[clairesdog]

Hello! I'm a newbie to the forum, but found it whilst deperately searching for answers on google.I've had IBD for more than 10 years, and had it quite well under control with a small daily dose of immoduim, prescribed by my doctor.However I am currently 10 weeks pregnant, with my first child. It has been a very turbulent and emotional couple of weeks since we found out, it was not a planned pregnancy, and at 36 years of age and with my Fiance for 15 years, we never thought we'd have children. I am getting over the shock a bit now, and am looking forward to the birth of my child.I've also been treated in the past for minor anxiety, and have panic attacks, which thankfully I have managed to control, most of the time, I totally agree with everything I read on the Panic attacks/IBS thread.I have been told I should not take my immodium whilst pregnant, so have found all my diaorrhea attacks coming back, they are not constant, but it is the random nature I find upsetting, couple this with lots of appointments etc and I'm having a nightmare.Does anyone have any ideas of natural remedies, or medicines that would help...I don't intend to take it every day, just on occasions when I need to go to appointments and scans etc.. MY GP and my midwife were rather unsympathetic about the whole thing, and more or less told me to just put up with it....but next April is a long time to be having these attacks.I find usually I have to steer clear of fruit, and too much fibre actually makes things worse.

 

[Kathleen M.]

Will they let you take Calcium Supplements?A lot of people find Calcium Carbonate with Vitamin D supplements help control the diarrhea, but that is more an every day (one with each meal 300-600 mgs) rather than pop it just for an appointment.

 

[ziggy7]

heres some useful pregnacy & nurseing infohttp://www.westonaprice.org/childrens-health/311-diet-for-pregnant-and-nursing-mothers.htmlhttp://www.biblelife.org/babyfood.htmand heres good info about IBS =)http://www.biblelife.org/bowel.htmand i agree fiber can be very annoying. i only eat the lowest carb and lowest fiber vegetables.and as for dairy see if you can eat the most hard cheeses like feta cheese they have the lowest amounts of lactose sugars i think. so theres a chance you can eat them with no problems.also what are the foods you normally eat each week?and do you take any drugs or vitamins? i find most vitamins will give me problems. it's hard to find a good one.

 

[MommyL]

Oh I understand what you are going though with the IBS, anxiety..etc. I have went through two pregnancies with my IBS-D and have a 1 and 3 year old. With pregnancy, the IBS seems like it waxed and waned and was better for me the first trimester and last trimester (although the last 3 months with both kiddos I was at home on bedrest). The second was rough and my GI put me back on Elavil although I tried to be med-free as long as I could. I prefer to try more natural remedies first. Way to go with a midwife! You could try, like the others mentioned, calcium or probotic. Eat small and frequent meals, reduce or avoid any trigger foods you may have (ex: corn, soy, dairy, sugar, gluten). Herbs are tough in pregnancy because there are not many studies on the safety in pregnancy and many should be avoided. Other ideas would be relaxation, massage, CBT..hypnotherapy..etcI personally think medications should be avoided or limited the first trimester when the baby is developing and of course you should follow the advice of your GP/midwife, but Imodium is a pregnancy category B (A-X with A being the safest and X being don't use in pregnancy). You can check it out on Safefetus.com They have a lot of good information about medications and pregnancy and breastfeeding. Maybe if you are still have problems you could ask them again when you are in the second trimester. Sometimes no matter how much you try to relax..etc your IBS will just do what it wants and if you need some meds, don't be afraid to check again with your doctor. CONGRATS! Enjoy your pregnancy. http://www.safefetus.com/DrugDetail.asp?DrugId=888&TradeName=Imodium&TradeId=1184

 

[clairesdog]

Thanks so much everyone for the advice and the links. I have an appointmet for the 27th sept, to see my obstetrician and have my first bloods and dating scan done, by then I should be 12/13 weeks, so i will double check with them what can be taken etc.It seems to have settled a little this week, I am feeling much better in general, getting more fresh air and dog walks! I am sure it is becasue i have no appointments for the next 2 weeks, which again is the anxiety and IBS together!I currently take no meds or vitamins etc...just the folic acid which will finish in the next couple of weeks.

 

[Ails74]

Hi ClairesdogYour post resonated so much with me although I am not yet pregnant, we are currently trying to start a family. I am the same age, as you and have been with my now husband for 17 years. I too had my IBD-D relatively under control taking loperamide but knew that I couldn't take it if I got pregnant so I started experimenting with other options. Deep relaxation and stress management techniques do help, as well as the fresh air and dog walking!! BUT the single thing that has truly helped is taking a calcium supplement 3x per day, which is safe to take during pregnancy. (see posts by LNAPE on this forum). We can't get the brand she mentions in the UK but Holland and Barret do something similar, however, the most effective ones, for me anyway, are the Calcium 400mg by powerhealth http://www.powerhealth.co.uk Good luck with your pregancy and managing your symptoms.