Coeliac and pregnant?

[CharlieD2020]

Hi everyone. I'm 24 weeks pregnant with my first baby, and I also have coeliac disease (was diagnosed 10 years ago).

At the 20 week scan, baby was measuring 15th percentile. I'm 5ft7 and husband is 6ft3, both of us were good sized babies. So that has been worrying me a bit, though sonographer wasn't concerned.

Anyway this morning I was on the Coeliac UK website and saw that coeliac mums are more likely to have low birth weight babies if their coeliac disease isn't being managed really well (I follow a strict gf diet so mine should be). I also read that I should have been taking 5mg of folic acid - but no one told me that! I've just taken the standard dose the whole way through.

I'm just wondering if any other coeliac pregnant mums are out here and how you are doing? Or any coeliac mums who have been through pregnancy. How was your baby's size? Should I be doing anything extra etc...

I've had little interaction with midwives due to Covid and am worried I'm missing important things.

Thanks x

Hello, fellow coeliac here - congratulations on your pregnancy! This is my second pregnancy and I haven't been told to take 5mg of folic acid in either pregnancy. My first baby was on the 90th percentile the whole way through the pregnancy but this baby is a lot smaller - perhaps due to coeliac perhaps to HG which I've had pretty badly.
I've followed a strict GF diet since diagnosis 13 years ago but am super fastidious about it when pregnant. The general view of my doctors in the first pregnancy was that if you follow a GF diet, being a coeliac should not affect your baby xx

Coeliac here too! I haven't been told to take any extra either! I'm 34 weeks now and seems to be measuring fine. As long as we're being strict and careful, I don't think there's anything to worry about. 😊

Hi fellow coeliac mamas @folkyfoxface and @MyBabyBoyBlue. Thanks for commenting. I'm glad your babies are doing well.

That's good to know. I am really strict with my gf diet and haven't had any symptoms of being glutened, so maybe baby is just petite... hopefully all is fine.

Interesting to hear neither of you were told to take a higher dose of folic acid either. Baby looked fine on 20 week scan (no sign of spina bifida etc) so presumably the dose of folic acid I have taken has been enough. But that did worry me a bit.

@CharlieD2020

Hi fellow coeliac mamas *@folkyfoxface and @MyBabyBoyBlue*. Thanks for commenting. I'm glad your babies are doing well.

That's good to know. I am really strict with my gf diet and haven't had any symptoms of being glutened, so maybe baby is just petite... hopefully all is fine.

Interesting to hear neither of you were told to take a higher dose of folic acid either. Baby looked fine on 20 week scan (no sign of spina bifida etc) so presumably the dose of folic acid I have taken has been enough. But that did worry me a bit.

I think coeliac is one of those things that doesn't really get discussed enough in regards to pregnancy. My midwife asked me if it meant I ate low carb. She's amazing with everything else, but there seems to be a big gap with that for some reason!

I'm part of a Facebook group for coeliacs (Coeliacs in the UK) and I've read women asking questions before in regards to healthy pregnancy, birth weight, etc. and the concencus seems to be that as long as you're gf and healthy then all should be well (and anything that isn't won't be coeliac related), if that eases your mind a bit. 😊

Your baby still has plenty of time to grow, so I wouldn't worry too much! My friend was told that her baby was measuring small in the third trimester - she arrived at something like 9lbs so I'm not sure if they were way off or the baby suddenly had a massive growth spurt in a few days. 😂

I wouldn't let it worry you. Some babies are just more petite than others I think, and unless the midwives and doctors are concerned, I don't think you need to be.

Congratulations by the way!