As long as you are working with your doctor, you will be ok. Just be sure to do exactly as he/she says. (NO METHOTREXATE AT ALL!!!)

Some people even go into remission during pregnancy. I hope that for you!

Sending you good luck Sara! I can't speak for RA, as I had my son well before diagnosis of that. But when I had him my other autoimmune disease (Pemphigus - blistering skin disease) went into remission, and i felt better than I had in years. I was in remission until after I stopped nursing, and my son was absolutely perfect!

I already had RA when I got pregnant for my 3rd baby. But I wasn't on any medication at the time, so that was never a concern. I was one of the very lucky ones, in that, I went into a remission when pregnant. It was wonderful, but about a couple of months after he was born, the pain came back although it wasn't quite as bad as before.

I have heard that there are some meds that are safe to take during pregnancy. I would work very closely with your dr.

Oh, and my son was also and still is very healthy. So there seems to be no effect of my RA on him (so far - knock on wood!)

I was dx'ed with RA during my first pregnancy and acquired a more aggressive form by my second. My advise is to be *very* careful about taking meds during your pregnancy and err on the side of the conservative.

I took no meds during my 1st pg, but my symptoms were very mild, plus I went into remission afterwards while I was nursing for six months. With my twins, my symptoms were much worse, and I took prednisone and Enbrel until my 3rd trimester. My remission with them during nursing was shorter (4 months). All three babies are healthy and happy, perfectly normal (they're now 11, 6 and 6).

Just FYI, the worsening of my RA seemed to contribute to difficulty getting pg the second time. I had 2 m/cs before successfully carrying my twins. I'm not saying that to worry you, but just to let you know that some doctors believe that RA can make it more difficult for you to conceive and carry the baby to term. So, once you know you're sure you want to try - I urge you to start right away.

If you're worried about what meds you can and can't take, try looking for "Medications and Mother's Milk" by Dr. Thomas Hale. It was my bible of meds before, during and after each of my pregnancies. Best of luck with your choice!

I've newly joined so I'm slow so here's what happened to me. I never had a symptom until I got pregnant and that's when all hell broke loose. I've been in agony from that day on pain so bad the drs even prescribed Narcotics, my daughter was born healthy thank god, not one problem, as for momma, not so good. Now my little girl has a crippled mother that is almost as helpless as a baby. She has to get the left overs of a life her other siblings Got the best of.makes me cry..
Good luck.

@Regina - I'm so sorry you're struggling so much with your symptoms. I know what it feels like to think that you can't do your best for your little ones because of the pain and stiffness.

What meds are you taking? Is your rheumy concerned that your RA is not under control? What steps are you taking toward trying to get better control of your symptoms? It's been a difficult road for me finding the best symptom relief and I'd be happy to share some ideas if you're interested.

I had RA, I believe, before I had kids, but it was not diagnosed. But looking at the pictures prior to my pregnancies, and my swollen hands, I'm pretty sure it was there. I was very sick with both babies the entire pregnancy, but felt great, although exhausted, until about a year after my second and last was born, then it hit me like a 1,000 bricks. I nursed the first one for a year , and was pregnant within a few months, although I never did get my milk to dry up! Leaked milk thoughout the second pregancy. Since other have said that nursing seemed to keep it at bay a little longer, maybe that helped me.
I had pretty much the same symptoms before the kids as I did when I met the bricks, just magnified.
So just work with your Rheumy, No MTX, and good luck!!!