Chronic illnesses like rheumatoid arthritis affect so much more than one’s joints – they affect every area of one’s life, from reproductive decisions to work relationships to finances. Cheryl Crow has been living with rheumatoid arthritis for 17 years, and has worked as an occupational therapist for seven. She has created a suite of educational materials on Arthritis Life, where her mission is to educate, empower and inspire others with arthritis. She does this primarily through videos where she demonstrates simple life hacks for daily living with arthritis, as well as in depth interviews and explorations of the deep impacts of arthritis beyond the joints, from mental health to relationships.
As a patient herself, Cheryl knows all too well how powerful it is to hear from another patient who has been there with respect to navigating tough decisions during the course of one’s disease! In 2019, Cheryl interviewed a fellow mother with arthritis named Claire, who shared her experiences with family planning, pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum and parenting with rheumatoid arthritis.
The video covers the following:
- (Minute 0:10) Exploring the difficult decision about whether (and how) to have a child when you have rheumatoid arthritis.
- (Minute 2:23) Claire’s experiences with pregnancy.
- (Minute 4:18) Postpartum and breastfeeding with rheumatoid arthritis.
- (Minute 5:50). Parenting a baby and toddler when you have rheumatoid arthritis.
- (Minute 7:15) Coping with worries as baby grows.
- (Minute 8:23) Claire’s advice to other parents or potential parents who have rheumatoid arthritis or another chronic illness.
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