CAMAF Member Option Guides & Info

16 in preGnAnCy So many hormonal changes take place during pregnancy, that it is hardly surprising many women report changes in their asthma too. here we answer some of your questions around pregnancy and nursing your baby, smoking, diet, breast-feeding and asthma treatments. sOme freqUenTLy AskeD qUesTiOns When preGnAnT WiTh AsThmA Will my aSThma geT WoRSe duRing pRegnanCy? Like pregnancy itself, asthma varies enormously from woman to woman. Around one third of women find their asthma symptoms improve in pregnancy, one third stay the same and one third find their asthma gets worse. If your asthma gets worse, you may need to increase your asthma medicines. Can my aSThma TReaTmenT haRm my baby? no. your baby will do best if you are breathing well and easily, so it is important that your asthma is well controlled. most asthma medicines are inhaled. These are entirely safe for your baby. Can i Smoke duRing pRegnanCy? If you want to give your baby the best start in life, neither you nor your partner should smoke. Women who smoke during pregnancy: • Are more likely to have babies who have breathing problems, including asthma • Are more likely to have a miscarriage • Are more likely to go into premature labour • Are more likely to have babies who are under weight Will my aSThma TReaTmenT inTeRfeRe WiTh bReaST feeding? your inhaled asthma medicines will not affect your baby when you breast-feed. Usual doses of inhaled medicines do not enter the bloodstream, so they won't be found in breast milk. The medicine in corticosteroid tablets can sometimes be present in very small quantities in breast milk. However, there is too little to have any harmful effect on your baby. medicines prescribed for asthma do not affect your ability to produce breast milk.

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