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'It was something that I never thought would happen for me': Gillian's Mother's Day story

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Gillian lives in Scotland with her husband and one-year-old son Frederick. Gillian was one of the first women in Scotland to have a baby after starting Kaftrio.  To mark Mother's Day (19 March), Gillian shares her experiences of becoming a mum. 

Starting a family was something my husband and I always wanted. But pre-Kaftrio my health was deteriorating and it was a personal choice for us not to try for a family knowing how unwell I was. I was struggling to even walk up the stairs in my own house. I wasn’t really making any plans other than getting through each day. I was having discussions with my consultant about next steps and thinking about lung transplant. It was a great source of sadness for us.

But then I was very lucky to be included on the Kaftrio clinical trial. Within maybe six to seven days of the trial, I started to feel so much better and naturally the thought of children crept back into my mind. But we couldn’t try to conceive until Kaftrio was approved, because if you fell pregnant during the trial then you were automatically removed.

When Kaftrio was approved in 2020, I think about an hour later I was on the phone to my consultant to ask his thoughts about whether we could try for a family. And then in December 2021, our little boy Frederick arrived. I stayed pretty well during pregnancy. I was very closely monitored and I got lots of extra scans. We felt very well- supported by my CF centre in Glasgow. I think you have this feeling with CF that your body just can't do stuff. I felt so sure we wouldn’t get pregnant; that something will happen. But I think it's just because for years before everything just always went wrong.

The feeling of knowing that I was pregnant and feeling my bump growing was just absolutely amazing. It was

just life-changing that something that you never ever thought would be for you was actually happening. I’ve loved being a mum and I just live and breathe Frederick.

We know that Mother’s Day can be tough for lots of people, for a variety of reasons. Your CF team may be able to provide emotional support or direct you to other sources of support.

You can also contact our Helpline on 0300 373 1000 or at [email protected] if you'd like information or support, a listening ear, or just to talk things through. 

Get in touch

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