6 Weeks Pregnant - Trying to manage MC + morning sickness

chellebelle · Post by **chellebelle** » Mon Jun 13, 2016 11:34 am

Hello everyone,

We were very surprised to learn last week that I am pregnant. I am 6 weeks today, and am on my 3rd bout of MC flares. My boyfriend made some chicken drumsticks with paprika in the coating & that set me off the first time. This second time is because my chicken w/safe ingredients was cooked next to his chicken with paprika. Or it could be the one bite of pork I had last night that was still kinda pink because he thinks that's ok??? But my bet is the paprika.

Anyway, has anyone here safely navigated a pregnancy with MC? I am in a new state and have still not been able to get in to see a doctor. So much insurance red tape!! I took loperamide the first time & now just did again because it's really bad. I feel so sick. :(

I would really appreciate any responses regarding safe MC treatment for pregnancy. Thank you!

Best wishes,

Chelle

Post by **tex** » Mon Jun 13, 2016 12:19 pm

Hi Chelle,

Congrats on the pregnancy. If you do a search of the archives here you should be able to find a number of threads about pregnancies and MC.

Please be aware that the morning sickness associated with pregnancy is actually due to magnesium deficiency. Almost everyone who has an IBD is already magnesium deficient, but the hormonal changes associated with pregnancy drastically deplete magnesium, resulting in the classic symptoms traditionally associated with "morning sickness".

The REAL Cause Of Morning Sickness

How to Avoid Morning Sickness

Since the hormonal changes deplete magnesium by preventing effective absorption of magnesium, it's too late for you to stockpile magnesium reserves before becoming pregnant. IMO your best bet for supplying adequate magnesium is to use plenty (and I do mean plenty) of topically-applied (to the skin) magnesium. Oral magnesium won't do you much good at this point because most forms of magnesium supplements will not be absorbed. I have a hunch that Dr. Carolyn Dean's "ReMag" might work though, because it is much more readily absorbed than any other sources.

http://drcarolyndean.com/2011/01/magnes ... endations/

Good luck, and don't forget the vitamin D.

Tex

chellebelle · Post by **chellebelle** » Mon Jun 13, 2016 12:37 pm

Thank you for that information, Tex! My morning sickness hasn't been as intense this time around as it was with my first pregnancy (15 years ago!), which I suspect is due to me being a raw vegan at that time. I feel much, much better when I eat animal-source protein foods (especially red meat). Today, with this really bad MC flare, though, the nausea has been so bad I feel faint. I will see which magnesium cream would be best for me & add it to my arsenal.

I did a search and came up with a lot of unrelated threads, so I will look again when I feel less exhausted. Best wishes & thanks again!

Post by **tex** » Mon Jun 13, 2016 2:28 pm

If you've already found these, I apologize for wasting your time, but here are links to a few old discussions:

http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=6936

http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=13267

http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=14890

Tex

chellebelle · Post by **chellebelle** » Mon Jun 13, 2016 3:26 pm

I hadn't seen those yet, thank you! I just read through them & am crossing my fingers my MC goes into remission soon, LOL. I will be staying far away from nightshades & other triggers regardless!

chellebelle · Post by **chellebelle** » Fri Jun 17, 2016 7:44 pm

Update: My flare passed & we are being extremely careful about spices now. Sigh, LOL. So difficult for me as a Cuban/Italian person to avoid nightshades in cooking... it feels wrong!

Eating every 3 hours, having seltzer after meals & getting enough sleep have managed the morning sickness very well for me. Oh, and avoiding heat. Any temps above 75 degrees are an instant trigger.

My magnesium levels are in range. Yay! I've been supplementing with it for years, among other things, for migraines.

My PCP says loperamide occasionally for diarrhea is perfectly fine, along with the loratidine & Benadryl I am on for allergies & occasional low doses of Tylenol. Whew! I told her how fortunate it is that my MC triggers include alcohol, so I wasn't drinking at all when I got pregnant! :)

Thank you for your help, Tex!

Post by **tex** » Fri Jun 17, 2016 8:00 pm

You're very welcome.

Thanks for the update and I hope that things continue to go well.

Tex

jessica329 · Post by **jessica329** » Fri Jun 24, 2016 8:25 am

Hi!
My son is 2 yrs 4 months. Once I hit month 3 of my pregnancy, all hell broke loose. I was scared of becoming dehydrated and went back on Lialda. I kinda wish I had tried to wait it out a little longer, but oh well, no use in badgering myself about it. Anyways, my GI told me at the time that it was typical for his patients to flare in the first trimester due to the hormonal changes. I weaned off at the end of month 6 and had no issues my last trimester. I had some morning sickness early on, but it wasn't too bad. I noshed on rice crackers.

chellebelle · Post by **chellebelle** » Fri Jun 24, 2016 10:21 am

Hi Jessica,

Funny story - during my first pregnancy, I initially craved rice crackers. All of a sudden, when I'd not even eaten any, I couldn't stand to even look at the containers; just thinking of them made me dry heave. Pregnancy is so weird, LOL. Every woman in my family experiences intense morning sickness, but not severe with vomiting... just really, really unpleasant nausea. I'm convinced there is a genetic component.

Thank you for sharing your experience; that is interesting about the first trimester & makes sense. I've read about autoimmune disorders improve during pregnancy, so I am hoping for that. I don't have a GI doctor yet here and was told they won't see me during pregnancy the first time. I know how to manage this; I just have to be really, really careful when other people are preparing my food.

And yes, definitely no badgering! You did the best you could with the information you had at the time, and that's all we can do, right?

Best wishes for you & your family!

Chelle

jessica329 · Post by **jessica329** » Sun Jun 26, 2016 6:14 am

I agree with you about morning sickness being genetic! Once your hormones stabilize, your flares should too. You may experience flares again either after breastfeeding stops or if you choose not to/can not breastfeed and your body, once again, goes through hormonal changes. During this period I joyfully exclaimed to my husband that I was "cured" and must no longer have microscopic colitis. Ha! Lol

Post by **tex** » Sun Jun 26, 2016 8:12 am

Yes, it is genetic because our ability to absorb magnesium is determined by our genetics. Some people have much more difficulty absorbing an adequate amount of magnesium than others.

Tex

crervin · Post by **crervin** » Mon Jun 27, 2016 7:33 pm

My 2nd and 3rd trimester were wonderful, I actually wished I could stay pregnant for the rest of my life. 2 months after birth, D/cramping started back. So hope you get better!