Can i request early delivery?

[HelenEmjay]

I have had a few blood test now to try and confirm wether or not i have obstetric cholestasis, although the relevant levels are slightly raised they arent enough to warrant any serious concern - as the Dr put it! but i have very bad itching all over my body and especially so on palms and soles - which im told is a very sure indication of OC, my mum lost her 3rd baby possibly to this condition (many many years ago) and so we are feeling a little worried to say the least! i have been warned by a few people that have been in this situation that although they realsie it can be serious, very few Dr's/consultants actually take it seriously, and i have been in touch with one or two women over the net that have lost one or even more babies to this! im aware this is quite rare, but obvioulsy any risk is a worry! im 35 weeks and its my third baby, im due to have an elective c-section although i havent been given a date yet im due to see my consultant next thursday (25th aug) to get a date, what are the chances i could arrange to have my c-section booked earlier than the usual 39 weeks, as the longer baby is inside if you have OC the more chance there is of stillbirth occuring! i hope i have made some sense? my brain is like scrambled egg at the moment! Any info/advice would be great!
Helen xxxxx

dunno if this helps but mums in the US womens clinic where I worked w/obstetric cholestasis were delivered at 37 weeks.

consultant told me that there are repercussions on breathing and lungs for the baby the earlier they are delivered, and this is especially relevant for c-sections

we had c-section, and were given stats on this problem for deliveries at 37, 38 and 39 weeks - so, we chose 39 weeks as it was the best odds

can you discuss with you consultant next week all your concerns - he / she might be sympathetic

i dont think that delivery at 37 weeks would make much difference to the baby, after all 37 weeks is considered full term

expatinscotland - i expect they will deliver me at 37 weeks if any blood tests show that i do have OC, but they dont as yet, and im told its quite common for blood tests to not to always show OC, sometimes not until its too late!
Koalabear - i would rather deliver as late as i can for baby's sake, the problems that may arise from baby being born too soon and having breathing difficulties is something i would do ANYTHING to avoid, but i also dont want to wait as long as possible for that reason, and then end up with a stillbirth, which may sound a little OTT but the more people i have spoken to about OC and some women who have lost babies and have aslo had normal blood test results when obviously they DID have OC, worries me greatly! i would rather have a baby with some breathing difficulties, then a dead one (sorry to sound so blunt) i will discuss this with consltnt next week, but wandered if he would consider delivering even 38 weeks? i know it may sound abit silly but im terrified i will loose this baby like those other poor women!

Busyalexsmummy - thats what im hoping! xx

TO put this bluntly - don't take any shit from the Drs. If there is ANY chance of you having OC they should be taking this more seriously - like monitoring you EVERY day - they should NOT be leaving things for a week!

A friend of my mother's lost 5 babies - to now what appears to be OC, although they didn't know about things at the time.

Its not as rare as you think either - I used to work with a woman who had it, we had it virtually the same time!

PLEASE PLEASE DONT LEAVE IT TILL NEXT WEEK! If the Dr won't take you seriously, badger the midwife, ask to see another Dr, ask the hospital.

If you don't get enough kicks, go into the hospital and be scanned. My hospital, Peterborough hospital took it VERY seriously!

I don't want to worry you, it may not be OC, but they are not taking this seriously. You can have a steroid injection to improve lungs. Mine were born at 37 and 36 weeks respectively.

I had 2 babbies at 37 weeks (spontaneous early arrival) and neither were considered premature. They were both the same weight as ds2 (3rd baby) so fine in that respect as well. Hope you get the early delivery if thats what you want.

Oh, and Jenny, who runs the helpline, lost 2 babies to OC, which is why she set up the helpline in the first place!

Thanks MaryBS! i do feel like im the only one taking this seriously to be honest! the GP i saw the other day just smiled and said 'oh well, what do you want to do about it? - do you want me to write a prescription for some cream?' im no DR but even i know thats any severe itching should be taken seriously! i do still have regular movements but they are less frequent, i was monitired the other day, and they said baby seemed perfectly happy! but as someone has said that doesnt mean anything as far as OC is concerned, they sent me some info and highlighted this: "Since the cause of death of the fetus is regarded as a sudden event, problems are often detected only when it is too late, even with vigilant monitoring". How the hell do i get someone to take this seriously? I have tried to get an appointment with my midwife and she's only gone on holiday! and apparently her replacement is only in this afternoon today only and is already fully booked, so i have no choice but to wait! i feel like im banging my head against a wall!

i would request a c/s earlier if i were you. Im sure you wont get one before 37 weeks but you woujldnt want it that early anyway. Plump for 38 weeks and speak firmly to the consultant and ask his/her opinion on why you SHOULDNT have it then. I had mine at 37 weeks because he was big, and a woman I knew had hers about 2 weeks earlier because "she wanted to know when she was having it" so she could arrange childcare for her other child. she was paying though - but worthy of a mention

Thanks jampots! im going to be very firm with this consultant, i just wish i could see him sooner! a week seems like such a long time right now! i cant stop thinking have i got it and if so when will it be detected - hopefully not when its too late! or do i just have some bizarre itching condition, but my sister who is a nurse, and my mum who is a retired nurse agree that the itching i have has very little or no rash and is worse on my hands and feet (although that seems to be better today) and i also have it on my face and ears!!! they cant imagine what else it is!
MaryBS - where do i find this helpline? i tried the web address you sent on the other thread but it didnt work. xxxxx

The phone no is 0121 353 0699

PLEASE don't wait till 38 weeks. You can ask to see a midwife at the hospital, they should see you same day if OC is suspected. PLEASE call Jenny NOW!!! She is really good at advising how to handle this. They may decide to give you an early c/s given that you are suspect OC.

I'm at work at the moment so can't check this again till this evening, but if you want to talk tonight, email me your phone number to [email protected].

As I said I'm on holiday tomorrow evening onwards

Here's Jenny's story:
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2385637.stm

I think that you should trust your instincts. I kept telling my drs and midwives that my dd was too big and they kept saying no,no she's fine. Obviously, I believed them because they are the experts but guess what? She was way too big for me, tore me very, very badly and I am still in a lot of pain 3 months later. I really regret not putting my foot down. I think it's better to feel that you have done everything you could. Wish you lots of luck...

logic-how big was your dd?

sory-just being nosey as ds was 8lb 13 1/2oz but 16 days late, and now expecting number 2 in nov and hoping its not going to be much bigger

Thanks MaryBS, that poor lady how sad! i will call that number right now and see what info i can get! im not sure what i can do now though, i fear i am going to have to wait until i see the consultant next week! i will be just 36 weeks by then, i will do my best to make him agree to an early as possible delivery, fingers crossed!
xxx

agree with others, trust your gut instinct but try not to be too stressed, I know that may sound stupid and i would be very stressed but it will make you feel worse. I know the midwife was full but if you explained your situation would she see you at the end of her appts or even if there is any cancelations?

Did the hosp/ gp give you a kick chart?

please give the helpline a call, they'll be able to give you advice and the right things to say to docs.

cant believe doc asked you what you want to do about it?!

I know champs! i was so annoyed! i just said to her who's the GP here? you are right though, i should try not to worry about it so much as at the moment im the most bad tempered misery i know! my poor dp thinks im a wreck! I have tried to see if the midwife will see me later on today but the receptionist just says if its a real emergency i should go to the hospital, which i have done earlier this week and all they do is take some blood and then call me back saying the results came back ok! Grrrrrr!!! i havent been given a kick chart and when i asked i got told they dont bother with them anymore!??? Im beggining to think no-one knows what the hell they are doing!

hmmm it can feel like that at times can't it. It makes me so angry at times and then makes me so suspicious of medical staff.
deff discuss all your worries with your consultant.
Also dont feel silly for your feelings it is perfectly natural to worry for your unborn child, even when everything is going fine much less when things are looking worrying.

Thanks champs! - its good to now that maybe im not cracking up! i may only have a few weeks left but it feels like those few weeks may seem longer than the whole pregnancy itself!
xx

HelenEmjay, could you phone your consultant's secretary and leave a message? It sounds like you need to do everything possible to get an immediate appointment with someone useful.
I've got a friend who had OC - her daughter is fine but it sounds very scary. My friend was immediately admitted and induced, at 36 weeks I think.

really geekgrrl?? did your friend have blood test that showed she had it? as yet they havent managed to get a blood test showing anything abnormal for me!

i'm not sure about the blood test, helen - I know she had the dreadful itching though, it happened all of a sudden apparently.

busyalexmummy, she was 8 lbs 11 1/2 oz and 7 days late. Problem was, my first baby was 7 lb 2 1/2 oz at 7 days late and I am not a very big person so nobody was expecting her to be that size!

Logic - i kept trying to tell my midwife with my first baby that he felt HUGE and because he was my first, she just made light of it (which i suppose i can understand to a certain extent) and my son was born 1 day after his due date weighing 9lb 14oz!!