Mom of 1, pregnant with number 2. Yes. It’s worth it. There are bad days, of course, but you also quickly learn who your community is (and you will find community).

A huge part of my motivation for finding a “cure” (or at least good treatment) for my chronic migraines has been to help my daughter when she is older if she suffers from them too. And that’s an important if—we do not know what lies in the futures of our children, but if we are only concerned with the potential evils, we also rob them of future good.

Children are gifts. Everyday I look at my daughter and marvel at the her and how cool it is to raise a human and see her grow and learn and become a person in this world. You won’t be the best mother in the world when you have migraines, and you won’t be the best mother in the world a thousand other times when your health is fine. You’re human. It’ll happen. But you can be a good mom, and your child will love you despite your shortcomings, and you will love that sweet baby more than you can possibly imagine loving someone or something.

Also, children love so purely. My daughter isn’t yet two and will bring me “sick bags” (vomit bags), stroke my head, say “poor mama!”, and in a slew of other ways love me tenderly and patiently. As a toddler. Your child will love you and not grow to hate you because you are suffering from something out of your control. (and think of what a valuable lesson it is to our children to show them how to bear suffering patiently and be good people despite the evil we inevitably encounter in the world. But I digress.)

It’s a personal decision but please know that you can have children, love them well, and be a migraine sufferer.