Want to share my story/Need Support

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#1 Post by **ronni** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 9:43 am

Hi all! I only post from time to time so many of you probably don't know me, but I have the most amazing story to tell.

Quick background - I grew up as an only child and my husband has one brother. 2 years ago, his brother was killed in a car accident, at the age of 20. I won't go into the details of this story but as you can imagine, it has been devasting. One of the things that we have really struggled with is the fact that our children (future children, since we don't have any yet) will not have aunts/uncles/cousins, we'll never have neices and nephews, etc.

Well, all that has changed!! On Thursday, a sister I never knew about called me out of the blue. Long story short - My mom had a baby before me that she had to give up for adoption. Anyway, it turns out we live less than 20 miles away. We met over the weekend and have become instant best friends. The best part is, not only did I gain a sister, but also a brother-in-law and 3 nephews!!!!

OK - heres where I need the support. My hubby and I were going to wait until I got my braces off to start having children (they are scheduled to come off between Feb and June 07). But, now this whole experience has made us want to start ASAP!!! That maternal instinct has kicked in stronger than ever, and now I don't know what to do. Should I give it time, and hopefully the feeling will pass? Do I say screw it, I don't care if I'm pregnant and have braces? Ahh, I'm so confused!!!

Hubby is ready now, it was me that was wanting to wait till the braces came off. This may sound vain, but I know that I'll be taking a ton of photos during the pregnancy of my first child, and I don't want to have braces in them. Also, I don't want the uncomfortable-ness (I like to make up my own words) of the braces during those 9 months. But maybe it doesn't matter? Has anyone else here been pregnant with braces? What was it like?

Thanks in advance for sharing in the joy of my new sister and for your support with the whole "to wait or not to wait" dilema

#2 Post by **deltawire** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 10:05 am

Hi ronni!

Congrats on finding your sibling and on your decision to have children soon.

I don't know what it is like to be prego while having braces, however my sister had braces while she was prego. She said that it slowed the process of her treatment. She was initially supposed to be in braces for 18 months but instead it took 32 months. I am not sure if it has anything to do with her pregnancy but it is what her doctor and dentist told her. I think each person is different so see what other kinds of responses you get back from others.

Best of luck!

#3 Post by **Rickysa** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 10:11 am

Hi Ronni,

One thing that can delay getting debanded is that during the last phase of treatment, a "progress panorex" radiograph will be necessary before debanding....most docs won't do the x-ray if the patient is pregnant. We've had many pregnant patients and having braces while pregnant is no biggie.

Congratulations on your new family!

Dr. S

#4 Post by **jcdamon3** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 10:54 am

You may want to talk to your mother about her pregnancy. Was it easy or was she throwing up alot? I doubt you want to experience puke in your brackets. Forgive the expression.

To be honest. I have been pregnant and have had braces both but not at the same time. I did not have an easy pregnancy and the braces would have just added to the problems. Then again, I have heard that some people have problem with slight gagging with the retainers so you don't want a gag reflex going on in your first three months - better to have the brackets on then.

I guess your age might be a factor too.

Can you switch to ceramic so you look good in your piccies? Just a thought.

All the best to you and congratulations on your new sister! What a wonderful gift!

#5 Post by **bunnyfluff** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 4:35 pm

That's so awesome! My mom was adopted and over the past year or so has connected with her birth parents and brothers and sister. It's a fun experience!

Personally, I would wait to get the braces off before becoming pregnant, because it should be a special time and if having braces in your pictures is going to bother you that much, you don't want to ruin it for yourself! Ultimately it comes down to what will make you comfortable, since you're the one who has to be pregnant for nine months.

Good luck in whatever you choose, and i'm sure you'll be a fabulous mom! (with great teeth! haha)

#6 Post by **MsTiaLia** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 6:42 pm

Hi Ronni,
I have not been pregnant, but I do have braces. I have always said that I would not get married with braces, but you know what? Life is short and we are not promised tomorrow. You're not promised next February or the February after that, so go for it!!! Anything could happen between now and then. Besides, braces can be kind of annoying, but they don't take over your life or anything:) They are just another part of life. Just think, one day your child may need braces and may be self-conscious about it and you can show them some pictures of you carrying them AND braces

Good luck on you braces and babies!!!!

#7 Post by **wonderstuf** » Tue Dec 05, 2006 8:31 pm

That is amazing!

#8 Post by **ronni** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 6:48 am

Thanks everyone for sharing in the joy of my new family and for all of your nice comments, they have been very helpful. We still haven't made a decision. I'm going to wait until my next adjustment (in less than 2 weeks) and see what comes of that.

#9 Post by **Lana** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 7:30 am

Ronni,

Congratulations on your new family! It must be really exciting to find out something like that.
Having a son myself i can tell you it is a wonderful experience and if it is what you truly want, then having braces shouldnt hold you back from your family life. I believe orthodontists can place covers over your stomach and chest when you get any x-rays done, though i would look into it a little more so that you can be extra careful.
Having morning sickness is having morning sickeness, lol. To me, it would suck even if i didnt have braces. (and you would brush your teeth afterwards anyways so why not) Like jcdamon3 said, retainers might make the gag reflex worse. (Though lets hope that it's the morning sickness that only happens maybe once a day)

If you are concered over appearance though i think it was a cool idea for the ceramic braces as well.
Good Luck in making the decision and have fun too !

Lana

#10 Post by **Pirate Wench** » Thu Dec 07, 2006 8:12 am

Congrats on finding your sister/brother-in-law/nephews. That is really exciting. Both of my parents are adopted and my dad found his sisters and brothers about 3 years ago. It was at the same time of year for him too......what a Christmas gift......

As for having a baby.....I have a son and it is the best thing in the world. I love being a mom

I can't imagine being pregnant and having braces would be a big deal. You can still use wax and do salt water rinses. You would just have to talk to your doctor about having OTC pain killers while pregnant. As for the morning sickness....my pregnancy was great. I never had any morning sickness at all. Maybe you would have that good luck too!!!

Have fun with your new found family and let us know what you decide to do about the baby!