HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Humira during pregnancy and breastfeeding

Support Forums
>
Crohn's Disease
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 10/12/2011 6:50 AM (GMT 0)
Hi there

I'm new to this site and was wondering if there are many people out there who have taken Humira throughout their pregnancy and breastfeeding and how there children are doing now? 

I have very aggressive Crohn's disease which has been in remission for the last 12 months thanks to Humira which has been the only drug to work for me.  I am thinking about getting pregnant soon and my doctor has advised me to stay on the drug during pregnancy due to the aggresssive nature of my disease but my husband is very reluctant as the drug hasn't been round very long and there are no long term studies to confirm it won't affect the child 5/10/15 years from now.  I am very confused about it as of course I don't want to put my baby at risk but I feel that my health is vital for the baby's health and a flare up of Crohns during a pregnancy is very detrimental to the health of an unborn baby. 

I would love to hear anyone's experiences, how you made the decision and how you feel about it! 

Thanks

Sarah

 

Posted 10/12/2011 2:41 PM (GMT 0)
We have had Mom's who have used meds from Prednisone, Imuran/6mp, Remicade and Humira. All had healthy babies. The thought is a healthy mom produces a healthy baby.

Hopefully Stef17 or Inflamed will be along soon to share their stories with you. Hugs!
Posted 10/12/2011 11:36 PM (GMT 0)
I have a 6 month old daughter and was on Remicade my 1st and 2nd trimester and stopped during my third. I had an infusion 2 weeks after giving birth. My daughter is very healthy. I had to make the same tough decision but in the end it was the only choice since a healthy mom is the only way a healthy baby is born :) I did not breastfeed my daughter on my docs reccomendation. Good luck!
Posted 10/14/2011 4:11 AM (GMT 0)
I took Humira from the 2nd trimester on with my 3rd child. I had been taking remicade and we switched to Humira because the remicade had lost its effectiveness. I also breastfed for 7 months while taking it. My child is healthy and very bright. We've had no problems with her at all because of the Humira. In fact, while I was taking the Humira & pregnant I was part of the OTIS study for pregnancy & humira. The head doctor (one of the two doctors in the U.S. who "discovered" fetal alcohol syndrome) flew to my home to physically examine my daughter a year after she was born. He said that she was perfect and that none of the moms in the study had babies with any problems attributable to Humira.

I feel good about my decision and if I had to do it again, I would. Any humira in her system was minimal and I honestly believe there will be no long term effects to worry about. The only thing I would caution you on is that it DOES cross the placenta and can show in the baby's system up to 3 months after birth, so if I were you I would delay any live vaccines until the baby is 6 months old. This is a standard recommendation.

Good luck to you! And feel free to ask any questions you think I might be able to help with!
Stef
Posted 10/14/2011 8:39 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you very much for sharing your experiences.  In particular Stef, thank you, hearing your story has really put my mind at ease that I am making the right decision in following my doctor's recommendation to stay on humira throughout the pregnancy and breastfeeding, I am the first patient he has had that is on humira wanting to get pregnant so this is a first for both of us and a bit daunting knowing that!  Thanks for the advice about the vaccinations too, good to know, and if I think of anymore questions (which I'm sure I will along the way!)  I will definitely ask you!  Thanks again :-)
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply