Jenny,

I got pregnant 10 months after having my 1st rib removed. Unfortunately, I also re-tore my ACL within the same week so I had injury related swelling combined with pregnancy water retention from the beginning.

My ob-gyn did not know about TOS nor why they would even remove a 1st rib. She asked about it and when I told her why the rib was removed, her comment was "well, you may need to wear wrist braces for most of the pregnancy". She said that pregnant women tend to experience carpal tunnel and similar nerve compression problems so you could have an increase in pain levels but it didn't happen to me (thankfully). As the pregnancy progressed and excluding the known knee problem, I felt better and better. I had an epidural and labor was quick but I did experience a return of the TOS symptoms - numbness, nerve pain, etc. within a day or two of delivery - so be prepared.

We hired in-house help for the 1st year and finally got him into a daycare facility when he was approaching one (there's a two year wait lists for most good daycares around here so sign up early rather than later). He's doing great and will be three years old in August. You will need lots of help afterwards. I recommend having daycare as you will be able to spend quality time with the baby rather than trying to care for the baby around the clock and suffering for it.

Baby items:
Stroller - you will want an easy to push stroller that doesn't add stress to the shoulder/TOS region. We were given one stroller that I used for not even 10 minutes one day that sent me over the hill for several days. We purchased a jogging stroller that I could push one handed and manuever through obstacles.

Crib - There are cribs that can be managed using one arm. They cost more $ but worth it.

I have vascular TOS on the other side and had shoulder surgery 4 weeks ago hoping that the vascular symptoms subside a bit. So, I'm well versed at having to adapt to limiting my arm usage and positions to not experience a flare in symptoms while taking care of a baby who's now a toddler and running and jumping and . . . .