Living With Lupus Being Pregnant With Baby No. 2

Being pregnant with baby No. 2 has been overwhelming. I have a 2-year-old that I am continuously trying to potty train and still has the need to be attached to mama. Most days of this pregnancy have been difficult.

I constantly have a weak immune system when it pertains to my lupus. I can't increase my medication during this time due to my pregnancy. That is not particularly stressful. Of course, we value the protection of our children. Everyone keeps asking how I became pregnant with my second child, and honestly, I do not know what to say. I was doing the same thing with my first pregnancy that I had done with this one. I have been practicing healthy lifestyle changes. Yes, people can get pregnant, but how well you take care of yourself dictates how well you will carry and be able to keep the baby. I am no doctor. So please know I am not giving out any medical advice.

The first rheumatology visit pregnant with baby No. 2

This appointment was very different from when I had my first child. What was amazing about it was that she was overall excited. She smiled and asked me, "This is what we wanted, right?" Amazingly yes, it was what we both wanted. It just happened at a time we didn't expect. When she told me during the last visit that we should wait, my spouse and I became more protective, but I was already pregnant by that time.

During this visit, she lowered my prednisone to 5mg, took me off Benlysta injections, and placed me on Imuran. She still has me taking hydroxychloroquine. She told me to keep her posted if there was anything she could do, and that softened my heart a lot. That's because most past doctors never understood my pregnancies, or they always had something negative to say about my pregnancies, and I shut down. She reassured me that my bloodwork previously before finding out I was pregnant now has been perfectly fine. I felt that it was a perfect visit.

OBGYN and ultrasound appointments

The first OBGYN appointment started with a nurse practitioner, and I highly recommend it. Why? I was completely comfortable with her and asked her questions like she was a best friend or family member. My husband was embarrassed until she told him it was part of her job, which was perfectly fine. On this first visit, I was around 7 weeks, and my baby looked like a lima bean in a sack. Everything was perfectly fine.

The second visit was around 12 weeks, and it was an actual baby flipping and moving around. The only thing is that I was in a flare-up, so my cervix was inflamed, and there was blood around the sac, but the baby was completely fine. Around this time, I took the test to ensure my child's genetic testing went fine. I still have yet to receive those results. They placed me on Lovenox, which is a blood thinner. So that's been about almost a month. The second time I went, they got my date of birth wrong and didn't know which case to link it to. Hopefully, I will have my genetic testing results soon.

I am currently 16 weeks pregnant and finally in my second trimester. My next visit is soon; hopefully, I will have my results and will also know the sex of my baby. This visit was because I had lost 20 pounds since the start of my pregnancy. That has been the only downfall. I have been throwing up, sleeping, and my immune system has been weak while pregnant. If someone is sick around me, trust me, I will end up sick. So, now, I remain at home, and I am a full-time mother as well. My lupus remains a consistent factor, but it is not harming my child. I learned that manifestation is real, and I am learning to speak positivity, and positivity will come. That is why I involve in my surrounding energies as well.