Anyone else with Crohn's disease?

[Helzapoppin]

Hello

Also posted this in pregnancy in the hope that there is someone out there!

I've just found out I am pregnant with DC2 :) and just wanted a little handhold and reassurance as am feeling a little nervous. Must stop looking at medical journals online. It's scared me now!

DD1 is 22 months and thriving despite the fact that I took Azathioprine and a fair dose of steriod dirng pregnancy and breastfeeding.

I had an EMCS last time (not due to IBD) and am hoping for ELCS this time.

Hopefully all will be fine, as it was last time, but as I say, I'd love to know that I'm not the only one out there.

my auntie has crhons, shes had 4 kids, all pregnancys and births were absoloutly finee, natural , and without drugs!! im pregnant with my first, and shes been the one reassuring me about everything, even though i dont have crhons, good luck to you x

That's good to know. There was a lady who replied to me in pregnancy who also has 4 kids and all seemed fine for her too. Fingers crossed I'll be fine. More scared about the implications of the drugs on the baby than anything, but DD is thriving (although she was a little shrimp at birth)

Thanks for replying, much appreciated to hear a positive story :)

Hi Helzapoppin,

I'm a Crohnie and celebrated 24 weeks today :-)

My first one was born before Crohn's was diagnosed, so can not really tell you anything helpful re pregnancy with Crohn's..... And the symptoms have been quiet during this pregnancy, so at the moment I am not even taking anything. Knock-knock-knock on the wood.

Are you going to ask for an ELCS due to Crohn's? Or for more complex reasons, if you don't mind me asking? Not sure wich is best not just for the baby but for Crohn's too....

Anyway, best of luck!

ME! lol :) wellthey have never been clear whether I have chron's or ulcerative colitis which I find unusual but I take aziothiaprine and balsalazide. I found pregnancy cleared up my illness completely but it has hit me hard after the birth (it came back with a vengeance when my gorgeous little girl was 6 weeks). I remember my doctor telling me that the combination of medicine (the ones above) were the worst combination of medicines he had seen in a pregnant woman for 5 years and that he wasn't sure whether to go and suggest that I carried on with the pregnancy (I was 6 weeks and had had a massive flare up and was hospitalised 2 months before so was on huge quantities).

One of the best day of my life was when he rang to reassure me two days later that he had rung top doctors who had told them they were perfectly safe. To be honest if it wasn't for my IBD my lovely girl wouldn't be here as she wasn't planned and it was because I was taking the pill and it wasn't able to work as well as it could I became pregnant.

I am so thrilled to hear your baby is thriving :) I was induced at the end and had a 'natural'(hate that term) birth and it was great- no stiches nothing- I just wished I'd taken my medication as soon as I gave birth (I took myself of aziothiaprine when preg as my symptoms totally disappeared and I was still a bit dubious about it- it took a month for it to get prescribed again when my symptoms started though which by that time I was in the midst of a nasty flare up).

Little T was larger than average (length size) before she was born but my partner is 6ft3 and I'm 5ft7 so we were told that would be perfectly normal for us. She was born 10 days early at 7lb8. DON'T look at medical journals- I did at various intervals and never felt at ease after (the very reason why I was looking!) but spent time in tears each time! Without wanting to sound terrible (and it does) having chrons got me a fantastic consultant who looked after me every step of the way and scans on 4 week intervals- I felt like I was looked after extremely well because I have IBD instead of just seeing my dizzy midwife. The only drawback was her asking me about my bowels each time when my boyfriend was there (sexy lol).

Best of luck to you,NatalieD and mama923's aunty- I can't wait to hear some lovely news soon xxx

My mum had/has Crohns & was told never to have kids cos of it - this was in the 60s/70s, not because of passing it on but cos they thought her body wouldn't cope with it. I was an accident & everyone told her to get rid of me (even my nan - nice!). She said she actually felt really well when she was pregnant but didn't have any more kids. I was breastfed for 3months. She must have been taking all sorts of drugs as this was in the 70s. Hope all goes well.

Thats lovely to hear Elvisgirl - thank you xx

Thanks so much for your replies. It's so good to hear from some other people in similar positions and everyone seems to be doing well.

I'm 11 weeks now. I'm tired all the time and have a bit of nausea (felt fantastic last time, so that's a bit disappointing!).

I'm having ELCS for other reasons than the CD (previous EMCS, all a bit traumatic!). GP didn't know what to do about my drugs, so I told him to keep me on them as that's what my consultant suggested last time and he did.

Just wondering, but did anyone else have tiny babies. DD was only 5lbs 4oz at term, which is really small (I am guessing that may have been an effect of my drugs)- although she's fine and quite normal now and has always been really healthy.