Jamie-Lynn Sigler is opening up about how her multiple sclerosis (MS) battle played a role in her decision not to have a third baby with husband Cutter Dykstra.
Sigler, 44, answered a fan’s question about what it’s like to be pregnant with MS during the Tuesday, December 30, episode of her and Christina Applegate’s “MeSsy” podcast.
“I can tell you, having been a mom of young kids [while having] MS, I see your pain and your struggle. It is very difficult,” she told the listener. “Setting boundaries, asking for help, getting support, advocating for yourself, these things take time.”
Sigler added that she “felt a bit of remission” during her first pregnancy with son Beau, 12, but “not so much” during her pregnancy with son Jack, 7.
The actress’ MS battle led her and Dykstra, 36, to decide not to expand their family any further.
“Cutter and I really decided fully not to have another child because I just knew at that point with my MS that I wouldn’t be able to take care of the baby independently, the way I wanted to, and the way I was able to with my boys,” she explained.
However, Sigler told the fan that this was only her family’s decision and that every family is different.
“You have your hands full, it sounds, with 2-year-old boys and three kids. But I don’t think you should ever let MS stop you from big things like that,” she said. “Like, if you have the calling of wanting another child, you’ll figure out a way. One thing I think MS gives you is the ability to adjust and figure out another way. And I have faith that you will.”
Sigler concluded by telling the listener, “So sorry you’re going through this. And asking for help and advocating for yourself doesn’t make you weak. Just remember that.”
The Sopranos alum previously opened up about the misconceptions surrounding MS and pregnancy in a 2022 interview with People, calling her pregnancy with Beau a “glorious time.”
“You can absolutely carry and you can absolutely have a very healthy pregnancy, healthy delivery,” she told the outlet. “And in fact, a lot of people feel better during pregnancy. And during my first pregnancy, that was the case.”
Sigler was diagnosed with MS when she was 20 years old, but she waited 15 years to go public with her illness in 2016.
“It was probably the most surreal moment of my life,” Sigler recalled of learning about her diagnosis in a 2019 Shondaland essay. “I knew nothing about the disease, to be honest. I fortunately had a doctor who told me right away that as long as I stayed on treatment, there was no reason I couldn’t live a full life.”
While discussing her diagnosis on Fox News in 2016, Sigler said she found it “really empowering” to reveal her battle to the world.
“[It] allowed me a new platform and a great sense of responsibility I feel now to the MS community,” she explained. “I think a lot of the time when people are dealing with any chronic illness you can feel very isolated, you can feel alone, you feel like people don’t understand. I wanted to be somebody that says, ‘I get it, I feel you, I hear you, I go through what you go through, and I understand.’”
