I’m Pregnant: How Will My IBS Behave?

It was such a surprise to learn that I was pregnant!  My husband and I welcomed the news with tears of joy, laughter, disbelief and excitement.  Wow, we are going to be parents.  What an amazing honor and wait, don’t we have a lot of baby prepping to do?

The growing list of questions

Then come the questions: Who will he/she look like?  Whose personality will he/she have?  Should we start baby proofing the house?  What stroller should we buy?  What pediatrician should we work with?  Is it too early to think about schools?  The questions and excitement are special to experience.  There is life growing inside my womb for the first time and we have never been more ready and anxious all at once!

Navigating pregnancy with Crohn’s and IBS

But after I swallowed the news and pondered about the beauty of this little life blooming inside of me, I wondered how my IBS and Crohn’s Disease will behave.

Since 2011, I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease and Irritable Bowel Syndrome and it has not been an easy journey.  Both diagnoses were severe and my symptoms were constant, unrelenting and painful.

Will symptoms worsen or improve?

But now I’m pregnant.  Will there be flaring up ahead for me?  Will my symptoms worsen?  I’ve heard from many pregnant women with Crohn’s Disease and IBS through support communities say that it tends to go one way or another: your symptoms improve or they worsen due to pregnancy hormones.

Being the optimistic person I am, I decided to roll with the positive option in my head.  I told myself that this pregnancy was going to go smoothly, and without any resurgence of CD or IBS symptoms.

Good news from my doctor

Sure enough my first doctor’s appointment arrived and my OBGYN sat me down to let me know that exact sentiment.  Thankfully, my doctor has had experience with patients that have CD and IBS and her experience showed the same results, that symptoms either improve or worsen.

So I am here offering a positive outlook for anyone thinking of getting pregnant or who is newly pregnant.  Every pregnancy is different and I can only speak for myself but I’m here to say that it is possible for your symptoms to improve because it’s happening to me.

A welcome change in symptoms

I have no urgency, constipation, abdominal pain, bleeding, diarrhea, mucous in stool.  Nothing.  Normally I have to wear a feminine pad because my urgency can be so unpredictable that I need a layer of protection in case I don’t make it to the restroom in time.  I don’t even have to wear those anymore.  Urgency has been non-existent.  I am also having consistent bowel movements that are healthy and I am even able to tolerate a broader range of foods. Granted I have been feeling pretty well for the past year or so when it comes to my CD and IBS symptoms, which could explain why I got pregnant.

Encouragement for fellow moms-to-be

So know that it is possible to have a positive pregnancy if you have CD or IBS.  You don’t have to automatically think that things will go downhill.  Take the days one at a time as they come.  Know that two things can be true at the same time, that symptoms can improve or worsen.  And although I can’t promise your experience will be the same as mine so far, I wanted to encourage you with a some positivity.

How about you?  How did your pregnancy go with IBS?  We love to hear from you, share below.