Ignoring Intense Itching During Pregnancy Could Cause a Stillbirth

Health | Did You Know

Ignoring Intense Itching During Pregnancy Could Cause a Stillbirth

Pregnancy does a lot of strange things to your body that you may have never experienced before. From heartburn to nausea, body aches and trouble sleeping, growing a human can take its toll on you.

For one mom, a complaint on Facebook could have actually saved the life of her unborn baby just weeks away from delivery.

Now she is warning other pregnant moms, not to ignore this sign that could harm their child.

Facebook

After mentioning that her pregnancy was making her hands and feet extremely itchy, she was urged by online readers to seek medical attention. That's when she discovered that she has a condition that could have caused a stillbirth after 37 weeks gestation- just weeks away from a typical birth.

"The itching was so severe that I would wake up and I wouldn't be able to go back to bed, and my legs and arms were scabbed and bleeding from the uncontrollable need to scratch," Christina told CBS News.

At first she thought the itching was a result of typical pregnancy stretching and from moving to a drier climate- from Louisana to Michigan.

Christina DePino was diagnosed with cholestasis, which affects the mother's biliary system. While harmless to the mom, if left untreated it can cause babies to die in utero.

"My doctor explained that while not all the reasons are understood, after 37 weeks, patients with ICP are at a very high risk of having a stillborn," Christina explained. "He also explained that induction was still my choice, as it is possible to carry a baby to full term and not have a stillborn."

She set course of treatment with her OB and decided to induce labor at 37 weeks in order to reduce the risk to the baby.

Lexa Rae, a healthy baby girl, was delivered to 2 very proud and grateful parents.

Facebook

"Don't ignore the itch," she said. "A simple blood test could save your baby's life."