Multiple Sclerosis and Having a Baby

PARENTING / HEALTH With her first book, the groundbreaking Multiple Sclerosis, Judy Graham helped thousands of people with MS by supplying valuable information on how to manage the condition. Now in Multiple Sclerosis and Having a Baby, Graham turns her focus to parenthood. With the genuine insight that only comes from firsthand experience, Graham answers all the questions someone with MS may have about pregnancy, childbirth, and parenthood. Will having a baby make my MS worse? Can I pass MS on to my child? Can I have a normal birth? Should I breast-feed? Is it safe to take drugs? What about having more than one child? Using the latest medical research, Graham gives factual answers to all of these questions. From her discussions with dozens of parents who have MS themselves, she passes on to prospective parents the wisdom of those who have raised children successfully. In addition to giving medical information, Multiple Sclerosis and Having a Baby offers practical advice on how to make the most of parenthood and straightforwardly explores the issues of sexuality, the impact of MS on relationships, and how and why a person with a disability can still be a good parent. As in her earlier book, Graham offers hope that the disease can be slowed or stabilized through eating a low-fat diet, detecting food allergies, and using nutritional supplements. She also discusses effective pain management through the use of alternative therapies such as yoga, acupuncture, magnet therapy, and homeopathy. Multiple Sclerosis and Having a Baby gives an insightful presentation of the "whole picture"--what it means to be a parent with MS, from conception to your child's adulthood--in an effort to make the experiences of childbirth and raising a family the joyful and informed experiences they should be. JUDY GRAHAM has had MS for more than twenty-six years and gave birth for the first time at age thirty-eight. By following a variety of alternative therapies she has succeeded in stabilizing her condition and continues to work as a writer and journalist. The author of Multiple Sclerosis and Evening Primrose Oil, she lives in London with her teenage son Pascal.

Judy Graham has had MS for more than twenty-six years and gave birth for the first time at age thirty-eight. By following a variety of alternative therapies she has succeeded in stabilizing her condition and continues to work as a writer and journalist. The author of Multiple Sclerosis and Evening Primrose Oil, she lives in London with her teenage son Pascal.

Acknowledgments Introduction 1 Will I Get Worse If I Have a Baby 2 Can You Pass MS on to Your Child 3 Deciding Whether to Have a Baby 4 Can You Stop Yourself from Getting Worse? 5 Relationships, Sexuality, and Fertility 6 Pregnancy and Prenatal Care 7 Effects of Medications for MS 8 Labor and Childbirth 9 Breast-feeding 10 Getting the Help You Need 11 Fatigue, Depression, and Other Invisible Symptoms 12 Having More Children 13 Adoption 14 Single Mothers 15 Practicla Tips on Looking after a Child 16 Older Children 17 Working for a Living 18 Fathers with MS 19 Being a Parent with MS Appendix A: Multiple Sclerosis Organizations and Information Services Appendix B: Useful Books and Publications Notes Index