Navigating my Autoimmune Disease with Pregnancy

This one is going to be tough to be open and vulnerable about.

Let’s start at the beginning. Back in 2022.

My whole life I had seen so many doctors and had to explain the same issues over and over. It was always stomach problems, period problems, freezing extremities to the max and exhaustion that never lifted. It did not matter if I slept five hours, eight hours or ten hours. I never woke up feeling refreshed. After constantly being shrugged off by doctors, I was not sure where to turn next. I did blood work, or at least what I thought was blood work, internal ultrasounds, and still had no clear understanding of what was going on. Instead I got the classic line, “well, you are a woman.”

What a lame excuse for constantly not feeling well.

Someone I knew recommended that I see a naturopath. I had heard of them, but my hopes were pretty low. It felt like it would just be another doctors office and I felt like a broken record. I was drowning while trying to find answers.

The day I walked into the naturopaths office, something shifted for me. She validated that there was a real reason I was struggling. She told me she was going to figure out what was happening and help me find a solution. She acknowledged that everything I was dealing with in my body was not normal. Finally my concerns were actually listened to.

We ran a full panel of blood work that could show us what was really happening inside. What we learned is that I have Hashimotos Auto Immune Disease.

You are probably thinking, what on earth is that?

It is a disease where the thyroid gland is gradually destroyed. I felt broken when I heard the news, but at the same time, I was relieved to finally have answers. My first question was, how do we fix it and what can we do.

It took one full year of hard work and consistency. I actually ate gluten free, took daily supplements and did monthly vitamin infusions. Did I feel great after that year? Yes. So much better. My blood work numbers were improving every time. No, I was not cured, but I felt the best I had ever felt. My periods were normal. My stomach was calm. I finally had energy.

Then came 2023 when we wanted to get pregnant. A couple of quick searches will tell you that getting pregnant is not the hard part. Keeping the baby is. Your body is already attacking your thyroid and pregnancy becomes another layer of attack.

I was so scared.

I was also told early on that if I did get pregnant, I might be fine during pregnancy but crash after. Or it could be the opposite, with a really hard pregnancy and a smooth postpartum. I was warned it was usually one or the other in terms of symptoms, and I was thankful to at least know what might be ahead.

After six months of trying, we finally got pregnant. I was thrilled, but terrified of losing the baby. I babied her from the moment I knew she was there and tried to do every single thing right.

At five to six weeks pregnant, I was hit with absolutely debilitating nausea. I could not open a fridge. I could not drive without keeping bags in my pocket for when I got sick. I could barely eat through the entire first trimester and lost thirteen pounds. I truly felt the worst I had ever felt. I swear I could see the toilet bowl in my dreams. Combined with the amplified symptoms from my autoimmune disease, I was a disaster. My poor husband watched me suffer and felt completely helpless.

Thankfully the second trimester was easier, but by the third, everything went back to feeling like the first. I could not keep anything down and the heartburn was intense. The only thing that helped even a little was walking. I made sure to walk five kilometers every day. I walked until my feet screamed. I think if I had not done that, things would have been even worse for me mentally.

Fast forward to baby Rylee making her entrance into the world through a C section. It took a couple of weeks to recover, but after that six week mark, it felt like the last ten months of stress and sickness finally lifted. Postpartum was the best I had felt in almost a year. I know that is not the case for everyone, but for me it felt like the light at the end of a very dark tunnel. I was so thankful to finally feel like myself again.

It has been a journey, but through all of it I stayed consistent with my supplements to make sure my body was not losing more than it needed to. I know how dark pregnancy can feel and it scares me when I think about doing it again and ending up in that same place. I remind myself that nothing lasts forever. The hard year was so worth the joy she brings into our lives. I do not regret a single moment.

Now that I am living with this disease and understand the somatics of it, I know it is a beast I will not let control me. I make sure that I hold the reins and stay on the supplement routine and IV routine that keeps me feeling like the best version of myself.

If you’re still here, thanks for reading. I’m always a good ear if you ever want to talk about your journey or that your recently diagnosed with an autoimmune. It’s a long road, but just know, you are not alone.