Pregnancy with a stoma

It gives me so much joy to type this blog; I do so with a heart full of joy, gratitude, and appreciation. At the age of 34, I did not think I would have a second child following a divorce and stoma surgery. Yes, plenty of people do go on to have another family with their stoma having minimal negative effects, but I didn’t think I would be as lucky for it to happen to little old me. I type this as I come to the end of my first trimester, 12 weeks down, and time has gone so fast! My partner and I are super excited to see our little miracle already, and my son is becoming a big brother. A very exciting time for all! In this blog post, we will look a little deeper at pregnancy with a stoma and how it differs from regular pregnancy.

The first month was days spent feeling constantly sick, not actually being sick, for which I am grateful, as some really do suffer. We knew within 2 weeks we were expecting due to the sickness, and that line on the stick was certainly a surprise, but one we welcomed with open arms. Being pregnant with a child already is quite different, I soon found out! The tiredness and feeling so sick every day was exhausting to hide, as we waited until it was the right time to tell my little man. Thankfully, the sickness stopped around 10 weeks.

One symptom I did not expect (which, on reflection, should have been obvious) was pains in the lower abdomen and around my stoma site. During my first pregnancy, I didn’t have a stoma, and since then I have had two surgeries. Due to scar tissue, my womb has attached itself to my lower back. Having no large intestine and the shifts that take place, teamed with a lot of scar tissue, was a worry. Not knowing why the pains were occurring at first and expecting the worst, my GP booked me for a scan on the early pregnancy unit at the local hospital, and all was alleviated. Baby was growing nicely, flickering like an ember at 5 weeks. They explained it was common after multiple surgeries that scar tissue can cause pains with the changes your body is going through. I had to relax and go with it to avoid being on alert, stressed, and worried all the time.

I made a phone call to the local stoma nurse department, asking them what to expect during my first pregnancy with a stoma. They didn’t have much to say other than, from using a firm convex one-piece bag now, I will need to change my bag as my bump grows. My stoma sits quite close to the skin, so I may see it get slightly bigger, and the need for a convex fit may be gone. This is something I will monitor as time goes on. I don’t suffer from leaks unless I have eaten something I know my stoma can’t digest, so if and when that starts to be a regular thing, I will know that my bag needs to change. I am still using my trusty eakin freeseal^® around my stoma, the same I have used for a few years, so will continue to rely on them.

Having done some research into pregnancy with a stoma, there isn’t much to be found in terms of medical advice. Some social media accounts document experiences, and most of the time any difficulties are non-stoma related. Scar tissue pains and needing to change bags have been most common. However, plenty have said they haven’t experienced much difference. This can be down to a number of reasons, such as the number of surgeries had, and how other medical conditions contribute. Advice I was given by the stoma nurse was that apart from the above, it shouldn’t change anything, which makes it hard to wrap your head around, knowing your stoma is directly where your body is rapidly growing.

Depending on how many surgeries you have had and how your internal organs sit, it will dictate if you will experience any pain or discomfort along the way. Anything you are not sure of, seek medical advice straight away. I was asked by my GP if I wanted an early scan due to the pains, despite him saying he thought it was just due to scar tissue. I said yes to the scan because I knew I would worry, and I need to be mentally at my strongest in order to support myself during this pregnancy and my existing family. I will document my journey along the way on my Instagram account @gutsy.mum, and if you have had a pregnancy with a stoma, I would love to hear from you!

Until next time,
Rach (@gutsy.mum) x