Obstetric Cholestasis

[YummyMummy1208]

I put up a post yesterday about my severe itching on my belly only, i went to see midwife who sent me to the docs- he took bloods and now im panicking incase its obstetric cholestasis.

Wanted to hear from those who have had it/known someone who had it - can it just start with itching on the belly as i havent really got much elsewhere - one of my feet has become quite itchy in the last week thinking about it but not the palms of my hands.

I just have a huge red blotchy rash all over my bump which is infuriatingly itchy and worse at night meaning i cant sleep properly at all right now.

Have to wait for results on Monday but wanted to hear some stories from personal experiences?

On a more positive note I had this in my last pregnancy and it was not OC, they tested for it, it was just my skin irrated by stretching and scratching. I used that stuff they give you for chicken pox, can't remember it's orange it helped.

Oh good so hopefully its not OC but less hopefully this means ill have to suffer this for the next 10 weeks. :( its driving me mad, i want to just walk around with my belly out but cant because of being at work.

They gave me Eurax cream but to be honest baby lotion is working better so have slapped some more of that on. I honestly dont know how im going to sleep tonight as its getting worse as the days go on and right now its driving me nuts!

if it is just down to stretching i cant understand y it would occur in my second pregnancy and not the first as iv already stretched once, surely this time my skin should take to it easier!?

Even if it is OC, it won't harm you or the baby - its just uncomfortable. OC usually itches most on the hands and feet, so since its on your belly its much more likely to be the effects of the skin stretching than OC.

My last pregnancy was my 3rd, hadn't had it before.

But there is a small chance the baby will be stillborn and aparently in 33% of cases the baby shows sign of distress towards the end- these are the figures iv got from reading up about it online, which is probably why i am worrying myself so much!

Why are you worrying about it when you don't even know if that is it yet? Lots of bloods are taken in pregnancy to rule stuff out

They have to test to rule it out. I had this in my 3rd pregnancy and it was just stretching and irritation from scratching, don't google it, especially as it's not certain you have it yet.

Its not dangerous - the risk of stillbirth was discounted following a review of all the evidence in 2006. What ever you are reading is out of date and inaccurate. I don't want to be unsympathetic but you are just being silly!! You don't even have the symptoms of it (itching all over and particularly hands and feet, and NOT itching confined to bump, which most of us pregnant women get from time to time), so there is no reason to think you have it, and even if you do have it, there is no evidence that it is dangerous!! Are you just looking for things to panic about?

If you could see the state of my belly you would understand - its not just itching, ive had that for a good few weeks which i presumed was just normal but now my belly looks dreadfull - red blotches all over which are almost joining up together there are that many, particularly on the top and sides of the bump. the blotches are also raised most of the time. and this isnt down to scratching as i have managed to not scratch all day and they just stay there looking very angry.

Im worrying i might have it, not about what will happen once i have it, just wanted to hear from people who have had similar symptoms so i can prepare myself-whatever the result- for Monday.

Every website - even the one the doctor himself used - says there is a teeny chance of stillbirth altho im not worrying this far as im sure that would never happen, so there must be some truth in it surely? Altho i would like to believe there isnt like you say!

There are two types of pregnancy itching< one is OC which is characterised by itching soles of the feet and palms of the hands.
There other is Puritas Gravitas or something similar sounding which is just insane itchiness usually around the bump.

One is caused by bile acids and liver salts rocketing ad is not all that common (i was the only one at my hosp for some time with levels as high as i had), one is caused by hormones and is very very common.

The bloods will be to rule out OC as further treatment is needed for that.