I've had Lyme disease since 1994. I did a long course (over 2 years) of intravenous antibiotic treatment and was finally told by 2 Lyme specialists that I was not responding to the antibiotics, that I had Late Stage Lymes, and that I should seek "alternative" treatments.

I did seek alternative treatments and I must say, they seemed to work the best - but I still have some troubling neurological problems and pain. I can't drive still, I lose my speech, can't work.

Basically I just found out that I'm 6 weeks pregnant and I'm very happy about it...However, I've been reading that Lymes can affect the fetus adversely and the disease can be transmitted from mother to baby through the placenta....This is extremely upseting to me of course. So I was just wondering if anyone knows anything about this? Has anyone successfully given birth with Lyme disease?

She took oral abx from that date on until the end of the pregnancy. She was worried that the abx could harm the baby.

Our LLMD told her that the abx would make the kid bigger and more intelligent. We thought he was joking.

The baby was born 7 or 8 months ago. Up to now there are no signs of the disease. He is doing fine and developing well. But believe it or not: the boy is unusually tall.

As to his intelligence one cannot say much yet.

I had a healthy baby boy 3 yrs later.
I had had an uneventful, even enjoyable pregnancy with an uneventful labor and a somewhat difficult, yet typical delivery.

I relapsed 1 1/2 years later, after having a difficult time 'recovering' from pregnancy and childbirth. I was always tired and my it took until baby was 10 months until my back was strong again. I'm wondering if the labor/deliver took me out of remission.

Anyhow... my point is, I think I was in remission from lyme while I was pregnant and delivering.

My little boy is now almost 6 and seems fine, aside from some age-appropriate issues with needing food every 2 hours and needing about 12 hours of sleep a night.

We're watching him very closely, believe me. So far, so good.

I do know that some people, who's lyme is active during pregnancy have continued their treatment with a pregnancy-safe antibiotic.

I hope someone who has been in that situation comes and adds to this post.

I know that worry is the underlying current with any pregnancy, because you want that baby to have be perfect! Think positive and take care of your self the best you can.

I'm glad to hear that there are success stories out there, but it sounds as if they all required knowledge, monitoring and, most importantly, abx.

It sounds as if you are arming yourself with good info, but I just want you to be sure to take the advice of those who have success stories, because I think they all came with knowledge and, the majority of the time, medicine. Without it--I'm thinking the abx especially--I think you could be taking too great a risk.

(I did not know I had Lyme and my pregnancy was not a success story. I still hold out hope that when I am done with abx we can try again.)

I wish you all the best for your baby and your health.

I had 6 miscarriages, one was a ruptured ectopic pregnancy. I have 3 grown children and I gave birth to a baby boy in 1996. He's 8 years old today, the light of my life and today he's perfectly normal. He was born with congenital lyme but you'd never, ever know it if you met him or saw his grades. He's just a regular little boy.

I wish you good health and I'll keep you in my thoughts. I don't want you to be afraid of what I've told you. The odds really are in your favor if you stay on top of things by seeing a LLMD. Keep us posted, okay?

Did they miss something? A coinfection? The cystic form of lyme? Lyme itself? sorry for my rant.

On the health kids issue. I had no clue that I was infected with lyme when I had my kids. I have four children ( not three as some people assume)

Brenten-age 11 ( and I did have lyme symptoms with him looking back) Is ok. I was ALSO on antibiotics the entire time I was pregnant with him for a chronic UTI. I think that may have prevented him from getting it, if I did have it back that far.

Richy- age 9 ( had symptoms with him too, mainly fatigue, still didnt know I had lyme) NOT ok. Mentally retarded.

Destiny- age 7, ( had fatigue with her too, still diddnt know I had lyme) Severe birth defect/abnomaly. Kidney disease. Vesticouretal reflux, has more plastic inside her than Barbie.

Mandin-age 4. ( I had the MOST symptoms with him) healthy as a pea. Go figure! Was on antibiotics AGAIN with this turkey when I was pregnant with him for chronic UTI's AGAIN.

I think Brenten and Mandin were saved by my abx usage ( amoxy) during pregnancy.

I agree, contact Dr. Jones. There is a seeking a doctor forum here on this board, you could seek to find a LLMD for yourself, also.

Thought this might be an appropriate place for me to add my story. I'm 9 weeks pregnant, and have chronic Lyme. I also have a 13-month-old son, and I imagine I had Lyme when I was pregnant with him too--but I didn't know it. He was born 7 pounds and healthy. He has hardly gotten sick at all (just a few 1-day colds), and he is developing completely normally. Phew.

As for this pregnancy, I contacted Dr. Jones' office. I also talked with 3 OBGYN's, and had an hour conference with a maternal fetal medicine doc who I'll be seeing every month or so. I am on 4500mg/amoxy for the whole 9 months. Everything I've been told is that the antibiotics will have noa dverse effects on the baby. This is a very safe drug and will hugely help in not passing Lyme to the baby. I will also have the baby's cord and placenta blood tested when he or she is born.

Please feel free to email me and keep in touch about this. I am thus far having a very difficult pregnancy with constant nausea, severe dizziness and vertigo, inability to hold down much food or liquid, severe fatigue, and even worse visual disturbances. I'm trying to keep on keepin' on...

My daughter and I were diagnosed 2 yrs ago (in March 2005).

I have had Lyme Disease for probably 15 yrs or more.

I didn't know I had it until after my daughter started having more "typical" lyme symptoms.

After no help from local doctors I turned to Lymenet and got our LLMD from this group. He started treating us both from our first office visit.

My daughter will turn 6yrs old in March and on the whole is a pretty normal 6 year old.

She does still have some signs of LD, but with treatment is doing good.

She was a more or less a normal newborn.

She had some issues with allergic reactions to ALL kinds of formulas (including the hypoallergenic), but that was OK because I was breastfeeding.

Of course at that time I did not know that I had LD and that I should NOT have been breastfeeding.

Although that would have been impossible because she was allergic to EVERYTHING.

I had no treatment during pregnancy and feel very lucky to have a fairly normal child.

This is just my story. Others have had their own experiences, but it sounds like with antibiotic treatment there is a good chance at delivering a healthy baby.

If you have any questions or anything I can help with feel free to e-mail me or post.

There are alot of knowledgable people here that are excellent with any questions or information you might need.

Good luck to you!

Of course, I am scared, but I feel much better knowing than not knowing....I have been doing alternative methods since 1997 (got Lymes in 94) and swore to myself that I would NEVER touch another antibiotic again. I was on every oral and intravenous antibiotic known to human kind. I had pic insertions in my arms and a port catheter in my chest. They even used (what I was told) was the strongest antibiotic they had, intravenous vacomyecin...It was all quite grueling - but the most upseting aspect was that it did not seem to help me at all. All it did do was damage my liver and kidneys. And I remember vividly that at the time they told me they could no longer give me the antibiotics I was losing my sight for 3 seconds at a time - so alternative methods were a lifesaver at that point. It was all I had.

I initially went to a very highly recommended Lyme doc in Greenwhich CT (Dr. Bernard Raxlen) who was really wonderful and very supportive. And then we moved from NY to PA and for some reason our insurance would no longer cover my treatment in CT. So I changed to another doc in Rye, NY named Dr. Kenneth Boch.

Gosh, I am rambling....What I'm trying to say is that I haven't taken antibiotics in a LONG time. The alternative methods have been helping, although I don't feel my symptoms are gone by any stretch....But in light of the fact that I'm pregnant I am 100% open to doing whatever it is I must do to keep my baby from getting this heinous disease (or worse) - even if it means taking antibiotics again. I'm not saying the drugs don't work for some people, they just did not in my case...but that is besides the point. I want a Lyme Free Baby, so I'll bite the bullet and do what I have to do.

I'm just now starting my 6th week and I hope I'm not too late. I have to find a Lyme specialist who takes my insurance...but thanks so much for all your recommendations. I will look into Dr. Jones asap...

This is a great site with very nice, helpful people!!

I have probably had Lyme since 1992, but have only been treated (on and off) since 2002. I had a child in 1995, 1999, and a baby girl April 2004.

My two oldest have tested equivocal for Lyme, but Dr. Jones doesn't feel the need to treat them right now. I don't see any symptoms in them and they have been healthy. I wasn't treated during pregnancy with them because I didn't know that I had it....

I was treated during my last pregnancy, from about the 10th week on. My baby girl has tested negative, and is super healthy! I was on Amoxicillan 875 mg 2x day. My Lyme was fairly active before I got pregnant, but I didn't know how long it would be active and didn't want to wait any longer.

My husband and I are SO happy with the decision that we made... This new addition is the light of our lives... My two oldest adore her and dote on her more than anyone.

I didn't have any special testing done because of the Lyme, although I have heard of some people that have more frequent ultrasounds. I did decide to breastfeed (on abx), though I do know that some LLMD's recommend against it.

Like the other posters have said, the odds are in your favor. Take care of yourself! Feel free to contact me anytime. I am the moderator of a Pregnancy and Lyme Yahoo group. There are some great women there with lots of good information, although the board hasn't been very active lately.

Good luck and again, congratulations!!!

Pregnancy was OK in that I was not as fatigued as before, and did not have the sore throats. I did have palpitations, low-grade fevers and on/off bleeding, which landed me on 16 weeks bedrest.

I was not on any antibiotics as I didn't know I had LD. And, I did breastfeed for 10 months.

My daughter was born healthy, she is nine now and very full of energy and very normal. She complains of things from time to time, but then even kids who do not have parents with LD do. I have discussed this at length with my friends, who do not have LD, to try to compare my daughters complaints to their kids'...So, I think my daughter is normal and things that come and go are not LD.

My LLMD said, when I asked if I should have her tested regardless, that not unless she appeared ill. So, I am going with that.

You have a head-start here to take all precautions necessary. Good luck and wish you a happy healthy outcome.

Can you share more details on this?

You have the best supporting you here, and you are soo being an incredible Mom to this baby already by looking deeply into this.

Just pulling this up to hear an update..and whether you have gotten a consult with the magical, most informed Doctor J...

My baby was infected via breastmilk, amd has been in his care for two years..she is doing fantastic now..he knows more than any LLMD IMO by far.

All the very best in your quest,

I decided to call my old doctor, Dr. Raxlen and make an appointment. I will probably have to pay for the office visits out of pocket, but hopefully he can get my OB/GYN to prescribe the abx and that will be covered. I'm sure Dr. Jones is wonderful, but I feel my old doc knew my case so well. I really trust his judgement. Still, it's nice to know there are other great Lyme doctors out there! Dr. Jones sounds like he has quite a following!

As for the alternative treatments I've been doing. Well, I have been seeing a wonderful doctor named Dr. Linda Lancaster. She is based in Santa Fe and New York City. For me she has really been a lifesaver. She treats the spirochete as a parasite. She's a natropathic physician. She does homeopathics etc...but also some other treatments that may be be considered "out there" to some. Again, she really helped me, but that was my personal experience. (You can read about her work at www.lightharmonics.com if you're interested)

Anyway, giving birth to a healthy baby is much too important to me to take unecessary risks. So I'm going to go the western route this time. I know it will give me some much needed peace of mind.