When expecting, some of us dream of a healthy pregnancy, some of us worry about everything and some don’t or can’t think of anything… Serena started her pregnancy rather tranquil until her asthma kicked in. This is her story.
On a sunny Wednesday morning, my daughter arrived by elective caesarean. Her birth felt like crossing the finish line of a marathon—months of relentless physical and emotional endurance, culminating in relief, joy and exhaustion. For the first time in months, I took a deep, deep breath and felt like I could fill my lungs again.
I’ve lived with asthma since I was four. Running through a field of long grass sparked my first attack. Back in the 1980s, asthma was a misunderstood and feared condition, PE teachers cautioned me not to overexert myself and friends would ask for a puff of my inhaler out of novelty. Asthma, like many chronic conditions, soon became a routine part of my life.
When I found out I was pregnant with our long-awaited baby, my asthma didn’t even cross my mind. The first trimester was filled with the usual worries, but once I passed the 12-week scan I thought I could relax and enjoy the experience. As my bump grew, so did the constant feeling of heaviness on my chest and I was relying on my inhalers too often. A trip to my GP left me frustrated, I was told that my peak flow readings (used to measure how quickly I could exhale) were normal and that my breathlessness was probably just due to anxiety. Despite my existing asthma diagnosis, my symptoms were being dismissed as all in my head. I even started to question myself and I pushed myself to carry on as normal.
The weeks that followed were incredibly challenging. I couldn’t walk very far without feeling tightness in my lungs and a heaviness on my chest. The constant fatigue resulting from not being able to breathe properly is something no-one considers. Nights were spent distracting myself from the tightness in my chest by focusing on word puzzles. I felt a constant pressure to show everyone it was all ok, when I was simply trying to survive.
Eventually, I insisted I was referred to a respiratory consultant through my work’s private healthcare. That appointment was thankfully a huge turning point. The consultant diagnosed me with severe, difficult to manage asthma, exacerbated by the hormonal and inflammatory changes of pregnancy. He prescribed steroids and additional inhalers to help manage my symptoms. He assured me that my struggles were genuine asthma, not anxiety. It was indeed in my lungs… I was also given a nebuliser to use at home and felt in control of my own health for the first time in months.
Although my breathing didn’t improve dramatically, knowing I was under the care of someone who understood my condition gave me much needed reassurance.
As I entered my third trimester, I decided to ask for an elective caesarean. After all, aren’t we constantly told that breathing is everything during labour?
“Deep breath!”
Well, that I could not at rest… It took weeks of advocating for myself before the hospital would consider. In the end, the 37-week scan revealed my daughter was lying oblique, a position that made a caesarean necessary. I was so grateful for the teamwork between my daughter and I.
Pregnancy can leave a lasting impact on chronic conditions — it took years for my asthma to stabilise again. My exceptional respiratory consultant is still the only one I trust with my asthma care.
My pregnancy was undoubtedly challenging and taught me the need for persistence and self-advocacy for chronic conditions. Regardless, my daughter was undeniably worth it.