184. Crohn's Disease and Motherhood with Natalie Hayden

Ali on the Run Show

Ali Feller

Run, Health & Fitness, Women, Inspiration, Runner, Entrepreneur, Sports, Fitness, Health, Running

4.9 • 3.7K Ratings

🗓️ 28 October 2019

⏱️ 65 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

"This illness is just a small part of me. It’s not all of me. I’m still able to be a mom. And I haven’t allowed my disease to rob me of that. It just gives me strength. It almost makes me feel like a badass some days! It’s not always pretty, but for the most part, I’m doing what I want to do with my life despite my illness."

Natalie Hayden was diagnosed with Crohn's disease right after graduating college. She was on track to pursue her dream job as a television anchor, but her inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) diagnosis tried to derail that. After several hospitalizations and a series of bowel obstructions, Natalie underwent major surgery to remove 18 inches from her intestines. But despite the disease's valiant efforts to keep Natalie down, she has persevered. She went on to become a TV news anchor, just as she'd always dreamed, and she's a mother to two healthy children. Today, Natalie is a freelance, work-from-home mom who chronicles her life with Crohn's disease at Lights, Camera, Crohn's: An Unobstructed View. This is an honest conversation about what it looks like when you have a chronic illness and want to become a mom, and what concerns arose for both Natalie and me in our respective journeys.

Thank you to the American Gastroenterological Association's IBD Parenthood Project for sponsoring this episode of the Ali on the Run Show! If you or someone you know has inflammatory bowel disease, like Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, go to ibdparenthoodproject.org for support on your journey to and through parenthood.

What you’ll get on this episode:

Natalie talks about her Crohn’s diagnosis (4:30)
Natalie talks about moving away from home and pursuing her dream job — with Crohn’s as her sidekick (11:00)
How having a chronic illness has affected Natalie’s relationships and marriage (16:50)
Natalie talks about her history with bowel obstructions, and her bowel resection surgery (23:50)
Natalie talks about her decision to have children, and her concerns about how Crohn’s may affect her ability to get pregnant, have a baby, and be a mom (37:20)
To breastfeed or not to breastfeed with a chronic illness? Natalie talks about trying to make the decision that was right for her and her family (45:20)

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode of The Alley on the Run Show is brought to you by the AGA's IBD parenthood project.
0:06.0	If you or someone you know has inflammatory bowel disease, a group of disorders,
0:10.7	including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, go to IBDparenthoodproject.org
0:16.4	for support on your journey to and through parenthood.
0:24.3	Welcome to a special bonus episode of The Alley on the Run Show.
0:27.8	If you follow along here for more than oh 45 seconds, you know a few things about me.
0:33.4	You know that I love running, of course, but you probably also know that I had a baby recently.
0:38.4	One year ago, I know I never shut up about my daughter Annie, I just love her so much,
0:43.6	but you may also know that I have Crohn's disease. I was diagnosed with Crohn's when I was
0:48.7	just seven years old and it's a chronic illness, so Crohn's is my incurable sidekick for life.
0:56.0	As I entered adulthood and my flares became more frequent, more intense,
0:59.9	less easily managed with a few steroid pills, I began to worry about the possibility of having
1:05.2	and raising children. When I'm flaring, I can't leave my apartment, I can't be more than a few
1:10.8	feet away from a bathroom. So how could I possibly take care of a baby, a toddler, a third
1:17.5	grader, a teenager, when I couldn't even take care of myself? Plus, I had this one doctor many,
1:23.7	many, many years ago who told me that because I have Crohn's, I may not be able to even have children.
1:30.0	I think I was like 12 years old when I was told that, and of course, it's one of the very few
1:34.7	things I remember from my preteen years that in the sweet sound of Jonathan Taylor Thomas' voice
1:40.4	singing, I just can't wait to be king. Anyway, having Crohn's disease, which is an inflammatory
1:45.9	bowel disease, it's incredibly stressful. Even when I'm not flaring, I'll be honest, I'm worried
1:51.9	about when the next flare will be and how long it'll last. There's a lot of uncertainty involved,
1:57.3	and if you think life with a chronic illness is uncertain, why not throw in a pregnancy and a baby,
	...

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