C-section or vaginal delivery - which is better with Lyme? Please help!

Hi, I was diagnosed with Lyme in 2005, and since then I've recovered a lot. My main symptoms are fatigue and low stamina, although I pretty much manage to stay within my energy limitations these days so I avoid big crashes. Let's just say I go on 30-minute walks just fine, but I don't go on any runs or hikes. :) Now I am pregnant and expecting in late May/early June, and I'm becoming very stressed about the birth. I read that giving birth is similar to "climbing a mountain." Well, I can't climb even a small mountain! I'm worried that I won't be able to handle the strains of labor and have been wondering if I should do a C-section instead. My main concern is that I will overdo it physically and then be sooo out of it and fatigued that I won't be able to be mentally/emotionally present to my baby in those early hours/days. But everything I read and everyone I talk to says that it's better to try for a vaginal birth because a C-section involves such a difficult recovery. I found a website where people with CFS were talking about the best thing being a vaginal birth with an epidural to preserve your stamina throughout the contractions. Apparently many women can sustain the pushing and don't crash from it (although it sounds like it's common to crash several months later, but that's a whole other thing). I'm entertaining the thought of going into it thinking I'll "try" a vaginal birth but if it gets to be too much I will make sure my Dr knows I want the C-section. (My other fear, I guess, is that I will get 'stuck' and lack the stamina to do the pushing required, and then have a C section anyway, so then I would have to recover from both, which I REALLY don't want!) I would really, really appreciate hearing about the experiences other people have had with this and what your advice would be for me on this. Thank you!

Congratulations on the pregnancy! That is exciting!

I would think that natural labor with an epidural would be the best option. I've have two children and both were with an epidural and fairly easy. Honestly, the hardest part was just the excitement of it and so I couldn't sleep even though I was at the hospital in labor overnight. C-sections are probably harder on the body to recover from.

Also, I'm not sure if you are currently seeing a LLMD? Are you on abx. right now? LLMDs typically recommend that the mother is on abx. (ones that are safe) during pregnancy to prevent the infection from being passed in-utero. Most LLMDs advise not to breastfeed either because that increases the risk of the LD being transmitted to the baby. Although that is a personal decision, of course.

As far as crashing after delivery, Dr. Burrascano does say that lyme patients typically have an increase in symptoms after delivery. For that reason, he recommends having extra help, sleep etc. arranged. I can't recommend that enough for you. Every new mom needs that and especially if your body has an infection. Make sure you have help arranged, especially overnight so you can sleep. Sleep and good, healthy food and tons of water will be very important for you. That way you can enjoy that precious little baby of yours :o)!

I didn't know that I had lyme disease and then became ill during the end of my second pregnancy and extremely ill 2 days after delivery. It took a year for me to get diagnosed with lyme disease. Looking back, I had mild symptoms for many years. The immune system is suppressed during pregnancy, which allowed the infection that had been dormant to become active and take over. Had I known before pregnancy, I would have been on abx. to keep the infection under control and I would have bee able to have planned for post delivery and wouldn't have ended up near as sick as I did. Also, just FYI, my little girl is almost 2 and is perfectly healthy.

I hope that advise helps. Congrats again! This will be such a wonderful time in your life.

Kalifornia Lyme,

How do you know the size of the baby until the baby is born? 

Wow Tickled,

I didn't know they could do that, amazing.  You and the doctors must have been so surprised when you gave birth to an 8-1/2 pound baby especially after you were told the baby was too small.

I weighed a couple of ounces under 10 pounds when I was born and my mother was in lots of pain giving birth to me.  I don't know if they did C-sections in 1956.  I'm sure they didn't have ultrasound scans and if they did, my mother didn't know about them. 

I believe my mother was born in bed as well as my grandmother.  I'm sure they had some sort of doctor there or midwife.

Mystery Illness, thanks for sharing your experiences and thoughts. Quick question: Did you breastfeed?

Hi Jeminij thanks for your response! It's interesting, I have not noticed Lyme "hiding" during pregnancy, I feel about the same except a bit more tired and of course very nauseated, and throwing up makes me tired too. So I don't seem to fall into the category of people who feel much better or worse while pregnant. I can understand those who feel great during pregnancy wanting to do a natural labor....but I'm getting no such energy boost so I don't know if it will be as easy! :( However, it is helpful to hear about your experience and it seems to match the experiences and advice I've heard from other people so far. Thank you!

Hi preggers,

So happy that you were able to get advice from the ladies that already gave birth.  Keep us updated okay?

Tickled, where was I born?  LOL!  I was born in a hospital and my Aunt told me that everyone stared at me in the nursery because I was so big...  My Aunt told me I looked like I was 3 months old when I was born...

So you are a tiny person?  I am 5'6 tall but I give the appearance of being taller since I'm all legs with a little body (that's where all my extra weight goes, yuck!)  I can't wear jeans because of my long legs which is a problem living in the mountains..  I wear men's jogging pants.

Denise