Author: Editor

Perhaps one of the most challenging aspects of motherhood with chronic illness is helping your children understand what is going on with your body and encouraging acceptance about how your illness may impact them. How can you help them develop empathy about what you’re experiencing, especially if your illness is invisible? Where’s the line between being honest and making them worry? What’s the best way to address their concerns in kid-friendly language? This is a topic that will likely need to be an ongoing discussion in your family – and sometimes reading a book together can help! Because there are…

MotherToBaby, a service of the non-profit Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS), is the nation’s leading authority and most trusted source of evidence-based information on the safety of medications and other exposures during pregnancy and while breastfeeding. Whether you are TTC (trying to conceive), pregnant, or breastfeeding, the MotherToBaby website has Fact Sheets (in English and Spanish) that answer frequently asked questions about the use of medications during pregnancy and breastfeeding. You can also email an expert or chat with one live if you have additional questions. If you are taking a medication while pregnant or breastfeeding, you can also…

For many moms, it is a time-honored tradition to have this thought on a regular basis: what do you mean it’s time to feed them AGAIN?!?! Feeding tiny humans (and their parents) is an endless and time consuming task!! We asked real mamas living with chronic illnesses to share their best tips and ideas for making cooking and meal planning easier! Weekly Menus & Grocery Lists “I sit down once a week with the schedule, look at what we have planned each day, estimate how tired I might be or how much time I will have to cook, and I…

For millions of people, chronic illnesses and depression are facts of life…Many people with [chronic illness] become depressed. In fact, depression is one of the most common complications of chronic illness. It’s estimated that up to one-third of people with a serious medical condition have symptoms of depression.Dealing With Chronic Illnesses and Depression, WebMD It’s extremely common for people living with chronic illness to struggle with their mental health. Being diagnosed with a lifelong illness can cause enormous life changes, make it difficult to do things you love, and impact your self confidence. Managing a lifelong chronic illness for years…

Whether you’re having a flare of your chronic illness or you caught a bug, keeping toddlers entertained when you don’t feel well is no easy task! We asked real mamas living with chronic illnesses to share their best ideas for entertaining toddlers when you don’t feel well. Relax your screen time guilt “No shame in screen time!” – Cheryl “We are camped out in front of the TV at times, and the guilt is real in these moments, but I try to remember that we need to have that downtime so we can rest and be ready for the next…

Worldwide about 10% of pregnant women and 13% of women who have just given birth experience a mental disorder, primarily depression. In developing countries this is even higher, i.e. 15.6% during pregnancy and 19.8% after child birth. In severe cases mothers’ suffering might be so severe that they may even commit suicide. In addition, the affected mothers cannot function properly. As a result, the children’s growth and development may be negatively affected as well. Maternal mental disorders are treatable. Effective interventions can be delivered even by well-trained non-specialist health providers.World Health Organization Maternal mental health disorders are the #1 complications…

Perhaps one of the most challenging aspects of motherhood with chronic illness is helping your children understand what is going on with your body and encouraging acceptance about how your illness may impact them. How can you help them develop empathy about what you’re experiencing, especially if your illness is invisible? Where’s the line between being honest and making them worry? What’s the best way to address their concerns in kid-friendly language? This is a topic that will likely need to be an ongoing discussion in your family – and sometimes reading a book together can help! When Mommy Is…

At the age of 14, Laurie Proulx first started showing signs of juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Today, Proulx is the mother of two children, and her personal experiences with pregnancy and motherhood led her to spearhead a project with the Canadian Arthritis Patient Alliance (CAPA) creating a resource that was the first of its kind – a guide to pregnancy and parenting with arthritis, written for patients BY patients. Once Proulx’s original resource was complete, Mariah Leach from Mamas Facing Forward helped update these resources – based on experiences learned from real patients, updated data on medications, and newer recommendations for…

Remarkable moms are removing barriers to research through their advocacy. This article was written by Emily Harari, who works as a liaison between the scientific team at ImYoo and the patient community. ImYoo is a public benefit corporation (PBC), which means that in addition to being accountable to their shareholders they are responsible for returning benefits to the public. Mamas Facing Forward received a small donation from ImYoo. Moms can be the fiercest of patient advocates, for themselves and especially their children. Maybe it’s the “mama bear,” protective instinct that kicks into hyperdrive? Or maybe there’s some truth to the…

Parenting is easy, said no one ever. And when you’re living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), it comes with an extra set of challenges. Tasks that many moms and dads take for granted, like dressing your kids or playing outside, require more thought and effort. If you’ve had RA for years, you’re probably accustomed to navigating a lot of situations on your own. But what about once you have kids? Sarah Ellis, HealthCentral In this HealthCentral article, real parents share strategies and hacks for raising kids when you have rheumatoid arthritis. Raising Kids When You Have Rheumatoid Arthritis HealthCentral