# Need some help...23 weeks pregnant



## 15594 (Dec 28, 2006)

I have had IBS-C for years and during my first pregnancy (gave birth January 2005), I had no problems, just the normal C that most women experience during pregnancy. However, I am now close to 23 weeks along in my second pregnancy and am having some trouble which I believe might be IBS being aggravated.A couple of weeks ago, I had a stomach virus with watery and frequent D, and aches and weakness. I was thankfully able to keep myself hydrated with plenty of water and some Gatorade and it went away quickly (within the day). This virus had been going around my family and my husband also had it at the same time I did. He doesn't have IBS. It took quite a few days for my system to feel "normal" again but it got there. On Monday (Christmas) I was at my usual annual gathering and I ate a lot of Italian food. In particular, I had a large amount of eggplant parmigiana, which I had also had the night before on Christmas Eve. This used to aggravate my IBS and give me horrible gas pains years ago, but in recent years my IBS has been much better (from the addition of healthy diet and exercise and losing weight). Anyway, about an hour or 2 after eating the eggplant, I got those terrible gas pains. I had a normal BM and felt better but still got some gas pains which went away pretty quickly. I was fine on the ride home, which was an hour and a half. Yesterday morning (morning after Christmas), I woke up out of my sleep at 6:45 in the morning with those cramps again, and had a BM and fhen felt fine once again. This happened a couple of times yesterday and today. This evening when we went to put my son to bed, I felt an "attack" coming on, those sharp gas pains again, and had a pretty large BM, somewhat D-like, but not watery like when I had that virus 2 weeks ago. (Sorry to be so graphic). Anyway, I was then fine again. Then about an hour ago when I lied down in bed, I got up to urinate, and had a very small amount of D again (no cramping this time and no signs I had to have a BM at all). Again, not watery just loose. And then I felt like I had some gas (not pain, just a bit of bloating and some rumbling) so I went to the bathroom again and again, a small amount of D (very small amount), again not watery though. I have no fever and no aches or pains, no stomach cramping or pain, no nausea or anything like that, so I am not suspecting a stomach virus again.Could all of this I am experiencing be related to the over-abundance of eggplant I ate on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day? Is it possible my system just needed to clear all this out? Now, here is something else...I have noticed in the last week or so when the baby moves (very active fetus), he seems to be right around my bladder. I always feel him moving right by the bladder, and so, could this be causing my IBS to act up and turn more into IBS-D instead of the IBS-C I used to have years ago? This is all new to me, because even though this is not my first pregnancy, I had no IBS problems in my first pregnancy. I thought that pregnancy "saved" me from having IBS symptoms, judging from my first pregnancy.Has anyone else experienced this in the second trimester? Again, I am nearing 23 weeks along and wondering if this is normal. Of course, I will also ask my doctor about it. Just looking to see if there is anyone else who went through the same thing and anything they did about it. Sorry this is so long, and thanks in advance!-Bonnie


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## *Luna* (Nov 19, 2001)

I am 28 weeks pregnant and have always been IBS-D. Every now and then during pregnancy I've been afraid I'm turning into IBS-A but usually I'm going frequently. I might have one good solid BM in a month or two period these days.My baby hangs out on my bladder a LOT, pressing, kicking, hitting, etc. Some days when my intestines are being especially bad I wonder if they are getting battered as well. To me it sounds like you ate a no-no food and you're suffering as a result. I've discovered some days I handle things better than usual and some days it's worse (gotta love hormones!) but something that was likely to set off my IBS before is still very likely to do so. Eating different food is one of those things that can cause problems. Too much fat, dairy, etc.I dunno if it's medical fact, but I do think the position of the baby has to do with how gassy, etc. I am. Don't forget that as the uterus grows, the intestines and other organs have to shift.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Also anyone's intestines can be more sensitive to foods for a few weeks after a GI infection.That is why usually for IBS the diagnostic criteria require several months of symptoms. Anyone can have an "IBS-D-like" period after a GI infection.My guess with the food is it may not be the eggplant, but that it tends to absorb a lot of oil and eggplant parmasean can be a pretty greasy meal depending on how it is made. Sometimes after a food trigger like that it may take a few days for the colon to settle back down.One of the triggers for an IBS-D attack is a large fatty meal.Hope things calm down soon and the rest of the pregnancy goes smoothly.K.


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## 15594 (Dec 28, 2006)

Thank you so much to both of you for your replies.I never thought that a GI virus could cause trouble for weeks afterwards. I had more of a "sensitive stomach" throughout the week after the virus subsided, but I thought that was it. I guess the rich food was the culprit in my case. Today was better. I took it easy this morning and had toast and a banana for breakfast to kind of "prime" my system again, and I drank lots and lots of water and even a cup of Pedialyte. One of my fears is dehydration in pregnancy as it could lead to pre-term labor, so I am very careful about that. This afternoon my sister and I went to afternoon tea in Manhattan, and I enjoyed it. I ate all the food served, and I had some decaf earl grey tea. Very relaxing and I felt great the whole time. Then I got home and ate a few chocolate truffles from the Swiss Colony, and had some pain in the lower tummy and had a BM, but not D this time. So it must be the richness of the food. I told my hubby to finish the chocolates and I am staying away from them now. The good thing is that I am forced to stay away from alcohol and caffeine at this time due to the pregnancy, so that helps me out a lot. I sometimes wonder if that's why a lot of women say their IBS improves a lot during pregnancy...the elimination of alcohol and caffeine from the diet. Anyway, I am also going to my OB/Gyn for a checkup in Tuesday the 2nd so I will mention all of this to him and see what he says. I used to take NuLev occasionally for a bad IBS attack but obviously I can't do that at this time. I will ask him for some options, though ginger tea and decaffeinated green tea seem to help, as does chamomile. None of those have caffeine and they seem to calm my tummy. I also suck on ginger hard candies and they help out a lot, and they also helped me with the nausea I had at the beginning of the pregnancy.To Luna:Best of luck to you with the rest of your pregnancy! What is your exact due date? My doctor told me April 29th and the sonogram a couple of weeks ago indicated April 24th. So we'll see what he says on Tuesday. I hope you feel better with your pregnancy, and I hear you about the baby kicking and hitting your bladder. I feel it all the time, sometimes with the urge to urinate and sometimes without the urge. It is all so worth it in the end though. My son is going to turn 2 years old on January 7th and I am really enjoying him at this age. He is so adorable, happy and playful and I truly treasure each second I get to spend with him because it really goes by too quickly. I am looking forward to doing the same with my second son!Take care,Bonnie


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