A Parent's Guide to Coping with Ulcerative Colitis in a Newborn

Raising an infant is difficult even under the most ideal circumstances. Add in a medical condition such as ulcerative colitis, and things can get really challenging. A baby does not and cannot understand that urgent need to use the bathroom that an ulcerative colitis flare up can cause.

It is truly a sobering experience to have to choose between having an accident and taking care of your perfect newborn. I can vividly remember those first days at home alone with my son. Sometimes, things were just plain horrible. I would be stuck in the bathroom with horrible cramps and my son in my arms. I would feel helpless and sometimes even hopeless.

I have been in the unfortunate situations that raising a newborn while coping with your ulcerative colitis can cause. My son is 8 months old now and luckily for both of us, we lived through those difficult first months. Things are finally getting easier for us. Through trial and error and even some suggestions from other moms with ulcerative colitis, I have some things that help me to cope with having ulcerative colitis and still be a good mom to my son.

The best suggestion that I can give a new mom who has ulcerative colitis is to keep an infant carrier in the bathroom. It needs to be within an arms reach of the toilet. If you have an urgent need and the baby is awake, you can just put him in the seat next to you. I have tried this suggestion. It has been a lifesaver for me many times during those urgent trips to the bathroom.

Another idea is to keep a baby sling carrier in a cabinet near the toilet. This works really well for breast feeding moms. You can feed the baby while you are taking care of your own urgent need. Plus, if the baby falls asleep in the sling, you have both hand free to tend your own needs and you never have to wake the baby up.

It is also a very good idea to wear dresses, skirts, night gowns, or elastic waist pants. Wearing one of these makes it much easier to make it onto the toilet in time even with a baby in your arms. Buttons, snaps and zippers are hard to fasten and unfasten quickly with only one hand.

One mom that I know who suffers from ulcerative colitis bought a bassinet with wheels before her baby was born. If she has to make an urgent trip to the bathroom, she just wheels the bassinet with her, baby and all. If you do this one, be sure that the bassinet is sturdy enough to move while the infant is in it.

Now that my son is able to sit on his own, I keep a thick blanket and some toys in the tub when we are not using it for baths. I can let him play with his toys in the tub while I am watching him. If your baby cannot sit on his own, put the toys in a basket near the toilet and offer them to him in his infant carrier.

The most important thing to remember is that it is OK for your baby to fuss sometimes as long as he is safe. If your baby is safe in another room when you have to make a sudden trip to the bathroom, take a baby monitor with you. Some monitors clip onto your waist band so you can take it anywhere.

If you are a new mom who has ulcerative colitis, do not be afraid to ask other moms with ulcerative colitis for their suggestions or ways to make dealing with both ulcerative colitis and a new baby easier. I know that talking about life with ulcerative colitis can be difficult and embarrassing but, if those of us who suffer from ulcerative colitis do not help and support each other, life will never become any easier for any of us.

I hope that these suggestions help at least one new mom. If it does, then my struggles have all been worth it!