Janaki wants to know about any experiences with moms with lupus.  I have had
PL type calls over the years which revealed situations where moms needed
coping assistance and strategies for fatigue, weaknesses, and medication
info.  Most of this sort of info is in the major bfg. texts, and there are a
few articles (in my files at work) and available in LLL PLD files on lupus
in preg. and early pp.

The most striking case involving a mother I worked with who had lupus was
one I saw about 2 yrs ago in my priv. lc practice.  The mother did not know
she had lupus -- had no striking sx.  She went to a dermatologist or some
sort of foot doc for some prob. she was having with her foot.  He asked her
if she had lupus, insisted on testing, and they did discover she had the
disease.  She was in 1st trimester of the preg.  She was monitored
carefully, and induced at 35 wks when it was discovered she had one of the
rarest side effects of lupus -- her immune system recognized fetus as
foreign object and began to attact it.  The baby was born with a badly
damaged heart, and had immed surgery to implant a pace maker.  As he grows,
he will need increasingly larger pacemakers.  Mothers who have had this
occur will always have this effect of their disease, so she will not have
more children.  The problems with nursing the baby were related to his small
size, his recovery from surgery, etc.  Mom still did not have typical sx of
lupus when I saw her.  It was a very sad case, and I am glad this terrible
side effect does not often occur.

Barbara Wilson-Clay, BSE, IBCLC
priv. pract. Austin, Tx
Owner LACTNEWS On-Line (the Conference Page)
http://moontower.com/bwc/lactnews.html