Healing Congenital Lyme

Hi All,

Brand new to the form. I was just diagnosed yesterday with Lyme and Bart. The past few months, I have been suspicious of Lyme but it took a while to get these results. I have a 15 month old son at home and suspect that it's possible I had dormant Lyme while pregnant with him.

Has ANYONE had success treating and healing Lyme in a young baby? I am so incredibly worried, the fear is all consuming and I'm scared for his future. Any positive and hopeful posts are MUCH appreciated at this time of despair.

Thanks,

Hi there. Welcome to the forum. I'm glad you found us.

My Lyme was dormant and undiagnosed when I was pregnant, too. I also breastfed for three years afterward, which can pass Lyme to the baby. But I do not regret breastfeeding because I believe the best chance my child has to avoid developing the illness is to have a strong immune system, healthy flora, strong attachments, etc. The development of chronic Lyme is far more complicated than pathogens = disease, so keeping my child as healthy as possible in mind and body is a high priority for me, especially knowing she probably has Lyme and co-infections in her system. I mention this a lot, but residents of Martha's Vineyard and workers in the timber industry test positive for Lyme at very high rates, but of course very few of them are ill, so there are lots of factors at play. Plus we live in Massachusetts, so despite daily tick checks, I have no doubt she will be exposed through other routes of transmission. If my child's system is worn down one day and she becomes ill, then I like to think that I will identify what is going on right away and will know how to help her.

Does your child have signs so far? I agree with Girlie that you not having symptoms while pregnant might reduce the likelihood of transmission.

It's easier said than done, but please don't be consumed by worry about this. Whether he has it or not, any increase in your anxiety will be worse for him and will delay your own healing. It's also possible that postpartum depression/anxiety could be at play for you, potentially exacerbated by AND exacerbating the Lyme and co-infections. If that resonates, then perhaps evaluation and treatment for your anxiety could help the process of healing along and make your days less filled with despair. (I've been there. A lot of us have. It is temporary.)

Please let us know how everything is going for you both!

Sorry not sure how the reply feature works on here....

My baby is happy and healthy, eats like a champ. Has a dairy allergy and tummy trouble at times but other than that, no issues.

I’ve only met with my current Lyme doc once, and initially based on display of symptoms, he believed it to be a new infection but then the results came back as a longer term infection which is when all my worry began.

I just want to know what to do and how to stop it from invading my baby’s body. I’m heartbroken over the possibility.

Girlie said...
Hi fighting mama - welcome to our forum.


I'm so sorry you have this to deal with.
Does your baby have any signs? Is he feeding well? Is he thriving?

If your lyme was dormant - ie you had no symptoms....I'm wondering if that highly lowers the chance of passing it on to your baby in vitro.

What does your current lyme doc say?

I guess the first step would be to get your baby tested. Although, testing isn't always accurate...it can be one piece of the puzzle.

I believe all three of my children have congenital Lyme as well as subsequent reinfections. (All three oddly also had tummy troubles / food sensitivities as babies.) I mostly agree with Saraeli -- the most important things are to strengthen the gut and immune system and minimize toxins. I just don't feel comfortable with Rife yet, personally. We do abx if needed but I (and our doctors) prefer herbals with little ones.

The one really good thing is that I was fully aware of what to look for and treatment options with my youngest, as you clearly are so early with your little one. My oldest went through a lot because I didn't know, but I was able to react quickly with the little one and it should spare him a lot of the struggles she went through. You're way ahead of the game compared to so many people with Lyme in the family who have no idea.