Pregnant Daughter just diagnosed

[MoonlightLady]

Hi you all.
I came here to hopefully learn from you all?
My Daughter called me yesterday crying and said she had hep c.
She is 5 months pregnant.
I have to tell you....my innitial feeling was anger.  But, I kept it to the side while I told her what I knew that she would be just fine, that she simply can't now do whatever she wanted, that now she would need to live a very healthy life in oder to stay healthy and live long.
ALso, I told her of treatment.
She took after me, in a lifestyle that was unhealthy for a few years ,and I'm not so sure she's done yet.  I sure hope so.  She's only 20 and I went hard and long until I was 25.
Geez!
Can you all tell me how I can help my Daughter?
If I was your Mother, what would you need from me?
I will tell you that I am reading all I can on this diagnosis.  And, a friend of mine did have treatment.....she said it nearly killed her and that she really didn't improve.
I just dont know.
My Daughter is living alone waiting for her significant other to get out of jail.....I've been trying to get her to move home but she won't.
sigh.....
Well, any help would be greatly apriciated by me.

I am glad you all are here.
I wish my Daughter had the internet so she could come here too.
But, I will take what I get here and give it to her.

Namaste,
(Spirit in me greets Spirit in you all.)

Karen

[portann]

Hi Tiger,

Congrats on your new baby. Many of us had HCV when our babies were born, just like you.

If you want to start a new thread about your situation, go to the top of the page and post a question.

The problem with adding to this thread is that it is from 2005, almost five years ago, so it is a VERY OLD thread and can cause confusion.

I hope you start a new thread, if you feel like it. I told my mom right away, unlike you. I regretted it but that's another story.

Susan

Susan

[tigerlilly77]

hi there all you can do for your daughter is be there for her no matter what yes im sure you were angry when she told you but just being there for her would be the best thing for her right now she doesnt need the stress that you are angry at her and disapointed well thats what i would want from my mum as well as you being there when she is feeling down and alone i also found out i had hep c when i was pregnat and i was devastated as well as got very depressed lucky for me i had my man there for support i now have a 2 week old daughter she is lovely but i wont no she has it till she is 18 months which is very stress full for me as well as for my partner i have yet to tell my mum but i am hopering she will be fine when and if i ever tell her your daughter needs all the support and help she can get

[MrsOckert]

Good Luck with your daughter.  I have no advice for besides my own experiences.  I started TX, I am geno 1b, 10/48, baseline VL 1,220,000.

In the 10 weeks I've been on TX I have not seen my mother (she lives 25 minutes away).  She calls me every couple weeks to say hi.  When she asks me how I am doing and I try to tell her about the sides, she seems to pooh-pooh and tell me how she's been affected by i.e. brain fog, forgetfulness, joint pain, etc.

I think in her own way she is trying to be helpful, but what she's really doing is detracting from me and making what I am going thru less important.  

She's too busy to come visit.  She's involved with church, clubs, the senior center.  Activities that keep her going 7 days a week.  I'm glad for her.  I just wish she had a little time for me.  She and my Dad are going 5 hours away to spend Xmas with my brother.

My point is be there for her.  Go visit her.  And listen to her.

[cuteus]

Lots of very caring, insightful and eloquent suggestions and opinions you have gotten already. Many things I would have said were said by others.
I would like to go into the technical side of things, then.

I would avoid any invasive procedures such as amniocentesis, fetal monitor (scalp attached), episiotomy, and any procedure that might increase the chance for bleeding and bloody fluid exchange with the baby.
the jury is still out as to the best way to deliver a baby in these conditions, some facilities used what is recommended for hep b;
http://www.cs.nsw.gov.au/rpa/neonatal/html/newprot/hepC.htm

a very recent article about mode of delivery significance
http://www.hivandhepatitis.com/hep_c/news/2005/ad/110705_a.html

an article on neonatal transmission:
http://tinyurl.com/bgldx

when can it occur?
http://www.hivandhepatitis.com/hep_c/news/2005/031605_a.html

summarized
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1534-5874/1/27/abstract

breastfeeding is safe, so no need to forgo that most bonding experience.
As a grandma, you might now become an impartial guardian to the little one, and might need to make painful decissions if you see him in danger, should his arrival not motivate your daughter to change things to better his life. Learn as much as you can about this illness, and about recovery, so that you have the power and knowledge to intervene if necessary. You are protecting your loved ones, not meddling.

HCV involves doing a LOT of reading, I hope the above helps you.

[MoonlightLady]

Well, you all have been a great help to me.
I am much more over the shock and am now hopeful that this is indeed a wake up call.
I sure hope so anyway.
Yes.....being a Grandma is a very warm feeling.  It is a BOY!  :)
And, I do have the door wide open for her, though I understand very much attraction rather than promotion deal.  And that is where I stand.  
There is a stigma I know that goes with hep c (written without capital letters) and I hope none here took affence with me putting an unhealthy lifestyle with hep c.  
But it is our story and thanks for the non-judgement.
Sense reading all this I do have plenty of good things to share with her.
Too, prayer requests are all in.  
That should help a bit.  
She told me on the phone through tears her numbers are 2/7?  I think.
Oh I am very hopeful this is a wake up call.
And very hopeful the baby will be JUST fine.
If you all dont mind I'd like to stick around and read more.......
thank you sooooooo much for talking with a Mom and soon to be Grandma.

Namaste,
Karen

[amirtracy]

bless you...

[chellski]

you're doing right by your daughter by informing yourself, so you can inform her...offer her support...get the testing done that snook mentioned, and go on from there.   first and foremost she has a little one to deliver, there are many things she can do with a healthy lifestyle while pregnant to be kind to her liver and herself.   welcome to medhelp - you couldnt've found a better place, with kinder or more supportive folks!
welcome, and be well!
michelle

[strator]

Karen -You wrote that you lived an unhealthy lifestyle. You certainly seem to be a loving, caring, responsible adult with the wisdom to seek out help from others who may have knowledge of this disease and have passed through some of it's doors.

There was hope for you, there's hope for your daughter.
(BTW my 82yro father had & has 1 golden rule to parenting - never shut the door or give up on your children, never. I'm 53 & he still holds the door for me, no matter how many times I tried to slam it  shut. You are definitely holding the door for your daughter right now. Grease the hinges.
You can't make her come through it, but it's open.

Jim is right, hep knowledge is important with her expecting, but although I don't know how involved in the lifestyle she is, but until she gets help for that...
I didn't clean up til my 50's. Had hep for 30plus years, & for me, I was still able to wauntil I had 2 yrs sobriety before starting treatment. This can sometimes be a slow burner. I work with a guy in prison with hep c, and a few that are in & out of recovery & the streets with hep. I've passed on some basic knowledge of hepc so at least on their good days they might be more careful for themselves and others. They know how I was, and that for today I'm clean & sober and treating. I don't bother to talk hep treatment with them much....yet, there's other doors to pass through first, but they're all open.
With your loving, open heart, your daughter will be fine. Love, like recovery, is a program of attraction not promotion.
Today love her and listen with your heart. Tomorrow maybe she'll love 'her', and listen.
Take comfort here, be her Bridge,
Don

[jmjm530]

Karen wrote previously: "She took after me, in a lifestyle that was unhealthy for a few years ,and I'm not so sure she's done yet...(she) is living alone waiting for her significant other to get out of jail....."
---------------------------------

Karen,

It seems to me that hep c is the least of your daughter's problems right now.

As others have suggested, hep c is far from a death sentence -- it's a very slow moving disease and the cure rate is increasing every day. Newer drugs are on the horizon and things should only get better in this regard. I've had hep c for close to 40 years before starting treatment and have lived a very active and normal life. As far as the baby is concerned, the transmission rate is very low and as pointed out, almost neglible if she has a c-section.

Her real concern -- and yours -- is what appears to be a persistent "unhealthy" lifestyle. This can not only impact on your daughter's health but on the health of the baby. And it can also further damage the liver and make treatment more difficult in the future.

In this case, look at hep c as a positive wake up call. If it can upset your daughter enough to change her ways it could be the best thing that happened to her. Try and get her whatever counseling she needs. You should also find her a liver specialist  (hepatologist) to monitor her progress, but as others have stated she cannot treat with the current drugs while being pregnant.

All the best to both of you.

-- Jim

[NYgirl]

Dear Moonlight,

My heart is breaking for you all...

As you can imagine alot of us in here lived the same unhealthy type lifestyle so you won't find any "judgment" here for sure.  And look at us - while it took time just as with you - we all came through.

The thing that you need to do for your daughter the MOST in my opinion is LOVE.  I know nothing turned around MY own daughter who began down my path - except love. Doctors, medication, hospitalization nothing worked. I kept shoving love at her no matter WHAT she was doing (and that sometimes was SO hard) until finally it seemed to have seeped into her soul and filled something that was missing.  

Be there for her. Love her. Pray. As you know from experience nobody can make you quit (and she REALLY needs to not only from pregnancy but because her liver has a DISEASE).

Love, love, love.  That is the best advice I can give to you.

I will be praying for the entire situation - for your family and for the unborn baby.

(PS I most likely got HepC in the mid-80s and have two healthy children after that before I was diagnosed so there is hope of course of a perfect birth).

[Forseegood]

Dear Moonlight, you've already gotten some really good advice here, as I was thinking about a reply to you, I see that Jim and Strator, NY girl, a few others, have already taken the words out of my mouth. Anyway, one thing I wanted to point out, if your daughter is only 20 years old, the longest she has had this disease is what, about 3 - 5 years at the most? Maybe less? To me, the length of infection is a "big" factor. You have to realize, most of us here are "golden oldies", (I'm 52 with many in their 40's and 50's here) ha ha, get flack for that!  They have only been tracking this disease for, relatively speaking, a very short time. Many of us have only found out about it in the last 5 years or so, some a bit longer, and they have only been actively testing for it for just a few years. Many of us have had this disease for 15, 20 25 and even 30 years, I think Jim mentioned 40, which isn't uncommon.

This should tell you that this is a slow moving disease. And not to completely invalidate any concerns about the disease for one so young (unless they got it at birth of course, which would mean then she had it 20 years) but she's only had it maybe a few years. I've read data where the disease doesn't even start to do damage for at least 20 years in most people, with and average of 20 - 25. (Of course, there are exceptions, if you are a drug and alcohol abuser, you accelerate liver damage by leaps and bounds. The liver is busy fighting off the disease, you damage it further by these "liver poisons" and you do it a huge disservice.  Also, there are people who are just are genetically different so perhaps they have a more active form of the disease for that reason.

With all things being equal, and if I was in pretty good shape, there is no way I'd do treatment only having this infection for a few years like this. Just my opinion. It's mostly a time frame thing from my standpoint. Even though you have a much greater chance at eradicating the disease when you are this young and healthy (unless youre genetically not disposed to the meds, which can happen in many cases, if she's a geno 1, it still has only around a 50% chance of working) you have to weigh the possible damage the meds themselves can do, against the fact that you have a better chance at clearing being so young. Because better drugs are on the horizon, only having this disease for let's say, 5 years, I feel, she has plenty of time to wait for the new, better drugs, even if the drugs were not to get here for another 5 years, (which is getting to be a conservative estimate now...with certain ones being fasttracked.) Of course, speak with doctors about this, (and sorry to say, you'll probably get differing view points there as well. They can only help you decide, that's why it's so important for patients to do tons of research as well. And of course, I say she's got plenty of time to wait if she is taking care of herself and sober, if not, than it's anybody's guess what will happen to her with this disease.

That's what's wonderful about her finding out now, she can stop this lifestyle now, in order to save her own life.

The first few years of infection shouldnt do that much harm, AS LONG as you live a healthy lifestyle. Maybe in some strange way, this diagnosis will change her life around for the better, ironically speaking. There are many, many out there "scared sober" by this illness, I pray that she be one of them. Maybe it's a little tough, but I would think it would be a good idea to take her to a liver ward of a major hospital, and have her see what End Stage Liver Disease looks like. I know I sound cruel, but I have seen what it takes to get some addicts to get to their sobriety. Addiction is a very strong disese in it's own right. It's not always a case of "oh, I should get sober now because of this, that and the other." I wish it was that easy for everybody with an addiction.

Perhaps explain to her that she's gotten a huge break, in that she will now be able to now take care really good care of herself, and have time to wait for the new drugs.(If she decides to wait for the better drugs.) She has some very compelling reasons to get sober now, a baby on the way that needs a mother around in the coming years, etc. She's got way, way too much to lose in continuing a bad lifestyle. Hopefully, she'll get the message and things will be fine for you all, I'll pray for you both. (Maybe even show her a copy of this thread.)

[andyarundel]

the info is not copywrited, is public domain info.

[Snookmiester]

I know you have lots of info at hand, but when you post articles, you have to post the link, not the article itself.. Cindy will zap the thread, as copyrighted material is NOT allowed. This is an important thread, so it would be a shame to have it disappear..

[Snookmiester]

Sorry to hear of your daughters problem.. One thing you can do for her is just offer her support. HCV is not the end of the world, but a wake up call..
I am 28 years old, and contracted HCV at birth, from my mother. I just completed treatment, and as of now, my VL is still undetectable!! At diagnosis, my liver fibrosis was a stage 2/3, suspicion for bridging..
The chances of your daughter giving HCV to her child are VERY slim.. Lets say about 5%.. But if she insists on a C-section, the likelyhood of transmission is even LOWER! The baby does not go through the birth canal, and stays protected by the sack until delivery. My wife works in labor and delivery, and says this is the preemptive measure they INSIST on for patients such as your daughter.

She also needs to get with a hepatologist to determine genotype, viral load(VL), and possibly have a biopsy or CT scan of the liver. Being pregnant, they might not risk the biopsy, so ask for a noninvasive test such as Fibrosure, or there are trials ongoing for Fibroscan..
Good luck, and welcome!!

[SnoWav]

My wife and I got hep C when we were about 18 we had 5 fantastic children been married 32 years our advantage was we diden't know until about 6 yrs ago when my wife who is a ER nurse got a needle stick at work. Once you know you have a bug of some kind it is always in the back of your mind. Chances are good she can wait many years for a much better TX to come along.My children and wife are the most important things in my life nothing else really matters. So your going to be a grandma that would make me about the happiest person alive.

[cquest]

I'm sure you're both devastated right now! From what I have heard however, the likelihood of giving it to the baby is low...others will come along that know much more than me so stick around!

She won't be able to start treatment now that's for sure...but things will all work out...the shock will wear off soon and she'll be able to make the right decision for herself and her baby...just keep a level head and don't do anything crazy in the meantime!

Welcome to the forum! Even though it's not the best reason to be here but it's a good place to be!
Cin