Against the odds: becoming a mum with muscular dystrophy

A young mother with muscular dystrophy, determined to have a baby despite doctors advising otherwise, wants to encourage others, particularly those with disabilities, “to follow your dream.”

Grace Greene (26) and husband Noel (30) who live in Drogheda, Co Louth, are proud parents to Elena, who was born nine weeks early because of her mother's condition.

“I always wanted to be a mum and I was not going to let muscular dystrophy stop me,” she said.

Grace was diagnosed with the progressive disease, which affects muscles and has left her needing a wheelchair, when she was two years old. “I have congenital muscular dystrophy which means I was born with it. Nobody else in my family has it. There is no medical literature on women with it also being pregnant,” she said.

Grace was diagnosed after she kept falling down and was covered in cuts and bruises. “I walked until I was 10 years old. I had a spinal fusion then as a result of s-shaped scoliosis and since the operation I use a wheelchair constantly. Before that I only needed it when I was tired.”

“I always wanted to have a baby and I think that because of all I have gone through, that I am wise and mature for my age. This is my life and for me it was a natural instinct to want to become a mother.”

Life support

She was told that the pressure of a growing baby could affect her lungs especially as she was put on life support after developing pneumonia as a teenager.

Her parents, Margaret and Martin Everitt, were told "I was going to die. I was 13 years old and was put on a ventilator in intensive care because of the pneumonia and my mum was even told to switch off the machine, that I would not make it."

However, she did pull through and Grace now believes “doctors learn from medical literature but they don’t really know someone else’s body. I know my body and while I listened when they told me not to have a baby, I took on board what I wanted to take on board.”

“I had a very healthy pregnancy with no morning sickness and everything was fine until about 18 weeks when I did start to get nervous.

“I was told that I had a 10 per cent chance of dying as the pregnancy continued because as the baby got bigger, it would put more pressure on every part of my body. I said that means I have a 90 per cent chance of not dying!”

She says the care she received in the maternity unit of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda was "first class".

Caesarean section

The baby was delivered in a planned Caesarean section on December 17th last year. Grace was kept in intensive care after the Caesarean section as a precaution and, because she was born nine weeks early, Elena was in the neonatal special care unit.

“I am so happy with my baby girl, she is perfect and I wouldn’t change a thing.”

Grace wants other people, including those with disabilities, to “never give up on your dreams. If you actually want something, just go for it.”

She advised them to be cautious, though, and always make sure they are healthy enough and they have talked things through with their doctors first.