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Trying for Baby #2 After Surgery?

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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 3/9/2016 2:32 AM (GMT 0)
I have just turned 32 and have recently been feeling "baby fever" again but have a lot of trepidation. First and foremost I am nervous about carrying a baby. I had surgery about 2 1/2 years ago and have had frequent D ever since then that has made gaining weight difficult and I have trouble staying fully hydrated. When I have discussed having another baby with my surgeon she says she supports it, but then feels the need to emphasize that if I were to need surgery during my pregnancy and it were between saving my life or the baby's, she will always pick mine. Um, that's a horrifying situation to think about. I obviously would not want to willingly become pregnant if I felt the well-being of my baby was at risk. Both my surgeon and OB can't say for sure if I would have a difficult pregnancy because of my Crohn's and surgery or not. Have any ladies had an open resection and then gone on to have a healthy pregnancy? How did the scar on your stomach respond?

Neither my surgeon or OB feel one way or another about the mode of delivery either, although I am fairly certain I would go with a C-Section due to active peri-anal disease and 4th degree tearing with my first. I don't think I can afford any more damage down there. Those who had C-Sections, did you feel it effected your CD at all?

And then finally, did anyone find they had trouble getting pregnant after surgery? My husband and I do not use birth control. I will say that for the first few years after having my son (he will be 5 in a few weeks) I was cognizant of when I was ovulating and we took certain "measures" during those times. But the last 2 years or so we have done absolutely nothing to prevent pregnancy and I am not pregnant. I got pregnant with my son within a month of deciding I wanted to get pregnant and have always had perfectly regular periods. I kind of hoped it would just happen and save me from actively making a decision, but it hasn't and now I am feeling a real desire to have another baby before I get any older. I always thought we would have three children, but then I got really sick after having my son and we kept putting it on hold hoping I would have a long remission. I was perfectly healthy going into and throughout my first pregnancy and had a perfectly healthy 10 pound baby. At this point, I think I am as healthy as I am going to be. The surgery saved my life, but I am afraid I will have life-long side effects. I can't tell you how horrible I will feel if I do get pregnant and my health puts the baby at risk, yet this feeling for another baby is strong and becoming more persistent.
Posted 3/9/2016 3:21 AM (GMT 0)
Sorry, what do you mean by having surgery a few years ago? Are you talking about ostomy, bowel removal, etc.?

My first pregnancy was super rough to stay hydrated and get enough nutrition. We finally just did TPN/IV fluids for most of the pregnancy, and that helped a whole lot. I am currently 35 weeks with my second pregnancy, and this one went much smoother.

I had a c-section with my first (and will with this one as well) because of my unhealed recto-vaginal fistula. Even if it were to heal, my GI, OB, and surgeon have all said that I should always do them just in case of tearing and not being able to heal from that well.

The problems I had after birth were due to doctor incompetence and from me not knowing much. I'd get mastitis, which caused c. diff., which caused a flare, which caused an abscess, which caused sepsis. It was just endless cycles, and some of them were due to doctors not being on top of things. I have much better doctors now, so I have a lot more confidence. My c-section itself hasn't caused a single problem at all with my Crohn's. I actually think normal labor and the pressure of that would cause more problems in the long run, lol.

I haven't had any problems getting pregnant. I did have a miscarriage last year a few months after stopping birth control, but then I got pregnant again a few months after that. Some of that is I think due to the fact that ever since a teenager, when I ovulate I get multiple eggs (which is quite painful, which is how we discovered it).

I really get that feeling. When I told my husband a year and a half ago I wanted to go off birth control, it was a really scary thing since I got so sick after our daughter was born (10 hospitalizations from when she was 3-8 months old, including 2 bouts of sepsis). But I felt the same way you do, I really felt strongly about it, and I knew that this was about as healthy as I would get.
Posted 3/9/2016 11:38 PM (GMT 0)
I'll be 34 in May and my son is almost 16 months. I had a csection because of active perianal disease and fistula. I felt fine during my pregnancy, more than fine, but going to all the high risk doctors and the almost monthly scans made me feel very depressed. It always felt like this would be the day that they would tell me he was dead or that there was something wrong with him, but he's beautiful and perfect, even though he was never be a chubby baby.
As far as the crohn's goes, I was expecting the worse. Instead, what I got was a colonoscopy that showed no active disease. I was one of the 33% that got internally and externally better while pregnant! My partner has said that he should just keep me pregnant and healthy. lolz
My very happy baby and my easy pregnancy, while great at the time, is now working against me. Everyone, including my own mother, is now warning me that I won't be as lucky next time, that I'll end up with a super colicky baby and a rough pregnancy because my luck won't hold a second time.
Despite all that, I'm considering having another one.
I'm a planner and I'm debating on embracing a plan to let myself become pregnant in August this year. Right now I have an IUD, so I would have to make the conscious decision to remove it and make the conscious decision to have another baby, which was not how things went down the first time! I don't know if I could go through with it, tbh, but I also don't want my son to feel lonely.
The only thing else I would mention was that the colonoscopy I had after my csection was very different from the ones pre-csection. I felt like they were moving my guts around in there!
Posted 3/11/2016 3:23 AM (GMT 0)
I had a terminal ileum resection with an ileostomy, ileostomy reversal and then a small hernia repair around my belly button in between my two children. First was presurgery, second was after all of this. Both pregnancies were great, my Crohn's gave me trouble and seemed to get better, and I didn't need Csections for either. However, I am quite thin due to Crohn's, and after the surgeries my doc told me I had a weak abdominal wall that would likely tear as I got bigger.

I went to the high risk docs due to that and also as I was 35 with my second, and in fact, at about 4 months, the entire ab wall tore. It didn't even really hurt. I remember it pulling a little, but not severe pain. More like a wuick stitch in my side. Despite that, I was able to deliver normally and they said the tear was actually so big, I didn't have much of a risk for my intestines getting stuck or twisted! I needed a version to turn her at the very end, and due to my loose ab wall it took two good turns and they flipped her. Look on the bright side, right!

Afterwards was harder. I looked like I was 5 months pregnant to the right side of my stomach with a big bulge for a couple of years while the area stabalized. Then I had to have a full abdominal reconstruction with a foot of collagen mesh and a component separation procedure where they cut slits on the muscle on the outside edge so they can oull it tight in the center. My surgeon was excellent and did these frequently for people who had multiples. Of course, the stress of this kicked my Crohn's into a crazy flare, and I aphad all sorts of issues until I got on AMAT and have been in remission for 15 months.

My kids are perfect, healthy and I wouldn't trade one minute or ounce of pain that I went through. I can't imagine my life without the second kid! I know each situation is very individualized, but you should definitely check out and prep yourself in case that ab wall goes. It was miserable to fix it, but my child was still worth it. Also, insurance covered the whole thing since it was necessary and not cosmetic!
Posted 3/18/2016 9:29 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you for the responses! I was so sick with the flu last week, lost 5 pounds, and I am still trying to regain my strength and appetite. This is what I am talking about when I talk about the long term side effects of the surgery. I still feel so out of it that now I am second guessing trying for a baby again, but I am sure I will feel better soon.

The surgery I had was a small bowel resection and strictureplasty where I lost about 3 feet of small intestine. It was an open surgery so I have about a 6 inch scar below, around, and slightly above my belly button. Some of my concerns are cosmetic but I also worry about how my abdominal muscles will hold up, especially given my history of carrying a big baby (first baby was 10 pounds - no diabetes or anything, just big). My husband is of no help really, he's leaving the decision 100% up to me, and really I wish he would lean one way or another to make things easier.
Posted 3/19/2016 4:47 PM (GMT 0)
I had a resection followed by some serious complications -- but once I healed I became pregnant almost immediately (surgery was in June, all complications healed by August, pregnant in November). I consulted with an OB who told me I'd have difficulty conceiving (or even getting a period) at my weight, but I got pregnant at 103lbs and had a very healthy pregnancy. I was able to stay of all meds snd nurse my baby for six months -- until I started azathioprinedue to endoscopic findings.

I was told by a high risk OB that due to the Crohn's I could deliver naturally or via C and that both would carry a risk of fistulas. I decided to go natural and had no issues, even after having a 3rd degree episiotomy and re-tearing. Then again, I have no history of Crohns in that area so I guess I may not have been predisposed.

I really want another baby as well -- my husband and I want to try again this summer. It's scary when you hear risks associated with IBD and pregnancy, but if your crohns is well controlled you have less risk. OBs generally say you have to be in remission 6 months before trying to conceive -- the wait is hard!
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