Pregnant And Worried

[LindsayS]

I am so glad I came across this website. I am 16 weeks pregnant. I have never been officially diagnosed with celiac mainly because I don't have must faith in the medical community when it comes to food allergies and because I never really thought I had "celiac" until this pregnancy. I self diagnosed with obvious DH (skin rash), lethargy, fogginess, and severe mucus response with sore throat, headache, etc. I have been gluten-free (I say that mildly because I tend to cheat and pay for it) for a year and a half.

This is my second pregnancy. I first started noticing symptoms after the birth of my first daughter while fighting candida. I had thrush for months and had to completely change my diet. It was during this time that I realized my real problem was gluten.

Now that I am pregnant again, it seems as though I can't tolerate even the slightest bit of gluten. I have been more careful than usual because I have become very sick during this pregnancy due to eating it. I am on the right track now and committed to the lifestyle but I am still very worried about the baby. Could I have done irreversible harm? Is the baby not getting the nutrients it should be? Wondering if I should see some sort of specialist. I am taking a prenantal but haven't been consistent. Any advice would be appreciated.

[Skylark]

Hi and welcome! Women with celiac usually have perfectly healthy babies. The placenta is very aggressive about getting nutrients to your baby.

You might talk to your doctor about testing for B12, vitamin D, and iron as those are most commonly low. Obviously you need to be more consistent with the prenatal and if there are any deficiencies in the blood testing your obstetrician should be able to sort it out.

If you had obvious DH you are definitely celiac. I'm glad to hear you will be gluten-free now. It's much better for you.

[LindsayS]

Thank you Skylark- I will ask about the testing for vitamin levels. If they are ok, it will ease my mind. As far as the DH, I have had blistery, scaly, extrememly itchy bumps or almost hives on both legs for 3 years or so. It was so bad, I would scratch so hard at night and it would leave scars. I didn't even want to wear shorts or skirts in the summer. When I stopped eating gluten, it healed within a month. Eliminating gluten was such a drastic change for me. I just have to stay commited for myself and the baby.

[Skylark]

That's DH for sure! I hope you can get the testing easily and that things come back OK. I'm sure your baby is doing fine.