Can some of you IBS mamas out there give me some advice? (No, I am not PG)
#298690 - 02/01/07 09:40 PM
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hohoyumyum
Reged: 05/28/03
Posts: 2263
Loc: SacTown, CA
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My husband and I have, however, decided to start trying for our first. We've been putting it off for so long, waiting to see how things are going to go and where we would be. We have decided on spending the rest of our days in the Sacramento area to be near to family and because we feel like we're at home here. I have a wonderful job that I can bring a child along to and my husband has a steady job with excellent insurance. We make just enough and we don't want to wait anymore.
So, to the advice part. I've been reading all kinds of material on how you should do things before you get pregnant (diet, exercise, vitamins...) but what I am hoping is that some of you can give me some insight on what worked/works for you regarding IBS and pregnancy symptoms and just general "things-I-wish-I-would-have-known" type stuff that isn't related to IBS. Thanks all. 
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If you're not dead, you've still got time.
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Congrats on making the leap! Let's see... with my IBS I avoided prenatals with iron in them because they cause constipation. Little did I know I became slightly anemic. I guess you can't win. I also had even more gas than normal (awesome, huh?). Other than that, I didn't find that pregnancy made my IBS better (which I guess it does for some people), but it didn't make it worse either. I did get really terrible reflux, even worse than normal. There was nothing to do for that other than to sleep sitting up.
What did I wish I knew about pregnancy in general? Well, I had a pretty tough pregnancy. I was physically ok, but the hormones caused me to experience some pretty major depression. I actually hated being pregnant, and I feel much better now that I'm not. I worried that because I hated pregnancy so much I was going to be a bad mom and not love my son, but that ended up being ridiculous. I loved him intensely right away (well, I didn't get to see him for the first 10 hours of his life, but I still loved him).
I also wish I knew that it's possible to be eating very well and exercising and gain a ton of weight. My body just conserved every single calorie, which was frustrating. They tried putting me on various diets, but no matter what I ate I still gained a LOT. I wasn't prepared for that.
I wish I had stuck with an OB/GYN. I switched to a midwife run birthing center because I didn't like my first OB/GYN but that ended up being a disaster. In retrospect I should have found an OB/GYN and hospital that supported natural childbirth but had the medical facilities at hand in case an emergency arose. That's a personal choice though.
Oh, and I bought a huge body pillow (HUGE- it's horseshoe shaped and surrounds you entirely). I wish I had bought that earlier. And gone swimming frequently. I went swimming the last week of my pregnancy and it was awesome. I wish I'd done it throughout.
No matter what I tell you though, really the most important thing is that everyone's pregnancy is different. There's no way to predict what you might experience. That's similar to labor, where you can make plans but it's a total crap shoot you have NO control over. Realizing that what I wanted and what my body would do were two separate things was really hard for me but it's the truth.
Good luck!!
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Congrats on trying! My experience is different from chinagirl. I loved being pregnant because my IBS was better in the 2nd and 3rd trimester. I could eat things that normally I couldn't like my mom's apple pie, real milk chocolate, pork, corn and some other things. I took my prenatals faithfully and I didn't really experience any more constipation than normal. I still took Acacia and that helped alot. Because I still didn't venture too far off the diet my weight gain was not that bad. With my first I gained 30 and with this one I gained 24. I also lost it all fairly soon afterwards. Breastfeeding has kept my stomach stable but now that I am not doing it anymore my stomach is back to it's yucky self!  The first trimester was the worse for me and I had 3 weeks of D and then C. Gas wasn't too bad but I did have more. I just blamed it on the baby!!  Overall I enjoyed being pregnant and like chinagirl said everyone is different!! Good luck!
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Hi there!
I want to start trying soon too, but I am in the middle of tests for my sphincter issues so it will have to wait till I know what happens with that. Plus I currently have an iron deficiency so I am trying to figure out how to get the iron level back up without messing with the bowels too much.
Anyway, from what I've heard from my PhD supervisor who is currently pregnant with her 3rd child the only thing you can do is really to do the general stuff to prepare like prenatals and stuff and then take the plunge trying not to expect anything really. Because not only does it vary from one woman to the next but also from one pregnancy to the next in the same woman. It can be completely different every time.
Good luck!
/Ulrika, IBS-D
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I wish there weren't so many variables in pregnancy! I think the unknown is what scares me the most. I am at that point in my life where it's time to make a decision about kids. I think I've decided that I'm going to give myself the summer to relax and try to get in shape and then start trying to conceive. Maybe we can go through this together!  Sometimes it scares the crap out of me and other times I find myself trolling websites for nursery ideas. I'm not generally an indecisive person so this is all a little new to me.
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IBS-A, with bloating and gas as my predominant symptoms
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I too am trying for #1. Unfortunately DH and I are already on the fertility treatment path. My focus right now is not on the details of pregnancy, but on making myself as healthy as possible. I figure that's the best thing I can do for me and for a baby. I am taking a chewable multi-vitamin. I don't tolerate vitamins very well, but I think since it's chewable my tummy is ok with it. And I take extra folic acid. That is very important. Other than that just eat a healthy diet, try to maintain a healthy weight, and try not to stress. There is also lots of good info on the web. I've looked through a lot :P
I start my 2nd round of fertility drugs on Tuesday. I'm crossing my fingers that they'll work this time.
One last thing...there can be a lot of waiting involved, so try to have stuff to keep you occupied and not think about it. Good luck.
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~Mary
Had surgery for rectal prolapse in Sept. '06 and feeling good now! Loving life with our IVF miracle #1.
 
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I wish you and your hubby success in your fertility treatments. Both my sister and cousin have gotten pregnant via IVF this year. I hope it doesn't run in the family. My cousin's took on the second try and she just gave birth to a healthy, beautiful little girl. My sister's worked on the first try and she's due in early September.
Good luck! Let us know how it goes.
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IBS-A, with bloating and gas as my predominant symptoms
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Thanks! We're not up to IVF yet. I'm just taking clomid to make me ovulate. Last month it didn't. This month I'll be taking a double dose. So we'll see!! I get an ultrasound on the 19th to see if I'm o'ing. If so, then we can give it a go!
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~Mary
Had surgery for rectal prolapse in Sept. '06 and feeling good now! Loving life with our IVF miracle #1.
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Re: Mary
#298717 - 02/02/07 09:39 AM
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michele
Reged: 06/02/03
Posts: 6886
Loc: southeastern michigan
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Good luck with the clomid this month!! Have you guys talked any more about having hubby checked??
I have decided to stop the mtx injections. It takes at least 60 days to clear your system. We are talking about trying again this spring. I am trying not to get my hopes up, for us, getting pregnant is only a small part of the battle!
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Taking it one day at a time.....
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Hi I loved being prego my ibs was not any differant the first trimester but the 2 and 3 was wonderful i could eat almost anything like pork and pizza and i craved coclate milkshakes and had one about 2 times a week. I say go for it me and my husband talking about trying for baby #2 The only thing I was I wish I would if done differant was worring! I worried so much but thats just me. I say just jump in and do it its better than in 10 or 15 years from now regretting it and wishing you would of! Good luck! Emmasmom
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