Pregnancy and Parenting with Chronic Illness EARLY ACCESS EDITION

I am so pleased to be able to share that Pregnancy and Parenting with Chronic Illness is here!

My little book, Pregnancy and Fibromyalgia, was my first book, a compilation of blog posts, that came out in 2017. Since then, I have refined it three times.

However, something happened after my fourth baby…we realised that I didn’t have fibromyalgia. I actually have hypermobility spectrum disorder, MCAS and endometriosis. I wanted to rename the book, but you can’t rename an already published book. Then I realised I had more to say. My systems were more refined.

So I have finally written the book I wish I’d had before I became pregnant. 

Pregnancy and Parenting with Chronic Illness is the practical guide I wish I’d had before becoming pregnant.

If you live with chronic pain, chronic fatigue, ME/CFS, fibromyalgia, hypermobility, endometriosis, MCAS or another long-term health condition, you already know that most pregnancy advice assumes a healthy body. This book doesn’t.

Drawing on four pregnancies, twenty years of living with chronic illness, years of searching the available evidence, and practical systems developed through lived experience, Melissa Reynolds shares the guide she wishes she'd had before becoming a mother.

Learn practical ways to manage pain and fatigue before pregnancy, throughout pregnancy, during the fourth trimester and into the early years of parenting.

Inside you’ll learn how to:

• Prepare your body before pregnancy
• Build a symptom management plan
• Pace your energy throughout pregnancy
• Manage pain safely alongside your healthcare team
• Advocate for yourself during pregnancy and birth
• Prepare for breastfeeding (and alternatives)
• Recover during the fourth trimester
• Parent babies and toddlers while living with chronic illness
• Build sustainable routines that protect your health

Warm, realistic and encouraging, this is the companion every chronically ill parent deserves—offering practical tools, evidence-informed guidance and the reassurance that you’re not alone.

The pregnancy books assume a healthy body. This one starts with the body you have.

Early Access Edition

This book is currently available as an Early Access Edition while a handful of readers work through the final proofread.

The content is complete, but there may still be the occasional typo or formatting tweak before the official launch.

As a thank you for coming alongside this project early, it's available for $2.99 for a limited time (it will be $9.99 when it launches publicly)

If you spot anything that could be improved, I'd genuinely love to hear from you.

When you hit purchase, you will immediately get access to PDF and EPUB copies.

PLUS

you get the Pregnancy and Parenting Checklists

Traffic Light Pacing Plan Worksheets (not yet available anywhere else)

If This Then That Pain Management Plan Card

(These come in a ZIP file that you can extract, download, print and use - they all have instructions.

This isn't just a book, it's a system that I've honed across four pregnancies and 20 years of chronic illness. I hope it helps you.

Melissa