Celiac And Gluten Free For 4 Years And Now Pregnant

[stella1717]

I've been a diagnosed Celiac for 4 years now. I'm gluten free and have been very healthy for those four years. I'm 13 weeks pregnant and my gynecologist told me yesterday that most Celiacs have recurring symptoms when pregnant. Has anyone else experienced this? Nausea, constipation, diarrhea. This is the same way I felt while eating gluten. My diet has changed a bit. I am eating more in general and trying to get more calcium and protein which means more eggs, yogurt, cottage cheese which I usually don't eat. Any suggestions. thanks!

[kareng]

Pregnancy messes up everyone's digestion - it might be nausea, constipation, diarrhea, gas, heart burn, etc. Amazing what we women can deal with.

[Dugudugu]

I have a friend, while being pregnant, she was able to eat all, bread, regular pasta, dairy. I am still amazed...

[nvsmom]

Congratulations!  

 

I was undiagnosed while pg so I'm not sure if I would have felt better if I was gluten-free... I doubt I would have felt worse.  LOL Pregnancy was a fast way to lose weight in the first 4-5 months for me. Yuck. Diclectin helped a bit but made me incredibly drowsy.

 

Good luck,. I hope you find a diet that fits for you.

[Adalaide]

I was also undiagnosed while pregnant. I think that had nothing to do with the fact that the first time I was sick for 9 straight months, morning, noon and night. I lost enough weight to freak my doctor out before I started to gain. The second time I had heartburn so bad through the second half that I may as well have been drinking acid, I felt like my throat and chest were on fire. Symptoms such as those are not really a recurrence of celiac anything so much as normal for pregnancy. (Especially since these symptoms are reported by pretty much every pregnant woman in the history of the world.)

 

That said, I found pregnancy to be magical and amazing. Gratz, and enjoy!

[Coconutkris]

I've been a diagnosed Celiac for 4 years now. I'm gluten free and have been very healthy for those four years. I'm 13 weeks pregnant and my gynecologist told me yesterday that most Celiacs have recurring symptoms when pregnant. Has anyone else experienced this? Nausea, constipation, diarrhea. This is the same way I felt while eating gluten. My diet has changed a bit. I am eating more in general and trying to get more calcium and protein which means more eggs, yogurt, cottage cheese which I usually don't eat. Any suggestions. thanks!

I can't comment on the pregnancy part of the equation but if you are experiencing symptoms again and are eating more dairy and eggs than you usually do it could be due to the fact that those are both gluten-cross reactors.  Essentially the proteins in them are similar to the gluten protein and your body may be recognizing them as such....I'd suggest doing a quick google search of gluten cross-reactors..I know for me, as long as I am still eating those foods I am still experiencing symptoms..

[kareng]

I can't comment on the pregnancy part of the equation but if you are experiencing symptoms again and are eating more dairy and eggs than you usually do it could be due to the fact that those are both gluten-cross reactors.  Essentially the proteins in them are similar to the gluten protein and your body may be recognizing them as such....I'd suggest doing a quick google search of gluten cross-reactors..I know for me, as long as I am still eating those foods I am still experiencing symptoms..

Sorry but I must correct this cross- reactivity " theory". In fact, most of the foods on the list are so far from close to gluten, it makes little sense to me.

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What’s with all the talk about certain types of food causing “cross-reactivity?”

There is not yet reliable data about cross-reactivity. As for the alleged possibility that many gluten-free foods or drinks (such as coffee, milk, orange juice, etc.) would trigger symptoms in celiac individuals due to hidden antigens mimicking gluten or cross-reacting with anti-gluten antibodies, it must be clearly stated that this is all false information, devoid of any scientific basis, and must be rejected as untrue.

[cyclinglady]

Congratulations!  Sounds like typical pregnancy symptoms, but I wasn't diagnosed when I was pregnant.  

 

Now that I am diagnosed, I would seriously have a pre-meeting with the hospital's dietitian and the floor nurses to insure that they can handle your gluten free requirements.  Make sure they really get it.  That goes for anyone who plans on a hospital stay.   I was in the hospital a few months ago, and the Nuclear Department was not set up for gluten free (had to eat right after my testing).  

 

I recall going on a hospital pre-tour with a bunch of other pregnant ladies.  That would be the time to ask.  As always, pack some gluten-free snacks to take with you to the hospital!  Cook and freeze some gluten free meals/casseroles for those first few weeks at home.  You'll want to spend ALL your time with your new baby!