Pregnancy With Celiac

[milly90]

I have had the disease for almost 10 years now and just found out a little over 2 months ago that i am pregnant. i just turned 21. i was having the normal symptoms of pregnancy and then all of a sudden my body just was in a lot of pain. my sides feels like someone is gripping and holding onto them tightly, my ribs and underneath on my right side has sharp pains and sometimes feels like there is alot of pressure. i get dizzy, blurry vision, i see spots and have severe headaches. i have to force myself daily to get out of bed and just have been starting to feel like i dont want to be pregnant anymore just because of the pain. i have to walk about 3 miles everyday for the bus so i can get to worksource since i am required to attend unless if i have a doctors note saying that i cant. everyday the pain gets worse and i feel even more tired. it has come to the point where i can barely even think enough to read. and soemtimes i will be hungry and i feel too tired to even walk 5 feet to make me food. is this normal for being pregnant with celiac disease. and are there any information you could give me that would help me, because i am on the verge of feeling like i am dying and i dont like the feeling.

[tarnalberry]

you MUST get to a doctor - some of what you are describing are signs of an ectopic pregnancy, a life-threatening condition. if you don't have a regular doc, go to urgent care, or the ER if you have to. (this is not the sort of thing that you say "but I don't have insurance" and ignore. this is not about just losing your baby, but about losing your life.)

well-managed celiac disease doesn't cause any pregnancy complications.

[Lisa]

you MUST get to a doctor - some of what you are describing are signs of an ectopic pregnancy, a life-threatening condition. if you don't have a regular doc, go to urgent care, or the ER if you have to. (this is not the sort of thing that you say "but I don't have insurance" and ignore. this is not about just losing your baby, but about losing your life.)

well-managed celiac disease doesn't cause any pregnancy complications.

YES! I must agree. Urgent care asap for you, young lady!

[kareng]

This is no where near normal! It is life threatening to you, not just the baby! You must call an ambulance now! The hospital will work with Medicaid to get paid. Public hospitals have money set aside for pregnancy emergencies!

[milly90]

Well i went to my midwife today and she said that i am fine and the pregnancy is fine. she didnt seem to know what she was talking about. just said its not signs of pregnancy. what is an ectopic pregnancy?

[psawyer]

An ectopic pregnancy is when the fetus is growing in the Fallopian tube instead of the uterus. As the three previous responders (all of whom are mothers) have indicated, it is life-threatening to the mother. Your midwife seems uninformed. Please, get to an urgent care or ER TONIGHT!

[kareng]

I think you are probably 3 1/2 to 4 months? I'm going to be blunt.

Probably not ectopic but if you are dizzy, & in that much pain... There are a lot of really awful things it could be. Your baby's heart beat could be fine, but it's you who are in trouble. If you die, they usually can't keep you alive long enough for the baby.

Unless you're just a drama queen, over-reacting to the natural stretching and headaches & dizziness from being dehydrated? I have to say they hurt, but more like a mild ache or 1 quick sharp pain if I twisted wrong.

Overwhelming tiredness is normal. I could fall asleep standing.

Honestly, I think you need to see another doctor if you are experiencing what you said in your first post.

[tarnalberry]

I have had the disease for almost 10 years now and just found out a little over 2 months ago that i am pregnant. i just turned 21. i was having the normal symptoms of pregnancy and then all of a sudden my body just was in a lot of pain. my sides feels like someone is gripping and holding onto them tightly, my ribs and underneath on my right side has sharp pains and sometimes feels like there is alot of pressure. i get dizzy, blurry vision, i see spots and have severe headaches. i have to force myself daily to get out of bed and just have been starting to feel like i dont want to be pregnant anymore just because of the pain. i have to walk about 3 miles everyday for the bus so i can get to worksource since i am required to attend unless if i have a doctors note saying that i cant. everyday the pain gets worse and i feel even more tired. it has come to the point where i can barely even think enough to read. and soemtimes i will be hungry and i feel too tired to even walk 5 feet to make me food. is this normal for being pregnant with celiac disease. and are there any information you could give me that would help me, because i am on the verge of feeling like i am dying and i dont like the feeling.

I took it from your post that you are somewhere between 8 and 12 weeks pregnant (though you certainly could be farther along if you didn't find out right away and if you're already seeing a midwife, then you're probably at least three months along). dizziness, blurry vision, and severe headaches are signs of something going wrong - these in particular are suggestive of a blood pressure issue or other vascular issue (which can be caused by pregnancy itself, by blood loss (in the case of ectopic pregnancy), or can be caused by other issues unrelated to the pregnancy. but they are NOT "normal" and are indicative of a problem. and those problems could very well put you and your baby at risk. the fact that your midwife is not taking them seriously is a major, major red flag that you need a new provider.

that said, pregnancy can make you ridiculously tired. too tired to walk five feet to cook is TOTALLY within the range or normal fatigue during the early part of pregnancy. you have to find ways to cope with it as best you can. some dizziness (particularly upon standing quickly) is also quite normal, as are some pains (including "cramping" like pain, but that should be investigated, sharp pains when the uterine ligaments start stretching (which you're a little early for but it's not outside the realm of possible)).

Well i went to my midwife today and she said that i am fine and the pregnancy is fine. she didnt seem to know what she was talking about. just said its not signs of pregnancy. what is an ectopic pregnancy?

Depending on the licensing and other legal provisions in your state, you may want to find another provider. If you are working with an unregulated, unregistered, lay midwife, she may or may not have the best care to give you (and I say this having had my prenatal care and delivered taken care of by lay-midwives, but ones who were certified and registered with the state). at the least, I strongly urge you to seek a second opinion with your regular doctor.

[milly90]

well i did go to the hospital and they said that i was really dehydrated and then they didnt tell me what was causing my horrible stomache and headache pains. said i should rest and see someone besides a midwife. gave me some nausea medicine and said to see if that would help me improve.

[kareng]

well i did go to the hospital and they said that i was really dehydrated and then they didnt tell me what was causing my horrible stomache and headache pains. said i should rest and see someone besides a midwife. gave me some nausea medicine and said to see if that would help me improve.

That sounds better. Force yourself to drink alot of water. Dehydration can cause alot of pains. See if they mostly go away after you have had alot of water, juice, Sprite, gatorade, etc. If you are nauseous, suck on little pieces of ice or little pieces of popsicles. Sometimes a little sugar helps the nausea.

Don't be afraid to go back to the hospital if the pain gets bad. Don't be afraid to ask lots of questions.

[tarnalberry]

dehydration can cause stomach pains and NASTY headaches. try to make sure to drink AT LEAST 2 liters a day.

[Roda]

Definately stay well hydrated. I contracted a gi virus when I was 31 weeks pregnant with my first son. I was throwing up and had bad diarrhea. I could not keep anything down. I became dehydrated very quickly. I went to the doctor and they admitted me for fluids. Upon getting to the hospital, I was told I was having contractions also. I thought the pain and cramping was from the diarrhea. I stayed three days for the dehydration and pre-term labor. A week later I was back in the hospital with pre-term labor again. I was sent home on bed rest and procardia until 36 weeks. So be aware of your fluid intake because it can have a huge impact on the pregnancy. Make sure they are watching your blood pressue also.

[heidi g.]

being pregnant is really hard on ur body. especially with celiacs! i was pregnant 4 months ago and had a miscarriage because this celiacs disease. i bad cramping as well. you could be about to have a miscarriage and the baby is taking all your nutrients so of course your going to be really tired and light headed. u need to take a safe prenatal asap if your going to keep the baby and eat alot of protein and vegetables.

[lizard00]

Definately stay well hydrated. I contracted a gi virus when I was 31 weeks pregnant with my first son. I was throwing up and had bad diarrhea. I could not keep anything down. I became dehydrated very quickly. I went to the doctor and they admitted me for fluids. Upon getting to the hospital, I was told I was having contractions also. I thought the pain and cramping was from the diarrhea. I stayed three days for the dehydration and pre-term labor. A week later I was back in the hospital with pre-term labor again. I was sent home on bed rest and procardia until 36 weeks. So be aware of your fluid intake because it can have a huge impact on the pregnancy. Make sure they are watching your blood pressue also.

I agree with Roda, water is key. I had preterm labor with my second, and I really tried to drink enough water. They pumped me full of more fluids in the hospital and made me promise to drink more water. She was born early anyway, but seriously, being dehydrated is a bad thing. When you are pregnant, it's worse! Hope you feel better!