March is Autoimmune Disease Awareness Month.
Your body does a great job taking care of your baby during pregnancy. If you have an autoimmune disease, it may need some extra help from your healthcare providers to manage your condition and treatment (including prescription medicine) before, during and after pregnancy.
What is an autoimmune disease? If you have an autoimmune disease, antibodies (cells in your body that fight off infections) attack healthy tissue by mistake.
Autoimmune diseases include:
- Ankylosing spondylitis, a type of arthritis that affects the spine (backbone).
- Inflammatory bowel disease (also called IBD), including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
- Lupus (also called systemic lupus erythematosus or SLE).
- Multiple sclerosis (also called MS).
- Rheumatoid arthritis (also called RA).
Remember, taking care of YOU is just as important as preparing for your baby when it comes to giving your family the best possible start. Learn more at ItStartsWithMom.org #ItStartsWithMom
#healthypregnancy #pregnancy #pregnant #autoimmunedisease
