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

yes geekgrrl!! mine came on very very suddenly too! i was fine this time last week!

Sneaked on while no-one is looking. The Serum Bile Acid test is a definitive test - I'm pretty sure you'll have had the liver function test. They have probably kept repeating the liver function test, as that is what they used to monitor me once I was diagnosed, to ensure that the medication was working.

The other thing that can happen is that the body takes over and you go into labour early. That happened with someone else I know - she went into labour at 35 weeks.

So, have you got your bag packed?

I would be tempted to claim 'lack of kicks', especially if you're not getting much movement - at least that will get you monitored more often!

Have you phoned Jenny yet? I am not sure what hours she mans the phone.

Wow helenemjay! I think that maybe a lot of places are to cheapskate to pay for growth scans so they pretend that the problem doesn't exist.

logic-lol Same here, im 5ft2 and fairly small framed so all the professionals were convinced my baby would be no more than about 7.5-8lbs -what a joke! at least this time im being classed as high risk due to ds's size and will be given growth scans from 34 weeks!

At least they are taking your concerns seriously this time. The experience has put me off ever having any more kids that's for sure! You are very brave.

Was going to call earlier marybs, but at the moment i have my 5 year old and my 2 year old running around me with car noises and screaming and fighting etc etc... i would really like to talk to someone when i know i will have some peace and quiet to hear them! dp is home soon so i wil try her then! thankyou! (and i do have my bag packed only just though!) I have had the liver function test, but no serum bile acid test! the dr and midwives i have seen so far all seem to be very very vague about the condition and have said very little about what they propose to do about it, i know there isnt anything anyone can do to help really i just have to wait unitl next thursday! i just have abit of a bad feeling about things thats all.

I know logic! i thought they were joking when they first told me his weight, my dp was almost crying with laughter as im only 5ft 4 and size 8-10! i wish i had been more stubborn and demanded they check! i dont know where i put him either, i was still in my normal jeans when i was 30 weeks pregnant with him! (only just though!) xx

Helen,

I just don't think you should be waiting till next week thats all. Try and get to see a midwife, and call Jenny - don't worry about noise in the background, she'll be fine with it. PLEASE don't leave it till next week - a week is a LONG time when you're this close to giving birth!

I'll be thinking about you while I'm on holiday. If you're at ALL worried GET DOWN THAT HOSPITAL. Don't be fobbed off! Please, its NOT worth it!

HelenEmjay, did you call? how are you feeling today?

Hiya champs i did call that number and its a disconnected number now so i have emailed her instead! i called midwife at the ante-natal unit today just to try and get some more advice but all she can say is 'there's nothing else we can do right now! your blood tests are normal and you have an appointment to see your consultnant on thursday - what else can we do?'!!!! so im bloody fed-up with it all now! the itching hasnt got any worse except it had stopped on my hands and feet, but it seems to be returning on my feet again today, im trying to keep a positive mind though, i think these poor women who have lost babies have had this itching from around 26 weeks and it has obviously got so bad that it has ended in tragedy, where as i am 35 weeks and have only just got it (if it is OC) and so hopefully 2-3 weeks from now i should have delivered, so hopefully i wont have had it long enough to do any harm! sorry for the long moan, - im feeling a little pee'd off with all the useless Dr's and midwives around. xxxxxx

not moaning at all, in fact you seem to be trying to look on the positive side of things and as you say you are far along enuff that if baby had to be delivered now s/he would have a better chance than if all this had started much earlier.

is there any other reasons for the itching?

here's some tips i found to help relieve itching:
dissolve a cup of bicarbonate of soda in your bathwater.
Try dabbing calamine lotion onto itchy skin - especially soothing if you keep the bottle in the fridge. (use the oily one)
A few drops of lavender oil (in the last three months of pregnancy) and/or tea tree oil in your bath may also offer relief from itching, whether or not there is a rash. Tea tree oil has proven medicinal benefits; consult packaging and enclosed literature to find out more. If in any doubt, ask your pharmacist or a qualified aromatherapist.

Mint leaf bath:
1- Take a warm shower.
2- Clean your bath tub and fill it half with hot water.
3- Add one cup of (or more if you want to) dry mint leaves. Let it brew.
4- Add cold water to make the water warm and safe for the baby.
5- Stay in the mint-leaves-all-over-bath tub for 20-30 minutes.
6- Before getting out and taking a shower, rub your body with the mint leaves with the help of a sponge - especially itchy areas!- This helps you for about 4-6 hours. You might itch -just like a few mosquito bites here and there- but not all over! Repeat it as much as you need to.

Hope they help you.

As a bytheby, when i get really itchy I spray on some avene thermal eau spray, you can get it from boots, it helps but i dont know if it would help you maybe if you was in boots anyway you can try a tester.

Wow thanks champs! i will try ALL of those things! the mint bath sounds good! i am in my local shopping place tommorow so i will try that thermal eau spray too! - anything to relieve the itching! i have trawled the net trying to find out if there could be any other cause for the itching, but i cant seem to find much other than heat rash and something called PUPPPS which i dont have ANY of those symptoms. im just hoping thursday comes round really really quickly! thanks again champs - i really appreciate it xx

no probs.

HelenEmjay -- how are you today? have you tried any of the tips?

Hiya champs!! i tried the bath with the lavender and tea-tree! the smell was wonderful and it did help! it was alot better that evening and i plan on having another loooooooooooooong soak tonight ! i have done loads of reading about all kinds of pregnancy related itching - and so far none of them sound anything like what i have apart from this OC, the only thing that didnt make any sense was the fact that i did have a rash too, only a small one but still a rash, but i found a really good site that went into alot more detail about OC and you CAN get a rash with it, OC doesnt cause a rash but all the itching that comes with it can cause a rash! anyway i see the consultant thursday so fingers crossed i might get a sooner delivery date! i will enjoy my yummy baths in the meantime! - i REALLY love the smell of lavender at the moment, i never usually like it much, isnt pregnancy bizarre!!

hi!! you sound much more upbeat today. Glad the baths help some what. Pregnancy is indeed weird things i hated before are so nice now and vice-versa.

I am feeling abit better today although im not sure if its some kind of demented mental state my 5year old and my 2.5 year old are driving me nuts (literally)!! i think i lost the plot sometime at around 7am this morning and have done nothing but drink cups of tea and shout! they possibley think im somekind of devil-posessed mummy-look-a-like monster!! i blame that on being pregnant too! need something a bit stronger to drink than tea methinks! - its a good job i have run out of calamine lotion as i think i would be drinking that by now! [nervous twitch] xx

lol!! step away from the teapot