Today I am gonna talk about another pregnancy problem which is very common in twin pregnancies and serious one. My pregnancy cholestasis story. Everything seems fine until about 10 days ago when I start to itching like a crazy person. Everybody was saying last trimester you kind of go back to the first trimester faze in terms of health issues and changes you are having in emotional ways.
Yes, They are right. Whenever you started your third trimester you started to feel real deal. Mine started with my chest pain which is related to my rib cage is getting large so I have this very annoying pain when I sneeze or coughing. Then I started to eat ice. Yes, like chips I started to eat them like crazy. First I didn’t care but then curious why all of a sudden I crave ice. I google it and boom probably I have iron deficiency.
So I talked to my doctor and she immediately gave me iron supplement on top of my regular prenatal vitamins. After 2-3 days later I started to itching. Even though it wasn’t anything like an allergy (I have always red rashes if I have the allergy for something.) I thought I maybe have an allergy for iron pills that my doctor gave me. So I stop using them for 2-3 days but itching goes nowhere anytime soon. Finally, I decided to check this time in my own language ( I thought I may not fully understand what people are saying in English on the internet so I checked in Turkish) Voila! My pregnancy cholestasis story is starting. Yet another annoying problem. I read this sudden itching at the last trimester probably caused by a liver disease.
I got the appointment first thing the next day and saw my doctor. She told me everything I described looks like Pregnancy Cholestasis. She didn’t want to see my blood test result she wanted to start medication right away since this medication cause no problem to the babies. There is no time to lose.
My biggest struggle is about having twins that they already have to born earlier than regular babies which are around 37 weeks. And now since I have this dysfunction I might have to deliver them in my 34th or 35th week. ( Can you imagine I can give birth in next 10 days, Geez!) But my doctor is hopeful to push the date 36th week if babies are doing ok.
How do I deal with My Pregnancy Cholestasis?
I know this is the biggest question above all. My itching didn’t pass until recently. I feel way better last 2 days, still itching though. Even though I started to use my medication almost 10 days ago, It just gets better. I don’t think medication helps you by itself. You also need to take control of your comfort and things you consume.
I stop eating salt and oily foods. Since liver can’t pass through extra of these things to your bile, your blood gets all the extra unwanted thing like salt etc. I was like “It gonna be ok if I only put a pinch of salt to my eggs in the morning”. No, It’s not! You should cut right away. Same thing for oily foods. I started to eat thing like salad mostly.
Second, the first thing I did was an oatmeal bath. It doesn’t work for me that much. Instead, I keep washing my arms and legs with cold water in the middle of the night without wiping them go to bed. That helps you at least 15-20 min. If you are exhausted and have too much sleep you might get lucky and sleep in that 15-20 min, the cold water gives.
Thirdly, keep your AC working. The cool air makes me much better. I don’t how are you gonna cope with it if you are a winter pregnant.
Last and very efficient one. Whenever I focus on something I don’t itch. I don’t know maybe I ich but I am not really aware of it. Writing on my blog or putting things together at home etc kind of make me forget about my misery.
It’s not Your Fault It’s just the Way It Is
I know It’s terrible and probably the most annoying symptoms in whole pregnancy (not sure my morning sickness was also horrible) but don’t blame you or your body. I was so close to doing that. Because every day I take a medicine for my thyroid problem, a prenatal vitamin, iron support until recently a pill for nausea, 3 pills for cholestasis and sometimes I have to take a stool softener. These many medicines make you think Am I not capable of having baby properly?
How do I stop blaming myself? I talked to my brother in law who is a medical doctor as well. In this last problem I have, he told me that this is a very mechanic thing. Because my babies get bigger and they are two people inside they have to block the way between liver and bile, this nothing to do with me. The way he explains to me makes me It’s OK. Just another obstacle that I and my babies have to overcome together. We already bond because of things happening to us before we officially meet.
Please share your pregnancy cholestasis story with me. You feel better whenever talk about these issues so please leave a comment.
