowing you would have this illness, would you have a child?
I have been battling this decision for years and it breaks my heart to think this is yet another thing my illness has taken from me. My biggest fear is that I could pass it on to a child, and my husbands biggest fear is that I would get sicker and relapse. Unfortunately, we also do not have any additional support system for child care. (ie: Local family or paying for a live-in nanny etc).
There is a big part of me that see's this as very risky. Yet another side of me that wonders 'what if it is ok?' and I could fulfill this one dream. I just don't want to make the wrong decision.
We would also consider adopting. That solves a couple problems, but it still remains to be seen if I could actually manage to care for and raise a child with the limited energy that this illness allows. My husband needs to work full time, so realistically, that would fall primarily to me. I range between a functioning average of 35-65% depending on my output and catching bugs.
I would love to hear from the community their experience and knowledge, so I can finally make this decision once and for all.
Thank you so much in advance, much support to all those who have to deal with this terrible illness...