It is a tough decision! I agree that coming up with a plan in advance is a great idea. You are lucky you have family close that can help. My CF doctor said having a good support system is the most important thing.
For me, pregnancy was easy and did not affect my health at all (but I do have "mild" CF). The hard part was after the baby came. The sleep deprivation is extreme! I think I averaged 5 hours sleep until my daughter was six months old. I was nursing, she wouldn't take a bottle, and she was up every 90 minutes to eat. At that time, we did do sleep training and it was the right thing for us - DD has slept through the night ever since and I felt so much better. I think figuring out how you will deal with the night wakings is key - can you manage getting very little sleep for an extended period of time? I know some moms with CF have decided not to breastfeed and had their husbands and family help with the night feedings. If you decide to BF, don't make the mistake I did and be more vigilant about offering a daily bottle! Not being able to get help with feedings was so hard on me.
The other thing that affected my CF was when DD started bringing home sickness. I stay at home, but we still go to playdates and she attends gym daycare a few times a week, so she is exposed to stuff. Last year we both got RSV and I was in no shape to take care of her on my own, so we flew my mother in law in to help. So that's another thing to figure out - what will you do if you and your child are both sick? I also got "CF sick" and had to get my first PICC line. I was lucky that my mom was in town for part of it, but then I was on my own and it was HARD. But, we survived.
That's actually one of the good parts about having your child in daycare - if you are sick (and your child is healthy and can go to daycare), you can actually rest.
As far as day to day rest goes, I don't get to do that until after my daughter goes to bed. A lot of babies go to bed pretty early - like around 7:00, so you may have a decent chunk of time there to rest. But my daughter is not a big sleeper and doesn't go to bed until 9:00, so I get about an hour each day before I have to go to bed. Sometimes it is exhausting, but most of the time it's not too bad. And it keeps getting easier and easier and easier. I do my meds while she watches a show or my husband is home. When she was a baby it was harder because she needed more attention - then I would do it either when my husband was home or I would feed her at the same time. Mostly, DD would get up really early (like 5:30) and my husband would play with her/hold her while I did my meds. I don't miss those exhausting days, but they end!
Good luck with your decision. Having a child is so amazing!
For me, pregnancy was easy and did not affect my health at all (but I do have "mild" CF). The hard part was after the baby came. The sleep deprivation is extreme! I think I averaged 5 hours sleep until my daughter was six months old. I was nursing, she wouldn't take a bottle, and she was up every 90 minutes to eat. At that time, we did do sleep training and it was the right thing for us - DD has slept through the night ever since and I felt so much better. I think figuring out how you will deal with the night wakings is key - can you manage getting very little sleep for an extended period of time? I know some moms with CF have decided not to breastfeed and had their husbands and family help with the night feedings. If you decide to BF, don't make the mistake I did and be more vigilant about offering a daily bottle! Not being able to get help with feedings was so hard on me.
The other thing that affected my CF was when DD started bringing home sickness. I stay at home, but we still go to playdates and she attends gym daycare a few times a week, so she is exposed to stuff. Last year we both got RSV and I was in no shape to take care of her on my own, so we flew my mother in law in to help. So that's another thing to figure out - what will you do if you and your child are both sick? I also got "CF sick" and had to get my first PICC line. I was lucky that my mom was in town for part of it, but then I was on my own and it was HARD. But, we survived.
That's actually one of the good parts about having your child in daycare - if you are sick (and your child is healthy and can go to daycare), you can actually rest.
As far as day to day rest goes, I don't get to do that until after my daughter goes to bed. A lot of babies go to bed pretty early - like around 7:00, so you may have a decent chunk of time there to rest. But my daughter is not a big sleeper and doesn't go to bed until 9:00, so I get about an hour each day before I have to go to bed. Sometimes it is exhausting, but most of the time it's not too bad. And it keeps getting easier and easier and easier. I do my meds while she watches a show or my husband is home. When she was a baby it was harder because she needed more attention - then I would do it either when my husband was home or I would feed her at the same time. Mostly, DD would get up really early (like 5:30) and my husband would play with her/hold her while I did my meds. I don't miss those exhausting days, but they end!
Good luck with your decision. Having a child is so amazing!