UC Motherhood

: Baby crying

In many ways Emily Moore embodies the typical frenetic life of a toddler's mom. But she has the added challenge of the inflammatory bowel disease, ulcerative colitis.

When I don't feel good I do--I can get overwhelmed because there's no sick days. I can't just call in and say, I'm not coming in today. You're basically on duty 24-7…and that can be hard.

She says things are less tough than they would have been if she had continued to work after having daughter Hallie.

I'm lucky enough that I can stay at home with her...and uh

: (Hallie squeals)

What's the matter? It's taken a lot of pressure off of me to know that I'm my boss now. And I can make my schedule...and if we can't go to gymnastics one day because I'm sick...I'm not going to get fired.

Controlling her own schedule is important, but still there are times when she has to lean on family for support…like the period when she was forced to stop nursing.

I was very, very thin and I was very sick and finally I had to say enough is enough. I need to stop and take care of myself… and she's going to be fine on formula and everything's going to be cool and it worked out. But…I just think it was the realization that I can't do everything myself and things aren't going to turn out exactly the way I wanted them to turn out because I have this issue and I'm sick.

Like many first-time parents, Emily's still getting used to the lifestyle changes of motherhood. And because of her condition, she understandably has a few reservations about having a second child.

I can't imagine having a newborn or a small child in a carrier and then Hallie and I'm trying to get them both in the bathroom with me. That scares me.

Following her doctor's advice on how to stay healthy, having a flexible lifestyle and creating a reliable support system have been crucial to Emily's success. Online resources like those provided by the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation help Emily keep a positive mental attitude when coping gets especially tough.

Remember that your mind is such a powerful tool. The more you read and focus on the negativity, the more things will be negative. So if you read and focus on things that are positive and support your healing, not teach you what it means to be sick, the better off you're going to be.

For WebMD, I'm Damon Meharg.