I just wanted to see what it was like for other women. I have FAP and have a jpouch. I was 9 when I had the surgery and am now 32. I've had no issues as of yet. The doctors have always said that it would be hard for me to conceive, but here we are! I am about 8 weeks pregnant and am unsure how this will go. I'm looking for advice or just how things went for other people.
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Congratulations!! I'm pregnant with my third (all post-j-pouch) and also 32 :-) So far my pregnancies have been pretty smooth with no complications and no issues with the pouch. Interestingly, I was talking to my physical therapist the other day about why I always seem to be slow to "show" in my pregnancies, and we thought it might have to do with the lack of colon. I certainly feel very pregnant (21 weeks now) in that I feel the pressure on my internal organs, but my belly is very low and, compared to an average 21-weeker, probably smaller. We think that without the colon, the baby is fitting very snuggly deep in my pelvis, so my belly doesn't have to protrude as much yet. Aside from some extra pelvic floor discomfort, it's not really an issue. Just thought it was interesting! I wonder if anyone else has experienced this?
Happy to chat if you have any questions or just want to talk about pregnancy with a j-pouch. Best of luck, and hope you're feeling well!
I do not have children but I would strongly recommend to breastfeed for at least 2 years or more, that helps prevent babies getting sick in the future.
@susbo so interesting! I had two kids pre-jpouch so I was fascinated about how my third would "fit". In my experience you might just have good luck and good muscle tone. My third was my smallest but I showed just as dramatically. As a first time mom, I was visibly pregnant by 12 weeks so I think it might just be genes. While it was cute while I was pregnant it did some major muscle damage to have them all jetting out like that I just got repaired.
@courtney28 congratulations and ENJOY!! I had two full-term pregnancies before my j-pouch and really did not notice any dramatic differences between the experiences. My nausea was worse with my third though it had gotten progressively worse with each pregnancy. I think at @susbo has had vaginally deliveries (if I remember past posts correctly, if not there is definitely someone around here). Delivery method probably become a topic of discussion and decision for you and your medical team and I honestly found it very stressful (I over thought a LOT). Do your research, go with a doctor you love, and trust your gut. Congratulations!!!