Any advice for IBS and pregnancy?
Hi all. I've been dealing with IBS for 5 years now and I kinda managed to control it. Reduced stress, exercise, lots of activities that make me happy and it was amazing. And I got pregnant. Another amazing thing that I got when I reduced stress. I am in early pregnancy, third month, but my IBS is sooooo bad now, I don't know what to do. Pregnancy nausea was enough, but this is whole new level of feeling nauseated. Is there anything I could do to feel better? I know hormones are now crazy, and my body is going through bunch of changes, but it is getting to hard to manage. Also my stress levels are really low, I eat even healthier than before pregnancy. Also I often have that feeling in chest when anxiety kicks in, but in my mind I am calm. Honestly, I am soo confused right now and desperate.
Ugh, I wish I could offer advice but I am not a doctor and I have no clue how to help you with this issue being that you are pregnant! I will say however, that I would suggest seeing a Naturopathic Medical Doctor or some sort of Holistic specialist. I started seeing a NMD in addition to my GI and found it to be the best thing I did for myself health wise. My NMD looked at my body from a whole and started treating me based on root causes. Maybe something to look into? Hugs, Elizabeth (team member)
thank you so much for advice. I will look into that (not sure if and where I can find that kind of doctor, I should do some research). No problem! Just google it. There should be one in your area or even if there is one an hour away it is worth the trip. Of course, make sure they have good reviews and are reputable. I actually drive 3.5 hours to see my NMD. -Elizabeth (team member)
Hi
and congratulations on your pregnancy! I FEEL you. I have had 2 babies in the past 3 years and the first trimester was horrendous every time. In my experience, the only thing you can do is be careful with what you eat (sometimes, my nausea was so bad and the only thing I could stomach was a trigger food, which then sent me straight into a flare) and most of all, rest and be patient with yourself. In my first pregnancy, I had terrible IBS flares in my first trimester and then felt amazing for the next 6 months. In my second pregnancy, I didn't feel all that great but my IBS has significantly improved postpartum.. so there's hope! Hormones are wild and sometimes you just have to ride it out. It will get better.
Also, since you mention that you feel anxious but your mind is calm - are you eating enough? This happens to me when I don't eat enough, especially in the morning.
Here's an article that might help as well: https://irritablebowelsyndrome.net/food/pregnancy-nutrition-fodmap.
Wishing you all the best, Karina (team member)Thank you very much Karina. It is wiiild, one day I am awesome, IBS is not bothering at all, and then next day I can't get up from bed because it exhausts me so much. I am happy to hear that it can get better, maybe I will be lucky to feel amazing later in pregnancy. I don't eat much of regular food, just a bit for breakfast and lunch because I can't stand most of the food at the moment, but I can't get enough of citrus fruit. I feel like I worry but I am not aware of it because it is a bit risky pregnancy, so maybe that is where my anxiety comes from. I just don't notice that I am thinking about something. I just hope it will get better after first trimester because it would be too hard to have this for 9 months.
fortunately I work from home, I have no idea how wolud I go outside for work when feeling like this. But I kinda have feeling that my bad pregnancy days are from IBS because it feel like IBS flare, and when that stops, I am just a bit nauseated and I have standard pregnancy symptoms. And it I annoying because seems like I would enjoy my pregnancy if it weren't for IBS 🤔 Working from home is really great when you're not feeling well! I also wouldn't have made it otherwise, I was basically working from my bed for months... That's very frustrating that it comes from IBS and makes you feel like you can't enjoy your pregnancy. 🙁 I really hope that it gets better as times goes on. Wishing you all the best, Karina (team member)
