30 Weeks Pregnant: Update and Q&A
I can’t believe it’s been five months since I shared my pregnancy announcement with you! I also can’t believe that in just 10 more weeks I’ll finally get to see my little boy or girl’s face for the first time. I could cry just thinking about it. (Okay, maybe I am crying…it happens a lot these days!)
Things have gotten back to “normal” (if there is such a thing) since my blood transfusion last month. I’m walking 10,000 steps a day, practicing prenatal yoga, and juicing and blending daily. Other than the typical pregnancy discomforts and a few extra GP-related challenges, I’m doing well and my little one is strong, active, and healthy. What more could a mama-to-be ask for?
I’ve received a number of questions lately about GP and pregnancy in general and my experience in particular, so I thought I’d answer some of the most common ones in this post. (I’m also working on a brand new book for those who are pregnant, or want to become pregnant, and also happen to have gastroparesis. Look for Living (Well!) with Gastroparesis for Mamas-to-Be: Answers & Advice for Before, During & After Pregnancy later this year!)
Q: Have you been able to get adequate nutrition despite the gastroparesis?
A: Yes! It has taken a good amount of experimentation and effort, but I’m eating a more varied, nutrient-rich diet now than at any other time since I was diagnosed with GP. This is in large part due to all of the juicing and blending that I do. Combined with the supplements that I take, both my baby and I are well-nourished — certainly more so than the many “healthy” mamas-to-be who are hitting up the drive-thrus on a regular basis!
The exception here, of course, is the iron deficiency. I was anemic prior to pregnancy and had very, very low iron stores. Since I had not been taking an iron supplement due to colonic inertia (see below), even the spinach smoothies and weekly servings of lean organic ground beef weren’t enough to offset the increased need for iron. Since the blood transfusion, however, these dietary interventions seem to be helping to keep my blood count stable.
Q: Have you been able to gain weight? Was it difficult?
A: Oh, yes! I’ll probably end up with a total weight gain of around 40 pounds. Though I gained 10 pounds after having the gastric neurostimulator implanted in 2010 and was within the normal BMI range when I got pregnant, I was still a bit underweight for me. My body has done a fantastic job of taking on what it needs in order to nourish me and my baby throughout pregnancy. I’ve made very deliberate dietary and nutritional choices, but I haven’t had to try hard to gain weight.
(Please keep in mind that my dietary choices and improvements, would not be possible without the other aspects of my comprehensive management plan. I cannot emphasize this enough! It’s HUGE.)
Q: Does the gastric neurostimulator affect pregnancy? Did you have your device turned off when you got pregnant?
A: No, my stimulator has been on the entire time. Prior to getting pregnant, I talked with my motility specialist, the surgeon who implanted the device, the VP at Medtronic, and my OB/GYN. All agreed that the device could remain on during pregnancy. While no studies have been conducted, I was told that many women have now given birth with the device implanted and there haven’t been any reports of complications due to the device. Having the neurostimulator may have been why I experienced very little morning sickness!
As my belly has gotten bigger, I’ve had some discomfort around the site of the stimulator. The docs say it’s from the scar tissue stretching. It hasn’t been terribly painful, just annoying at times. The baby has also just started kicking the site of the device. Again, it doesn’t hurt, but it’s a little annoying.
Bottom line: having the device hasn’t really impacted my pregnancy. I’m planning a natural birth, but if a C-section were to become necessary, the stimulator would obviously be an additional consideration. C-sections are performed very low on the abdomen, however, much lower than where the device is placed.
Q: Have the gastroparesis symptoms gotten worse?
A: Prior to pregnancy, I was told that there was no way to predict whether my symptoms would get better, worse, or stay the same. Thankfully, they’ve improved! Not the early fullness or the delay in emptying, but the variety of food that I can tolerate has definitely increased. That doesn’t mean I’m eating pizza and salad, but I definitely have more leighway and flexibility.
Now in all honesty, I think this is partially due to pushing myself to step outside of my own comfort zone. Since being pregnant, I’ve tried things that I hadn’t tried in many years and I’ve found that I do just fine in small portions. A result of the pregnancy itself? I don’t know, but I plan to continue experimenting after the baby arrives to see!
I’ve talked with a number of other women who have gone through pregnancy with gastroparesis and most of them also noticed an improvement in their symptoms.
Q: Has the constipation gotten worse?
A: In addition to the GP, I also have motility issues in the colon and this is what most concerned my docs and my family when I was thinking about getting pregnant. We all knew that I’d most likely be able to manage the GP, even if it happened to get worse, with the comprehensive management plan and great team of docs that I have in place. The constipation was another story since I relied on high, frequent doses of stimulant laxatives and a prescription drug that couldn’t be taken during pregnancy.
Thankfully (though counter-intuitively, since many women without GI issues become constipated during pregnancy), the constipation has actually been easier to manage. I now need only 2-3 stimulant laxative tablets every 4 days. This is a significant improvement. Please keep in mind that stimulant laxatives are not typically recommended during pregnancy, but this is why it’s important to have a medical professional who looks at your situation individually and helps you to weigh the pros and cons, making the best decision possible.
Note: Colonic inertia is not the cause of constipation for most GPers. Please watch this video for more info about common causes and solutions.
This isn’t to say that there haven’t been challenges related to having GP while being pregnant. I have to be really, really diligent with my self-care and lifestyle, otherwise my symptoms flare quickly. The tenderness in the upper abdomen has increased as the baby has grown. The reflux has become a bigger issue. But just like everything else with GP (and life in general!) attitude and choices make all the difference.
I’m doing my best to make good choices, and I’ve never been as grateful for anything in my life as I am for this pregnancy. If you’d asked me 4 years ago, I’m not sure I would’ve thought it would even be possible. Yet here I am…10 weeks from welcoming my son or daughter into the world.
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You look great! I enjoyed reading your post. I’m so excited for you!
At the same time my GP improved, so did my constipation. A little more evidence for me that my thyroid was definitely the culprit in slowing my GI tract. Don’t know if I shared this with you or not, but my last thyroid level was 3.3 or so. I had been complaining of symptoms to my endocrinologist. She said that was within normal range. However, I read that there are people who feel best around 1.5, which is what they originally got me down to with my initial diagnosis. I asked if I could get back to that level. She admitted that some people fare better with a lower level. It was a couple weeks after my increase in thyroid medicine that my symptoms started improving. I have to believe that’s not coincidence.
Oh my gosh Crystal, I started to cry out of joy when I got to the part where you said you were working on a book about GP and pregnancy!!! I’m trying to type through the tears, lol.
My fiance and I are getting married next May and as long as I can maintain weight without Domperidone (still have not stopped taking Dom yet, have to gain 2 more lbs until I can start weaning off of it), we will be starting to try to start our family very soon after we are married. We are both so excited for this but we also have a little anxiety…we’ve been told by a couple doctors that adoption may be a better choice for us because me being able to carry a baby full term (and remain healthy) may not be a possibility…But this info was given to us by OBGYN’s that did not have knowledge about GP. My GI is very positive and thinks that once I am off the Dom, a healthy pregnancy is possible
So, to hear that you are working on a book about GP and pregnancy right now is the best news I’ve heard all week!! I just made a trip to Philly to see my belly doc a few days ago and the reality of how hard maintaining weight may be after I’m off the Dom (I’ve had trouble maintaining weight on the Dom) kicked in and I started feeling very intimated.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience! I can’t express my appreciation enough.
Best of wishes to you!!
Tessa, that’s really interesting! Def doesn’t sound like a coincidence. Good for you for continuing to be your own advocate, too! I bet thyroid issues are underlying more GP cases than we know.
Carey Ann, now I’m crying, too! Lol. I truly believe that for most GPers pregnancy is possible. It’s all about timing, preparation and making really well informed smart choices. I’m so glad the book will be of help to you! I’ve learned a great deal through my own experience, as well as talking to the experts, so I’m combining it all with my background in nutrition and in the context of my work with GP to create what I hope will be a very educational and empowering resource for other women taking this step. Can’t wait to hear about YOUR journey when the time comes!!
Crystal
I’m glad to hear that I’m not the only GP’er who had to take some form of laxative while pregnant. It is totally possible to have a healthy pregnancy with GP. My doctor told me I would NEVER get pregnant. Low and behold, I got pregnant on our honeymoon.. I had a rough 3rd trimester, but had a healthy little boy at 40 weeks
it’s really important to get your GI doc and your OB to communicate with one another though!
You look great, Crystal! The next 10 weeks will fly! (My sons are both college-age now, and it seems like I was pregnant with them just a few months ago!!)
Crystal, your post and your radiant baby belly mde me cry and shout for joy all at the same time!
You are one special lady, (and beautiful Mama-to-Be!). I have been very busy (in a good way) so I have not had the chance to email/ send correspondence but you continue to be an inspiration to me in so many ways. I sing your praises at least once a week to someone when telling or talking about my GP diagnosis. Not only did you save my nutrition, but my life and sanity! I believe with your help and guidance at the start of my diagnosis, it has brought me to a much more expanded diet, which currently includes getting off my reflux med, eating pizza, fresh blueberries, fresh spinach and fresh tomatoes for the first time in almost three years! Stress levels are now more manageable , and my viewpoints on life and how I deal have completely changed, by taking control of what I can, and ‘letting go’ of what I cannot control. Soooo hard, but rewarding when I am able to stick with it!
You have sooo many hearts cheering for you, Crysal, and we all can’t wait to ‘meet’ your little miracle! YOU GO GIRL! Xoxoxox
Julie, congrats!! How old is your little one?
Oh my goodness, Anita, that is the sweetest note! Thank you! I’m so blessed to have wonderful people like you in my life, most of whom I’ve never even “met” but still send so much positivity and support my way. I’m SO glad to hear that you’re doing well — especially the stress levels and the outlook. I think that can be even more challenging than the diet! (Though the fresh fruits and veggies sounds pretty darn good!). Keep in touch. Will be sending you good wishes. Thanks again for the sweet words
He is almost 17 months
Happy, healthy, and growing. I always wondered since I had so many issues during the pregnancy if he would be. I just got my copy of “Living Well” and read it cover to cover. I was SO relieved that someone else could relate exactly to what I went through with my diagnosis (we’re at 6 years post diagnosis..more like 8 with symptoms). It’s been almost impossible to find other GP’ers out there, so I always felt like I was alone in it. The book and the ideas in it have been an answer to prayer for my husband and I. Thanks so much for sharing your journey with us Crystal!
Hi Crystal!
. It is wonderful for me to be able to follow your journey even though mine is slightly different due to the fact that I can’t really eat at all and rely on tube feedings. I had to smile about your little one kicking at the stimulator – my little one has been “playing” with the internal bumper of my feeding tube since week 23 – we keep saying that this is his first toy! And those kicks can be quite painful 
. Only 10 more weeks for me too!
I have GP, some additional GI-problems, am fully J-tube-fed AND I am pregnant (about a week behind you)
Julia
Crystal, I am so glad that your pregnancy has gone so well! My recent pregnancy with GP was so different from my pregnancies before GP struck, but the Lord brought exactly the right OB into my life that saved both me and my baby and I am so thankful.
I’m loving your pregnancy updates and the hope they give to all the women with GP who are considering pregnancy. It is possible and such a blessing even if it might be one of the toughest things you can do!
Crystal,
Ian so excited that you will be welcoming a beautiful baby into this
S world soon! I was ex with go almost 4 years ago and went threw many surgeries before finally getting the gastric pacer implanted last April. I have a daughter from a previous relationship before I got go, however was very concerned I would never be able to get pregnant again after the changes in my body not only due to the go but also severe endometriosis. My obgyns were ready to do a hysterectomy because of the chronic pain, however we decided to hold off for a year to see if possible infertility would work after my recent marriage this past April. Because of the severe “women” problems I have I get my menstral cycle 1-2 times a year..so July 12 was my appt with my obgyn to discuss infertility treatment and possibly invetro. That day she did some routine blood work as well as a pregnancy test, it wasn’t an hour after I left the dr. That the phone rang. It was my dr to announce some exciting news….I am pregnant! And onto my second trimester already (week 14)!! I just want to thank you for all the work you do in educating on your health and experiences with everything. It has helped me so much before I was pregnant and coping with the disease and now being pregnant as well. I am so glad to hear that there has been no trouble with the pacer and pregnancy (my drs all said the same as yours, however I was still nervous until I read an saw what you had to say) I look forward to hearing about your delivery and new baby!
Best of luck and thank you so much again!
Jennessa
I have a GP an I’m 29 weeks the doctor wants to turn it off before I have the baby has anyone had any problems after it was turned off then when I have him they turn it back on
Hi, Nicole. Just curious, why do they want to turn it off? Is it in case you need a C-section? I had x-rays of the placement (taken before I was pregnant, obviously) sent to my doctor and attached to my birth plan for that purpose.
I’ve had mine turned off before for testing (a total of about 4 days) and I’ve also had it get shut off (presumably by store theft detectors) and reset itself at a different setting. Both resulted in significant increase in nausea. Once the device was turned back on/put back at the right settings, my symptoms lessened again. So probably no problem with having it turned off and then back on later.
A couple of things just from having been there recently: the last few weeks of pregnancy made my GP symptoms quite a bit worse — the stomach is so squished and displaced at that point that I think even lots of women without GP have heartburn, nausea, fullness, etc. Nutrition is still important though as the baby’s brain does a lot of growing during those last few weeks. So depending on how severe your symptoms were prior to having the device, I’d def take both your comfort and ability to eat into consideration.
You could always call Medtronic if you have concerns, as well. They are usually quite helpful.
Good luck and congrats!! Please come back and let us know how things go.