Cholestasis.

The first time I heard about this word was in my gynae’s regular appointment. Earlier I had complained of my feet itching, especially at night, and she had done a blood test. She called me and explained that bile acid level in my blood was at a high. Since the infant inside is eating it, it is dangerous. We need to monitor the infant more and more. I felt anxious, speechless, sad, and at the end of my world. Cholestasis is a rare condition. I kept thinking by myself. It is a very helpless situation.I pulled myself together and decided to face it. She gave me some medicines, which were to be had two to three times a day. She asked me to reduce my salt intake and to keep on feeling the baby’s movement. That was my cue. I was in the middle of my third trimester, my baby-moon phase and this ruined everything for me.

Instead of being happy and enjoying my first pregnancy, I was scared. There were a lot of CTGs that would go to the gynae two to three times a week and get your one-hour or two-hour CTGs recorded. Due the blood test every week, check the levels, and keep on tracking them so that you are closely watching the baby. I even met one or two doctors to get a second opinion, and everyone said, “This is how it needs to be done. Just go with it.”The journey was tough, extremely tough, but I kept myself positive. I kept talking to the baby inside. I kept telling her, “It will all be fine, don’t worry.” I followed my gynae’s advice to the letter without googling.

Well, I did Google and found out that the worst can also happen in this case, but I kept my spirits high. One time the report didn’t come out well for the baby’s growth, and the doctor said it’s time. We welcomed our baby about 3 to 4 weeks before the due date. Once the baby was born, this condition vanished into thin air.

Cholestasis typically recurs if you have another baby, which I did—and sure enough, it came back. My second delivery was more dramatic than the first one. Cholestasis was detected late in my 3rd trimester. My condition was so much worse that the doctors had to quickly operate and get the baby out. Thankfully everything went well.