[Texas-T]

Howdy,
I haven't posted to the site in a while, but have been checking in over the years. I know a lot of women have questions regarding pregnancy post-ADR and there doesn't seem to be a lot of detailed information, so I wanted to share my pregnancy experiences in the hopes of helping the next person. I had a successful ADR in May 2006 at L-5/S-1 and have been doing well but am not 100%. I'm now 30 years old, almost 5 years post-op and am starting my 2nd trimester with our first baby. We are just thrilled - I'm due July 24th.

First - I know a lot of the doctors who have answered questions about pregnancy post-ADR on the forum have said that it is safe to get pregnant 3 - 6 months after surgery. However I would caution you against that. Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should. You need to be in the best shape possible when starting a pregnancy because it puts a tremendous strain on your back, hips and entire body. Also, when you are pregnant, especially during the 1st trimester, you can't take anything stronger than Tylenol and it's not good to take hot baths or use heating pads (or even ben-gay!) so there isn't much you can do for relief. Everyone is different, but I know that at 6 months post-op my body could not have handled a pregnancy. I would caution everyone to try and wait a full year after surgery before getting pregnant.

I talked to several OB's prior to selecting my doctor and they all said I was welcome to try a natural birth, but cautioned that given my back history I have a higher probably of having a c-section and I should be prepared for that. My PT who has worked with me for years said there is no way I will be able to push. Also, since my discs above the ADR are damaged I'm overly worried about blowing them out during labor so my doctor and I have decided to just schedule a c-section and not risk further damaging my back. Honestly, I'm relived. They have also cautioned me that I may be on best rest towards the end because of my back, so I'm just planning ahead for that.

The doctors have all told me that I would have more pain during pregnancy, but it shouldn't affect the baby. So far they have been right... My back and hips have been really aching since about 8 weeks and as horrible as this sounds, I truly miss vicodin and muscle relaxers. I used a cane before my ADR due to compression of the sciatic nerve in my right leg. At 12 weeks I started having shooting pain down my right leg like I had prior to the ADR surgery and by 14 weeks it has only gotten worse. It seems to be triggered by my expanding hips. My doctor has advised me that I may need to use a cane again to make sure I'm stable. I worry so much about falling on my stomach and hurting the baby, I'd rather walk with a cane then risk falling.

During my first prenatal visit my OB sent me back to physical therapy in the hopes of helping me better manage my changing body/shape. So far PT has been a lifesaver, however between visits my hips keep moving out of alignment as my body expands for the baby and it's causing a lot of pain and problems. Hopefully we'll be able to better manage this going forward. My PT is ordering me a pregnancy hip brace which we hope will help my hips stay aligned at night when they seem to be most problematic. I'll let you know how that works.

Going forward I'm going to start a prenatal aquatic class and prenatal massage to help with the stiffness. I'll let you know how it goes!

So far this pregnancy post ADR hasn't been easy or pain-free, but whenever I start feeling really bad I just listen to the baby's heartbeat with our fetal doppler and it makes all the pain worthwhile.

Tricia