Trying to do research and having difficulty on the site.....I did a search, but it isn't turning up much. I now know why I am exhausted, but as this is my first pregnancy and I want as much info on what to expect with the baby and my crohns to keep us both healthy. Any input would help. Thank you!
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- Thread starter akpatti
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Congratulations! How far along are you? Is there anything in particular you want to know?
I am also pregnant with my first. I have been following as healthy a diet as I can with my Crohn's (and have found that I can eat more fibre etc while pregnant
), I take folic acid (5mg for first 13 weeks, then the regular 400mg) and vitamin D (kids' chewable 1 a day). Both these supplements were recommended by my midwife.
I have continued to take my medication as normal. I researched before trying to conceive and came to the conclusion that the meds were safer than risking a flare. I also had my vitamin levels etc checked before TTC.
My doctors' main concerns with pregnancy and Crohn's were a) previous abdominal surgery can affect birth choices and b) women with Crohn's are at higher risk of having a premature or low birth weight baby. So they decided that I should have a growth scan at 28 weeks in addition to the UK standard scans at 12 and 20 weeks.
I have found I have had to be a bit more proactive with my health care, things like my haemoglobin is at 11.1 which doesn't concern the doctors as the (during pregnancy) cut off is 11, but the midwife was happy to order a ferritin test for me when I specifically asked for it.
The good news is, if your Crohn's was in remission at conception you are likey to remain in remission throughout pregnancy. Bad news, you're more likely to flare after the birth.
I am also pregnant with my first. I have been following as healthy a diet as I can with my Crohn's (and have found that I can eat more fibre etc while pregnant
), I take folic acid (5mg for first 13 weeks, then the regular 400mg) and vitamin D (kids' chewable 1 a day). Both these supplements were recommended by my midwife.I have continued to take my medication as normal. I researched before trying to conceive and came to the conclusion that the meds were safer than risking a flare. I also had my vitamin levels etc checked before TTC.
My doctors' main concerns with pregnancy and Crohn's were a) previous abdominal surgery can affect birth choices and b) women with Crohn's are at higher risk of having a premature or low birth weight baby. So they decided that I should have a growth scan at 28 weeks in addition to the UK standard scans at 12 and 20 weeks.
I have found I have had to be a bit more proactive with my health care, things like my haemoglobin is at 11.1 which doesn't concern the doctors as the (during pregnancy) cut off is 11, but the midwife was happy to order a ferritin test for me when I specifically asked for it.
The good news is, if your Crohn's was in remission at conception you are likey to remain in remission throughout pregnancy. Bad news, you're more likely to flare after the birth.
I was not planning on this pregnancy, but everything happens for a reason I guess. I had a bowel resection in January and am healed from it, but no true remission yet. I am only 7 weeks along, so not due til next year. I am taking prenatal and am actually tolerating the iron for the first time in 14 years, so hopefully I can fight the anemia. My H&H tends to run low, so am thinking that I will have to do iron infusions. I am taking Imodium, but stopped taking Pentasa, was on 500 mg, two pills four times a day. I wasn't sure as when I read up on it a few years ago it can cause premature birth and spontaneous miscarriage. I just want to understand as much as I can to ensure I don't hurt the baby. I am worried about absorption of vitamins as well. I have plenty of checkups and appointments, but are there any specific questions I should be asking?
If you are worried about absorption of vitamins, I would ask your doctor to run a complete checkup on you to see if you are deficient in anything. This is more of a concern if it is small bowel disease you had as that is where nutrients are absorbed. With large bowel disease, dehydration is the main concern, and with perianal disease or fistulas it can affect birth. And as you have had bowel surgery, you will need to find out how that will affect the birth too.
If you're not taking any maintenance meds then I guess you need to have a plan in place just in case you do have a flare up while you are pregnant. Better to research the options now so if anything does happen you can get on top of it quickly without it affecting baby.
In the UK, midwives and doctors don't routinely weigh patients because sometimes people get too hung up on how much they weigh, and mother's weight gain doesn't necessarily correlate with baby's. But I found it reassuring to weigh myself every couple of months or so, and to measure my waist in the early weeks before I got a proper bump- I figure if I'm putting weight on then I must be absorbing OK and if my belly's growing then baby must be.
I don't think there are any specific questions you need to ask, but keep a pad and pen handy so if anything crops up you can make a note of it and remember ask your docs.
Oh, and just to warn you- you may need to play around with your Immodium dose, I found I was much looser in the early weeks but now I'm tending towards constipation, this is common in the last 1/3 of pregnancy as hormones slow your bowels and baby bouncing around in there doesn't help!
Good luck, and keep us updated as to how you're getting on
If you're not taking any maintenance meds then I guess you need to have a plan in place just in case you do have a flare up while you are pregnant. Better to research the options now so if anything does happen you can get on top of it quickly without it affecting baby.
In the UK, midwives and doctors don't routinely weigh patients because sometimes people get too hung up on how much they weigh, and mother's weight gain doesn't necessarily correlate with baby's. But I found it reassuring to weigh myself every couple of months or so, and to measure my waist in the early weeks before I got a proper bump- I figure if I'm putting weight on then I must be absorbing OK and if my belly's growing then baby must be.
I don't think there are any specific questions you need to ask, but keep a pad and pen handy so if anything crops up you can make a note of it and remember ask your docs.
Oh, and just to warn you- you may need to play around with your Immodium dose, I found I was much looser in the early weeks but now I'm tending towards constipation, this is common in the last 1/3 of pregnancy as hormones slow your bowels and baby bouncing around in there doesn't help!
Good luck, and keep us updated as to how you're getting on
