Asthma VS Pregnancy

When someone who is asthmatic gets pregnant, its useful to think firstly of how the pregnancy might affect the asthma and also how the asthma might affect your pregnancy.




Will my asthma affect my baby?

No, not if it's kept under control. But because your baby needs a good oxygen supply, you need to control your asthma so that the supply doesn't become restricted.

What if I have an asthma attack in labour?

This is extremely unlikely to happen, because while you're in labour your body naturally produces hormones (adrenaline and a steroid) that work in the same way as your medication and will keep your asthma in check.

Some, but not all doctors recommend delivering your baby with forceps if you have asthma. This speeds things up and minimises the effort involved in pushing the baby out. If you'd prefer to avoid this, discuss it with your doctor.

How can pregnancy affect my asthma?

Pregnancy can cause asthma to get better or worse. However, it is important that you do not change or reduce your asthma medication without speaking to the doctor or nurse who is caring for your asthma. Poorly treated asthma is usually more dangerous to the baby than any possible risk associated with an asthma medication.

Can I breastfeed my baby?

There's no evidence that any of the drugs taken for asthma are harmful to your baby, so it's quite safe for you to breastfeed.

Will my baby have asthma too?

Because asthma runs in families, there's a chance that your baby will develop it, especially if your partner has it too. Breastfeeding may provide some protection against it, but unfortunately this is not guaranteed.






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