The story of Katie
From the beginning I had an awful pregnancy. I just always felt awful, I couldnt eat anything all I could do was drink Coca-Cola. I was about 20 weeks and started itching i remember being at work and it was just awful and everyone was like kate your crazy. I googled itchy and pregnant and ICP came up and we all doubted that I had that. Finally I called the Doctor, she said its probably fine but if I was still itchy over the weekend to go to the ER to have blood drawn because it takes about a week for results. Well, that weekend I was dying I mean it felt like a zillion misquitos bit me all over I couldn’t stop I was going to cut my feet off at night. I went to the ER the Doctor there said there is absolutly no way you have ICP he said its dry skin but drew my blood anyway. He came in about an hour later and said: ‘you have ICP we can’t confirm it right now but your liver enzymes are very high they sent blood for a bile acid test’ and that I would know in a week. In the mean time I got a steriod injection to jump start the babies lungs, they started me on ursodiol. Ursodiol which my insurance company would not pay for (I payed $500 for the first month), the only medication proven to save my baby and they wanted me to try something else. I ended up finding coupons and the mediaction got a little cheaper that way.
My bile acid came back at 40 it was high. I spent my next couple of weeks walking around with a hair brush just itching, I had to see the Doctor. Every week the high risk dr. Every week, I had to have an ultrasound and two non stress tests.The good news was I was eating 2 whoppers a day! I was up all night crying soaking my feet in freezing water opening my windows in the winter then worrying because the baby wasn’t moving. I ended up getting preclamsia which got me hsopitalized twice and finally at 32 weeks they decided it was safer to get this baby out. They started me on magnesium I literally had to close one eye to focus it defintetly messed me up. They gave me cervidil twice, it didn’t do much, do you know how far up your cervix is when your body is not ready to have a baby? Elbow deep. I also had to have the baby at a teaching hospital (they had the NICU) so everyone was elbow deep in my vagina. Finally they decided after 3 days it was better to stop checking me and leave me alone for a while. I had a foley cath put in (ouch!) and pitocin started. Finally, on almost day 4, I started feeling contractions at this point I wasn’t in labor but I was tired. I felt like my insides were ripping apart and they just broke my water and I couldnt pee in a bin so I got the epideral it was amazing the nurse and anesthesiologist were so good it was like I knew them forever, we were talking and then the fear in the nurses eyes she started yelling and everyone came running to me, they were all over trying to find the babies heart beat they couldn’t. They rushed me into the O.R. I remember looking at the ceiling on the way and praying and then thinking it was a greys anatomy episode there was a Doctor ready to cut me open and bam they found her heart beat! Thank god! For the next half hour I lay tied down in the operating room teeth chattering waiting for my Doctor to get there just listening to the babies heart bea. The anesthesiologist showed me pictures of her dog to waste time. My Doctor finally came and said what would you like to do I said cut her out now! I dont know how to explain a csection I didn’t get to have her lay on my chest coming out but I did have the relief of knowing she was out and breathing my husband got a picture of her on his phone so I did get to see that I went to recovery she went to the NICU. The day my daughter was born is a blur, I couldn’t focus on anything I think my magnesium was too high, my signature on her birth certificate looks a mess. At about 10pm I felt like I was able to get up and go see my beautiful little girl! She did have to stay in the NICU for 3 weeks as she had trouble digesting her food but I thank god everyday for this beautiful gift he has given me! I also don’t think I could have made it without the itchy moms on facebook its amazing how just hearing other people are going through it with you helps! If anyone is pregnant and itchy please have them get checked about 6 months after having my baby, a girl from high school mentioned she was itchy…..I told her about ICP and she had it!! #itchymomsrock