The Whole 9 Months
INTRODUCTION: This is the PART THREE in a series of blog posts about my pregnancy and birth experience with a j-pouch. Please keep in mind that I’m not a healthcare professional (read my disclaimer for details). I cannot advise you on your medical care. I only write these blog posts to share my own experience and show that you can have a successful pregnancy and childbirth with a j-pouch. Please consult your healthcare team to find out if a natural childbirth is safe for you. Then get a second or third opinion! Do your research. NEED RESOURCES? ASK ME! I’m a firm believer in women being allowed to choose how they want their pregnancy and childbirth to go. If you’re in good health, then I don’t see any reason why you cannot give birth naturally and using the healthcare team that best suits you.
Overall, I Felt Good
In this post, I’m going to go over the pregnancy as a whole. Over all, and looking back on things, pregnancy was not as scary as I thought it would be. I had all the common complaints: nausea, morning sickness, occasional headaches, sleepless nights of a very active baby, overheating, mood swings, swollen everything, and at the end achy joints. I also found myself exhausted all the time. I know this is a common pregnancy complaint, but I can’t say if it was worse than average because of ulcerative colitis or not.
The J-Pouch was NOT Amused
My j-pouch was definitely NOT a fan of pregnancy. And while I NORMALLY go to the bathroom 1-3 times a day, I was going upwards of 8 times a day. Annoying, but nothing I couldn’t handle. I keep a stash of Calmoseptine, so I was well-prepared for everything the j-pouch could dish out.
Months 1-3+
So, the first two weeks of my pregnancy, I barely noticed a thing. I did feel like my body was “different.” But I couldn’t put my finger on it. I started feeling a dull ache in my abdomen. I kept thinking it was just pre-menstrual cramps, but after three days of nothing happening, I took a pregnancy test. A few days later, I was hit with the dreaded morning (read: all-day) sickness. I started feeling completely exhausted, too. I didn’t get out of bed much the first three months and my house was a disaster zone. I could also really forget about an appetite. Every strong smell made me sick to my stomach. Even things that I used to find appetizing would send me running to the toilet.
Months 4-6
The second trimester wasn’t nearly as bad as far as the morning sickness, but I was tired a lot (save for when bouts of nesting took over). My j-pouch acted up a lot and I needed a LOT of Calmoseptine to get me through the day. Butt burn is no joke. My hunger also increased and I was eating so much food! I craved a lot of tomato sandwiches. Nesting also increased which gave me insane bursts of energy and an unhealthy need to clean every last inch of my house. I threw out a whole lot of things and scrubbed things I never gave a second thought before. I felt like I had the kind of energy I had before I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis!
Months 6-9
During the last trimester, I had a lot of aches and pains. The baby was pressing on all kinds of nerves and she was always VERY active. It drove me crazy. The bathroom visits increased as well and I got winded and overheated (thanks deep south!) very quickly. By week 35, I was ready for baby to get a move on already! I also hated pants and most forms of clothing–this surprised me! Despite the fact that I was exhausted, I tried to walk once a day.
Emotions
Something else that surprised me was the fact that I wasn’t overly emotional. I had my moments (Like the time I projectile vomited all over the floor with virtually no warning. Or the weak moments where I felt very self-conscious thanks to the big, scarred belly!), but overall, I felt pretty even-tempered.
Potential Hurdles
The potential hurdles I had to face were all the basic ones that any normal pregnant lady could expect (gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, low blood pressure, hemorrhoids, etc.). Thankfully every test came back normal. I took extra prenatal vitamins and drank more water than normal to make up for the fact that I don’t have a colon.
End Result?
The great news is that I had ZERO complications during my whole pregnancy. Let me tell you, though… there were so many scares. When you live with a chronic illness, you come to expect the worst and the PTSD is very, very real. In my next blog post, I’ll tell you all about how labor began!!! Take care and keep fighting!
