Tips to feel good in the 2nd Trimester

Whilst the hormones from the 1st trimester have calmed down (slightly), entering the 2nd trimester is a happy feeling. The worries and increased risks from the 1st have settled, your bump is growing, and you're now starting to feel properly pregnant. Although it is much nicer to not feel sick all the time, and like a total crazy person, I still struggle with how I feel within myself. My body is changing rapidly and it's hard to adjust and cope with these changes so I wanted to share with you how I try to feel good whilst pregnant.

1. Exercise

In all the books, at all the midwife appointments, we are told how good exercise is for you while pregnant and although during the 1st trimester I couldn’t think of anything worse, I have really felt the benefits of exercise now. While building up your stamina and making you fit for labour (this is the real motivation to exercise!) it also releases those lovely endorphin's. A few occasions when I have felt particularly hormonal, or down, a bit of exercise really does me the world of good. I feel SO much better for it. Throughout my pregnancy I have attended a barre class which is a mixture of ballet/Pilates/yoga and I love it! The particular class I go to is amazing with a fabulous instructor who is pre & post natal trained so has been able to guide me through the class as my pregnancy has progressed - www.nutripaige.com/class/barre-concept  The class makes me feel strong and energised and I love going each week. In the gym, I usually do a high incline walk for 20-30mins and will do a little arm work out with weights and save my legs for barre. When exercising it's really important to keep hydrated and not push yourself too hard, listen to your body.

2. Beauty Products

There's nothing like giving yourself a little pamper and there are so many fab beauty products out now for pregnant women. Some of my favourites are:

- Palmer's Cocoa Butter formula massage cream for stretch marks

  This cream comes in a squeezy tube which is great for sticking in your handbag! That way after a lunchtime gym sesh I can apply, or take it on a holiday easily. It smells amazing, like all cocoa butter does and feels lovely and soft. I use this on my bump, boobs and bum! I also got it for a bargain at Home Bargains stores for just £3.99 compared to £7.35 at boots.

- Bio Oil is a trusty favourite, and you can't go wrong. Again I use this on my bump boobs and bum, but also will use in the bath. If my skin is feeling particularly dry, I will add a few drops in the bath and have a nice relaxing soak. Whilst this makes my skin feel nice, I wouldn't advise washing your hair with it in the bath!

- Iconic London Baby on Board Oil is SO nice. It smells amazing, and with it coming in a glass bottle I feel ever so special and like I am treating myself when using it. I use this all over and a few drops goes a long way so this really lasts well. Iconic London are bringing out a whole ‘Baby on Board’ range and I cannot wait to try out the other products!

- Jolen Cream Bleach is something a friend recommended to me early on in my pregnancy when I was complaining about unwanted belly hair. As a mummy herself, it is a product she had used, and it is an un-harmful hair bleaching product. I used this on my tummy when I was going on holiday and it was perfect! I didn't want to wax the hairs as I knew they would fall out after pregnancy, so this bleach is perfect. One of my fave pregnancy beauty finds!

- St Tropez Self Tan Express is my favourite fake tan ever, and everything looks better with a tan. This is safe to use in pregnancy, and whilst you might be feeling bigger and paler, a little bit of fake tan will make you feel 10 times better. This tan can be left on for 1 hour for light tan, 2 for medium and 3 for dark so it can even be used last minute. I swear by it pregnant or not! 

3. Shopping

I have found it really hard to dress for my changing shape, and being at that stage where your bump hasn't fully appeared has made it awkward to dress. There are loads of maternity ranges out there now and lots of fashionable looks available, but at the same time I didn't want to spend loads of money on a new wardrobe just yet, when my body is going to continually change. I decided to go for a Primark haul and found so much in there. Whilst they don't have a maternity range, they do sell jeggings in pretty much every colour! I was able to buy a few pairs at only £6 each in a size bigger to what I normally wear and the stretchy waist band has been amazing! I also bought lots of lovely t-shirts, a loose summer dress, some stretchy work skirts and more. Primark has a great range at the moment, and the prices meant I could buy loads and feel like I was having a real splurge without breaking the bank.

4. Relaxation

Being pregnant and having Crohns disease has left me feeling SO tired. I haven't been sleeping well either but I recently got a pregnancy pillow which has been life changing! With a growing body shape, it's hard to feel comfortable and not being able to sleep on your back comes with challenges so sleeping with this pillow has been amazing - although it doesn't help me to get up in the mornings! As well as not sleeping so well, I have had a really bad back so I have found massages helpful as well as relaxing. If you are pregnant and booking a massage, be sure to ask for a pregnancy massage, as this will be structured in a special way to support you and not harm the baby. While massages have helped my aches and pains, it's also been great for my mindfulness. There are so many worries and concerns when you're pregnant, it's important to take time out to relax and recoup, so whatever makes you feel relaxed - do it! I've also enjoyed reading, as it's a perfect escape and something to distract and take your mind off of your worries. (I am currently reading Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn which is soon to be made into a HBO series!)

These are just a few little tips to feel good that I have personally found helpful. Please share with me your tips or ask questions about anything I have written about.

XOXO Crohnie Girl 

Woah.. we're halfway there!

It felt like the most surreal thing finding out I was pregnant. It's something I don't ever think you could prepare yourself for, and whilst it is such an exciting discovery, it also comes with so much worry. I was anxious from the get go given my Crohns and felt constantly panicked, but as the weeks have gone on I feel more and more settled and confident I am doing all the right things.

I can't believe I am now 20 weeks pregnant, I feel like it has completely flown by and to now be half way through my pregnancy is crazy. It's feeling more and more real every day as I see my bump grow. The moment when it really felt real was feeling the movement for the first time. It could so easily be mistaken for wind or just a tummy gurgle, but when I felt it repeatedly I knew it was my little baby. One morning on the train to work at about 18 weeks I felt the movements low down and grabbed my boyfriends hand to feel, and we both felt a very faint little limb push on my tummy. It was just the most incredible feeling and something I will remember forever. Now I am feeling it more and more which just makes me so excited to know that my baby is growing and in a few months will be here! I find it reassuring to feel the little movements as I had felt really worried. With my health problems, I never knew what was going to happen so we are just going with the flow and taking things as we find them.

At 18 weeks I had an appointment with a consultant specialist who would determine whether I needed to be under specialist care or just under midwife care. He did all the usual checks and a quick scan and listen of the heart beat to see that everything was OK, then we had to discuss my history: the medication I currently am taking, how long I have been taking it for, the last time I was on steroids, my current symptoms, all history about my Crohns to determine what the course of action would be. Given that I am currently in a healthy state and my Crohns is in remission the Dr was happy for me to continue as I am but did have some concerns for the future. I was told that it has been proven for some mothers on Azathioprine to give birth to premature babies or low birth weight babies as well as affecting the babies immune system in the last trimester. As I lost about half a stone during the first few weeks from sickness, and not consistently putting on weight, I have been worried about my baby's weight and how they were growing. The Dr reassured me it all looked fine now, but I might need to have regular growth scans to monitor the baby's development, and that it could be a good idea to come off the medication in the last trimester. The growth scan's didn't alarm me, and I would rather the baby have more checks to make sure it's OK, but the thought of coming off the medication did unnerve me.. I have been on aza for almost 3 years now, so who knows how I would be off of it. It is worrying, but I need to not worry about something that hasn't even happened (classic me!) and see how it goes. I eat well and look after myself, so the Dr is confident if I continue to do so the pregnancy and myself will progress fine.

Last week I met with my Gastroenterology consultant for my usual 6 month check up and it was lovely to be discussing positive news instead of the usual upsets. I explained what the Dr had said to me about the medication and she advised to stay on it, she said that the most important thing is that I stay well during the pregnancy and she wouldn't want to risk a flare by coming off them. She reassured me that hundreds of mums give birth on azathioprine to healthy babies and the medication shouldn't cause any harm or determine a difficult labour. The only time I have to be careful is after birth, as it is quite common for new mums with Crohns to relapse due to the hormone change, the stress, lifestyle change among other things. So during that period I need to be extra careful, but if the worst comes to worst I can go on a course of steroids and this wouldn't harm the baby either should I choose to breast feed. So really it was a super positive appointment, and although the antenatal Dr had said I might have to come of the medication, he did say he was happy to follow my Gastroenterology consultants advice.

We had our 20 week scan yesterday, and I just cant explain how amazing it is to see my baby growing inside of me! It is pure magic. During the scan the sonographer checked all my baby's organs and structure and also measured it's growth and I was totally over the moon to hear it is growing well. It's so encouraging seeing the scans and knowing that everything is going well with the pregnancy and I can breathe a sigh of relief I am doing the right thing. So now the plan is to just keep doing what I'm doing. I am going on holiday in a few weeks and can't wait for some sunshine and to relax. Here's to the next 20 weeks!!

XOXO Crohnie Girl

Pregnancy diet with Crohns

Since my Crohns diagnosis, and even in the years prior, my diet has had to dramatically change. Diet is a key factor in managing Crohns disease symptoms and being able to control and manage your diet can make life a lot easier for sufferers. The difficulty is that there is no 'magic diet', and what works for one person doesn't always work for the other so it comes with a lot of trial and error. But 3-4 years later I have really managed to discover what foods are good and bad for me, and that has helped me massively.

I have eaten a strictly gluten free diet for the past 4 years, since working with a nutritionist on the FODMAP diet which really helped to find my intolerance's. It was a hard task, and not easy to follow but I would strongly recommend it to anyone struggling with digestive issues. As well as gluten being an intolerance for me, I also can't eat red meat, onions, peppers, mushrooms, too much dairy, and other foods. When I am in a 'well state' I can relax slightly, but during a flare I strip my diet right back and find that a liquid based diet works well for me as well as everything super plain. After getting to know my body and how it reacts to food, I am now confident in what works for me and what doesn't. I used to have no dairy, but lately I have found a little bit I can manage (I learnt the hard way trying a creamy rich cheesecake!) and having a bit of my milk in my tea, or butter in a cake doesn't hurt me but I still avoid too much. I was told that some intolerance's can be overcome, so I know at the time of discovering intolerance's it can feel really rubbish and like you will never enjoy food again, but honestly it gets better. A question people always ask me is if I miss my old diet, and certain foods and honestly I can't say it even crosses my mind as the diet I practice now is just second nature and something I don't even think about. Occasionally I will walk past a Greggs and sniff in the delicious smell of pastry and miss a sausage roll, but there are SO many products on the market now offering substitutes so I can get my fix else where.

Prior to falling pregnant, I was also trying out a Vegan diet and whilst I found this really good and loved trying new recipes, when I fell pregnant and the nausea hit all I wanted were some GF chicken goujons and chips! My diet definitely changed in the first weeks of pregnancy, and anything beige was my go to. Jacket potatoes, toast, chips, crisps, cake - not particularly the healthiest diet! But I felt so sick this was all I could stomach. I lost about half a stone in the first few weeks of pregnancy, just through being sick and loosing my appetite. I felt so worried that I would be harming my baby and gagged my way through meal times just to make sure I was eating something. It is actually very common for women to loose weight in the first few weeks of pregnancy due to nausea and sickness, so I was reassured by my doctor. As the sickness got better at around week 13/14, my appetite picked up and I was eating like my usual self. I just kept eating more and at around week 16 I had put on the half a stone I had lost and was back to 9st. I thought after that I would be steadily putting on a 1lb a week from the second trimester like all the books say, but nothing was happening. I couldn't understand why, as I now had a blossoming bump and bosoms out of control! I was worried that something was wrong with my tummy, and I wasn't able to provide nutrients to my baby and my mind went into over drive - as per usual. So at my 18 week check up with the consultant I voiced my concerns, and had some checks and a blood test and everything looked fine so I felt reassured. The doctor explained to me that it could just be poor absorption due to my Crohns and that the baby was sucking all the nutrients and goodness and leaving none for me. It was a relief to know that the baby was OK and everything was going well, the Dr's advice for me was to just eat calorie rich foods, so for breakfast I've been having avocado on toast, snacking on cashew nuts and having hearty lunches and dinners whilst snacking on fruit to keep my sugars up through the day.

Although I am still yet to put on weight at 19 and a half weeks, I feel more confident and relaxed knowing the baby is OK. I am eating as much as I can whenever I can and eating lots of good fats and calorific foods. TodayI have my 6 month check up appointment with my Gastroenterology Consultant, and will voice my concerns about medication and diet and hopefully she will have some advice and tips. It's really hard not to panic about everything, and I find I worry all the time being a first time expectant mother on top of having Crohns. I would worry if I was putting on too much weight just the same as not putting on weight, but I must try not to. I'm lucky to have such great midwifes and doctors that can advise me and reassure me otherwise I would be going into overdrive! I will be sure to share with you my meals and snacks on Instagram over the coming weeks and keep you up to date on my journey.

XOXO Crohnie Girl 

Crohnie Girl is Pregnant!

It still feels crazy to me saying it, but I am pregnant!! I can't even begin to explain how I feel... it's a total mixture of excitement, anxiety and disbelief. Given my health and situation, I didn't even know it would be a possibility for me to fall pregnant and I know it is probably a concern of many other IBD sufferers, so I felt it important to share.

I can remember right back to the beginning of my Crohns journey, there always being a big question mark over my gynaecological health. Due to the ongoing pain I was experiencing, the doctors could never be sure to rule out any ovarian problems. I had countless tests for endometriosis, laparoscopies, ultra sounds, STI tests, smear tests, blood tests; everything. I was also put on many different contraceptive pills to try and ease the pain and symptoms I was experiencing, only to find out after my Crohns diagnosis that the pill doesn't work for me as I can't absorb it. This made me question my fertility as I had effectively been on no contraception... A few times I had had loose fluid on my pelvis, which they couldn't determine where it had come from, whether it was a burst cyst or nothing to worry about, it always seemed to come back inconclusive. In all of my doctors appointments, it felt like there was this big elephant in the room. I was too afraid to ask questions, because I just felt better not knowing. I could kid myself into thinking it would be fine should I want children. Something I have always been sure of in my life is that I see children in my future, and the one thing I have always wanted to be is a mother. So the possibility of this not coming true, didn't bare thinking about.

After receiving my diagnosis of Crohns Disease and starting up all these strong medications, it felt like the ability of one day becoming a mother drifted further away, and I found it quite hard to get my head around at the age of 21. Again, I just pushed it to the back of my mind. I didn't speak to anyone about my concerns at the time, not my mum, not my boyfriend, I just pretended I wasn't bothered and could kid myself into thinking it would be fine. My mum has recently told me, that one day when I was in the hospital in absolute agony, the doctors assuming I had Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, her heart was breaking for me thinking I could never have children and thinking how could she help, her and my sister had decided she could be a surrogate for me which makes me feel so emotional now to think she could be that selfless. I had no idea at the time my mum had these concerns, she obviously didn't want to worry me either. She was also pretending it wasn't an issue and everything would be fine.

In the years after my initial diagnosis, I've been on intensive steroid courses countless times, I've been on azathioprine the whole time (a drug previously used as a type of chemotherapy) and so poorly at times, the idea of ever starting a family seemed near enough impossible. I remember in one of my check ups with the consultant her saying to me "you should have children now if you want them, now is the best time while you are young". Although she was saying it in a nice way, it made me feel like she too believed it could be a struggle for me, if not impossible left too late. But I was 21/22 and not ready, and feeling so poorly I couldn't even look after myself let alone a baby. What good would I bring to a baby? All my worries and concerns were just stirred round and I felt so unsure about it. Again, I pushed it to the back of my mind.

Last year, I moved in with my boyfriend of 5 years and it felt like a big step in our relationship. Everyone around us seemed to be getting engaged, starting families and I just hoped deep down that one day it would be possible for us. I tried not to give too much thought to it, as it would just end up in me being upset and stressed - which we all know isn't good for Crohns! So I just enjoyed what was going on in my life at the time and lived in the moment. We had a lovely home, and were looking forward to nice holidays with friends and making memories. We hosted our first Christmas at home which was so much fun and a success and I felt truly content. Then not long after Christmas I missed my period... initially I wasn't too concerned, I did pregnancy tests all the time at the doctors and was always checked in my regular blood tests etc so I didn't think much of it. I had a cheap test in the basket in the bathroom so decided to take it just to rule it out. Not even thinking it was a possibility, a faint pink line appeared.. (my heart is racing writing about it now!) I was confused.. what did this mean? surely it's not right, it's only a £1 cheapy test, it must be wrong, it's too faint to be positive, nope not pregnant. But what if I was .... omg I'm not ready, I'm too scared, what will my boyfriend say, I feel faint. All these thoughts were going round my head and I felt SO panicked. I got up, and went down the stairs, plucking up the courage to tell my boyfriend what I had just done. My whole body was vibrating I was so nervous! "Morning babe, you alright?"... my reply was unheard through sobs of tears! He was comforting me saying "it's OK don't worry we can sort it", but he wasn't understanding what I was saying... "I think I might be pregnant" I managed to get out through stifled sobs. To then his reaction changed, he initially thought I'd said "I've sh*t myself" ... LOL!!! Well I had, but not literally!! He immediately was so excited, so so happy and elated which made me feel reassured although still scared. He had had concerns as well that it would never happen for us, so I think although scared and in a state of shock, it was just such a relief to know it was possible for me to get pregnant. The whole day was a bit of a blur in honesty, I just couldn't get my head around it. I really couldn't believe it. I didn't feel like I could be excited yet, I just still felt so scared. I did three more tests in the next days all coming back positive... so then we were certain, yep we are doing this.

First off I called my doctor and my consultant, I was so worried about all the medication and if it would harm the baby and what I needed to do. I was told to stay on everything, although one got changed to a lower dose. I was told that I might have to come off of the azathioprine in the last trimester as it could affect the baby's immune system but other than that it was more beneficial to stay on them, than come off and risk a flare. For the following weeks I felt like I was in this little bubble, I was so conscious of being careful and doing everything right. First off I didn't feel too bad, fatigue is one of the main symptoms of Crohns anyway, I was used to that! Around week 6 things really amped up... I was spending every lunch break in the medical room because I was so exhausted, I would come home from work and fall asleep on the sofa, and then the sickness... oh my the sickness. When people say 'Morning Sickness' you'd think you just feel a bit sick in the morning, my god it is so much more than that! 24/7 for 6 solid weeks I felt nauseous. Even at 11pm lying in bed trying to sleep I would have to run to the toilet. I tried everything to help, ginger tea, ginger biscuits and I can't really say any of it made a difference. I could hardly eat anything, even putting my toothbrush in my mouth made me gag. Being so tired and feeling so ill, then resulted in an appearance of my Crohns symptoms and I started passing blood. This made me SO worried as you can imagine, but following doctors advice, I just upped my fluid intake and rested. I really didn't want to go down the steroid route, as I was worried about it harming the baby so I took a couple of days off work to relax and catch up on sleep and that really did me good and the symptoms began to ease. From being so ill I had lost about 6lbs, which was just making me feel weaker. I bought some travel sickness bands which really were a turning point. Although the sickness didn't completely go, it dramatically improved and I was able to eat more. Jacket potatoes were my go to!

During the first few weeks I was just relaxing and taking it easy, although we did have a ski trip booked! I didn't ski, but it was actually really nice to get away and relax and enjoy some time together. We had our first midwife appointment just before we went away, which was really exciting and made everything really feel real. We began to fill in our antenatal book and got given a due date and future appointments. The next appointment was our '12 week scan' which was just simply amazing. The first 12 weeks you don't have much to go by other than how you feel, so even though the sickness and nausea was horrible, it was reassuring. I felt nervous driving to the 12 week scan and just hoping that everything was alright. When the sonographer switched on the screen and we saw our little baby it really was unbelievable. To see this little tiny human that was right inside my tummy was completely astounding. To see it moving its arms and legs, its heart beating, it turning around in my tummy.. I just can't even describe how I felt. All the concerns I once had just completely disappeared. This baby was mine, in my tummy, it was real. It was magic. We felt completely over the moon elated and knowing that everything was OK and the baby was healthy, we couldn't wait to tell our friends and family.

So now I am 15 weeks and 2 days and my baby is quickly growing in my tummy, and knowing that and seeing my bump grow every day feels like a real dream come true. I can't believe it every day. It is the best accident to ever happen and I thank my lucky stars it has happened. Although at the time of finding out I was scared, overwhelmed and anxious, I really do believe that everything happens for a reason and this is just all part of God's plan. I don't want this post to make anyone feel down that they aren't pregnant yet, or worry more that they can't fall pregnant, I want it to be positive and inspiring for people having those concerns. I had all those concerns myself, but life is a miracle, and miracles happen every single day. So keep strong, keep positive, and stay healthy.

XOXO Crohnie Girl