Pregnancy Cholestasis

Hi D. - first of all - congrats on your pregnancy!

I had cholestasis during my second pregnancy and I feel your pain or should I say itch '-) I used oatmeal baths and natural soothers like aloe or mint lotion. It had a cooling effect which helped. I also took Benadryl in the evening (children's) which helped the itch and helped me sleep. Of course, check with your obgyn before taking anything.

I did have a healthy baby and You're having precautionary non-stress tests to monitor any red flags that arrise so - try not to worry.

Good news is - the itch went away about 1 week after my son's birth so - it's something to look forward to - in addition to the birth of your child.

Good luck!

I have a close friends who went through this. You are lucky in some ways to have gotten the symptoms early & that your doctor was aware of the condition. From my understanding it is pretty rare. I don't think she found releif from anything until delivery. I can ask if she tried anything & let you know if she did.

I'm sure this is incredibly stressful and uncomfortable for you, plus you are worried about the baby! A great product for cleansing out toxins from the liver and other organs as well as stabilizing and strengthening the immune system is Reliv. There are a number of products available but I would think the basic nutrition including the fiber product would do the job for you. It's completely safe for pregnant women, babies, the elderly, and so on. My doctor approved it, and my friend's obstetrician approved it - no drugs or questionable things in it. People I know have had great results with a variety of itching issues including eczema and neuropathy which is a lot like what you have in your extremities though it can be caused by a variety of things. Reliv has been around 20 years and it's sold all over the world but made here in the US. It's available thru distributors. If you want me to connect you with some other cholestasis stories, let me know. GOod luck with everything!

My wife had cholestasis diagnosed around 34 weeks after several weeks of very intense itching. She went on Urso forte (same as actigal I think) which for her helped the itching. I used to get up in the middle of the night and give her a massage which helped some. She also used Sarna lotion which many women swear by and did help her a little (you can just get it at the drug store -- some women say to use it and sit in front of a fan). We also did acupuncture and homeopathy but neither really helped. She would have done absolutely anything at that point to stop itching!

She did the weekly non-stress tests and was induced at 38 weeks. It is totally possible to give birth to a healthy baby, but you do want to be sure that your doctor is regularly doing bile acid levels and you should probably do an early induction sometime between 36 and 38 weeks depending on how your bile acids look.

Also, just FYI, our baby had jaundice after birth for about 6 weeks. He was always fine -- no health problems at all except for being very slightly yellow -- but we really wondered if the jaundice had to do with the cholestasis. Just wanted to mention it in case it's something you notice. Jaundice should always be checked by a doctor if it lasts longer than a 2 weeks or so.

Good luck with everything and I hope you find some relief from the itching.

Hi D.,
I just looked up what cholestasis is and realized the itching must really be bothering you! I have an Arbonne Herbal Diaper rash cream that I think may help you. I've heard from MANY people that it works especially for excessive itching.

Obviously, it's made for babies so I know it's safe for you to use.

Let me know if you'd like to try it and I'll drop it in the mail asap. You can get more information on the product at my website http://www.kellymcinnis.myarbonne.com

Good luck,
K.

Wow, I very rarley talk to anyone else who has had this.
I had this with my first son (now a healthy four year old) and it was unbarable. I gave birth in New Hampshire and had a Doc that was unaware of medicine to help treat it so, I dealt with that God aweful itch for a while.(they may not have had any treatment 4 years ago)
I was fortunate enough to not get it until 32 weeks, I did deliver early via c-section at 36 1/2 weeks.
I hate to say, nothing gave me awesome relief. I did find that drinking an absurd amount of water (3 gallons a day) helped, cool baths, and applying sarna over and over again in front of a fan or air conditioner (it was August) gave some releif.
I personally believe that all the extra water helped keep the baby safe, I also changed my diet and started drinking teas. I can't recall the type but, it was liver improving tea (easy enough to find).
In the end I was yellow and bloody from scratching myself raw, they tried to induce me but it was too early so I had a c-section. The baby was healthy and never had any problems and my symptoms went away a few days after birth (nubane shots relieved the itch immediatly after birth).
I would love to talk more if you have questions or need someone to cry to as I believe no one understands how painful itching can be until they've had this.
Hang in there.