As a person with cystic fibrosis, Bridget Newsom thought she and her husband would never have kids.
Then she started taking a new medication, (elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ ivacaftor), which helps thin out the mucus in the lungs and other areas of the body. "When I first met Bridget she had pretty severe lung function," says Nebraska Medicine pulmonologist. "After she started taking the new medicine, her lungs started working much better."
Newsom says, "That first night, I took a deep breath and felt like, holy cow, I could really breathe. I felt better than I had in 10 years."
The medication helped more than her lungs. Usually, the odds are very low for people with CF to get pregnant. But the new medication also thins out the mucus in a woman's reproductive tract, making pregnancy more likely. Almost immediately after starting the new medicine, Newsom told her doctors that she'd taken a pregnancy test just for peace of mind. She was pregnant.
Cystic fibrosis is one of the diseases that pioneered the multidisciplinary approach. Dieticians, social workers, pulmonologists, and yes, even pregnancy experts unite to help people with cystic fibrosis. Her CF team brought in maternal-fetal medicine expert Amie Hollard, MD, to plan out Bridget's pregnancy.
She later tested positive for COVID-19, which added even more complications. A pregnant mother with cystic fibrosis, recently diagnosed with COVID-19 – what are the odds? What drugs wouldn't make either condition worse and also wouldn't harm the baby?
Dr. Hollard and Nebraska Medicine pulmonologists gave Newsom remdesivir to prevent the virus from replicating, which lessens the severity of the disease in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. They also gave her steroids, which was helpful for both her pregnancy and COVID-19. The steroids helped the baby's lungs develop while clearing up Newsom's inflammatory response.
But both doctors also remember her fighting spirit. "I kept thinking that I couldn't leave my husband," says Newsom. "I've always been super stubborn. Sometimes you just get lucky."
The Newsom's baby girl, Andi, was born healthy: free of cystic fibrosis and negative for COVID-19. "I couldn't ask for a better baby," she says. "And I cannot thank Dr. Hollard, Nebraska Medicine pulmonologists and the COVID-19 nurses on 5 West enough."
"We're all so grateful she and her baby are OK," says Dr. Hollard.
To learn more about our accredited cystic fibrosis center, visit us at NebraskaMed.com/Lung-care/Cystic-fibrosis.
