Hi, It's been a while since I posted on this site but I found out I was 5 weeks pregnant last week. I am very concerned about everything as you would guess. I am only 6 weeks now. Very scary!! I want to talk to anyone who has had a healthy pregnancy after J-Pouch surgery.

I have had 2 healthy pregnancies after getting a j-pouch. If you have any specific questions, I would be happy to answer them!

Thank you so much!! I have plenty to ask you. What should I be worried about? I am 6 weeks along so it's still really early yet. I hear alot of people on this site that have lost their babies. It scares me. This is my 3rd pregnancy but my 1st since my surgery. I know that I will have to have a C-section. Is there anything you made sure your doctor knew prior to your delivery? I plan to meet with my J-pouch surgeon & make sure both doctors are on the same page, but it still is frightening.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ~*WINKY*~,

Hi Whitney, congrats on the pregnancy! I am also pregnant, I am about 5 1/2 weeks. This is my second pregnancy since my surgery, I have a 3-year-old son. My first pregnancy went very well and was thankfully uneventful. I had no problems and did not go to a high risk OB. My OB did have some previous j-pouch experience, but I felt comfortable enough with him and trusted his opinion. I delivered by C-section with no complications. I hope your pregnancy post-op goes as smoothly as mine did. Try not to worry too much, although I know it can be nerve wracking! You will feel better after you talk things over with your doctor. Although my doctor didn't consider me high-risk, I did have a lot of ultrasounds, which made me feel more comfortable and confident that everything was going accordingly. There is no reason why you cannot have a great pregnancy post-op, I am proof! Good luck and if you have any further questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Colleen

Thank you Colleen, and Congratulations on your little peanut!!
That's just the relief I was looking for. I guess because it is a new thing now since my surgery and my youngest is 5, I am just paranoid. I have my first Dr.'s visit on March 3rd. When is yours? Also, did you conceive naturally or with help from your Dr.? Really I thought since reading what everyone had blogged on here, that I would probably have no chance of getting prego,,, & here I am!! I am happy though. Did you plan this one?

Congrats on your pregnancies! I am 18 weeks along with baby #2 post pouch, but also post pouch removal...I have a perm ileo.

I did have a near total obstruction during my 5th month of my first pregnancy and 2 of my j-pouch friends (still with pouches) had obstruction issues too, usually between 16-24 weeks. NOthing you can do to prevent them, though, so don't worry too much about it...The drs think the obstructions are caused by scar tissue tying the uterus to the bowel and as the uterus expands quickly in the second trimester it pinches the bowel shut. Eventually the uterus gets big enough to snap the adhesion and the blockages pass. On a rare occassion, they may need to do surgery to clear the blockage and the best case scenario there is to have it done prior to 24 weeks.

I just want to address your comment Winky that "I hear alot of people on this site that have lost their babies" I would hate for someone to read this and panic. I haven't noticed a large number of women here losing babies. In fact, the rate of miscarriage in the normal population is 1 in every 4 conceptions miscarries; often women don't even know they are pregnant yet when it happens. I don't think the number of pouchers miscarrying is any higher than the general population.

I did have a miscarriage in June, but it was related to the fact that we did IVF and the embryo wasn't particularly strong to begin with; nothing to do with my GI history. And, in my Mom's group of 6 women, 4 of us have miscarried and I'm the only poucher. I haven't seen anything that indicates that a pouch (or ileo) increases your risk of miscarriage.

Jill,

Thank you for your thoughts. I guess I am just really overly worried about everything. I will talk to my OB doctor about the possibility of the blockage. That's good to know prior to the 2nd trimester. The less surprises the better. Congrats on your pregnancy as well.

Hi Winky,

Congratulations to you. I am pregnant too I am 27 weeks now and so far so good. I have had no problems whatsoever just a little bit of an issue not going to the loo a great deal and feeling a bit bloated but apart from that great.
All booked in for c-section 15th May so hopefully the rest will go by ok. Hope you are doing ok and not getting any sickness, etc

Corrinne xx

Hi Whitney,
I know what you mean about being paranoid! It is natural for women who are not pouchers to have worries, but this just adds to the strain. I have actually already had an ultrasound because I was experiencing left-sided pain and they needed to rule out ectopic pregnancy. Everything was fine and where it was supposed to be (thankfully!) I have another ultrasound on Tuesday to look for the heartbeat. I had a miscarriage before this pregnancy, so my doctor just wants to reassure me that everything is fine. The pain could have been caused by the corpus luteum cyst on the ovary. I have had painful cysts in the past so I wasn't surprised!

We did plan this pregnancy and I did conceive naturally five months after my miscarriage. My son was not planned, was conceived naturally and was a pleasant surprise! I have been extremely fortunate not to have had any fertility issues and my heart goes out to those women who struggle with it. My surgeries (I had a three-step) were all done laparoscopically, so I don't know if this played a part in preserving my fertility.

I had a c-section with my son, but there are plenty of pouchers who opt for vaginal birth. This is a personal choice and one you should decide with your doctor. I think there are articles on the Cleveland Clinic website in reference to this that you may find helpful. The search feature on this site is also a great resource.

Good luck at your appointment and keep us posted!

PS, thanks Jill for the obstruction info. I did not have any with my first pregnancy, and hope to avoid it this time around. But it is good to know to watch out for it. What were your symptoms? Is it something that comes on suddenly?

Colleen,

I only wish my surgeries could have been laparoscopic. I asked my doctor, but he said that once they got in they would have to figure out if I should get a Jpouch or a Hpouch. Either way I am not on the edge of death like I was. I guess I am fortunate also. My doc told me when I had my surgery that if I got pregnant I would definantly have to have a C-section, as he reconnected me really low. I will certainly check out that site though. I hear alot of people talk about it. It is really nice to have someone right in the same boat as me to talk to. We will have to keep in touch over this important time of our lives. Maybe at the end we can share a baby birth date,,, who knows! I have 2 boys 10yrs & 6yrs. I am figuring this one to be a boy also. I just feel it's a given now!!

Corrinne,

I am loving the name by the way!! I will put it on my list,, but I know I will probably have yet another BOY! I am glad to hear you are doing well. So far as how I am feeling, I have had some nausea from different smells. It's funny, ever since I was sick with UC I have had this extraordinary since of smell & now that I am pregnant, I am beginning to wish I did not. But I know that is normal for pregnancy. Some good news is that my bowels seem to be more consistant rather than speratic.
Keep all of us informed with your happenings too. We need all the info we can get. RIGHT LADIES?

I am 29 weeks pregnant.
The only thing (other than normal pregnancy stuff) is that around 22-27 weeks, I had a lot of gas and small blockages. They were quite painful. I do still get pretty gassy but nothing bad.
I am going to the washroom less because of the pressure from the baby. Sometimes I don't feel like I am empty after I go.
I will not have a GI on standby. I trust my OB completely. He has experience with j-pouches and has done c-sections and natural births with j-pouch ladies.
Good luck with your pregnancy!

Hi Whitney,

I am currently 16 weeks pregnant with twins and so far so good.

In the beginning weeks, 5-10 weeks or so, I was going to the bathroom less than I ever did with the J-Pouch. It was great! However, for the past week or two I have been going quite often especially at night. I think the babies are pushing on the pouch when I am lying down. During the day it is not so bad. Last night I took an Immodium before bed and I only had to get up twice. I was going every hour or so without the Immodium so I think that will be my nightly medicine for awhile. I would like to enjoy my sleep while I can!!

Congrats on your pregnancy and good luck to you.

Wow Sunny Days!!!

That's awesome!! Good to know Immodium works for you. I will take it into consideration. Is this your first pregnancy? I cannot even imagine having twins. But you know I have not gone to the doctor yet. I guess we shall see on March 3rd. It is so good to see all of the J-pouchers having babies.

Congrats! Keep all of us informed on how you are doing throughout your pregnancy.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ~*WINKY*~,

For those of you reading this blog, I would like to ask you a question.

I posted this as a new blog but I thought I would ask you girls this also.

Have any of you had night sweats? Not just during pregnancy but after your J-pouch surgeries. Just want to hear your thoughts on this. I had 1, last night, since I found out I was pregnant. I had them maybe once a week before that too. It worries me that maybe it could cause harm to the baby.