Helen Owen
Helen's giving up her favourite treats for ICP Support
Fundraising for ICP Support
Story
Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.
I am raising money for a pregnancy related condition so I thought I would give up 3 different things that I thoroughly enjoy for 3 months each to represent the 3 trimesters of pregnancy.
1st Jan to 31st March, no wine!
1st April to 30th June, no cake!!
1st July to 30th September, no chocolate!!!
Not sure which I will miss most!
I wanted to do something after suffering with Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP), also known as obstetric cholestasis (OC) when pregnant with both Rosie and Jacob. I want to help build awareness of the condition while also helping to raise money for a charity that supports those affected and undertakes research to protect future babies. ICP can lead to premature labour and sadly in some cases stillborn babies. The main symptom of ICP is itching which can be mild or severe, each experience can be different. I had never heard of ICP before my diagnosis so I feel it is really important more awareness is raised and more is learnt about the condition.
When pregnant with Rosie I had very severe itching on my hands and feet so much so I scratched until my skin was raw and broken and it kept me up at night. I had not heard of ICP at that point so didn’t think to mention it to my Midwife until it was really bad, I simply thought it was heat rash. I was diagnosed on a Friday at 37 weeks and 5 days and was booked in to be induced the following Monday due to the risks ICP presented to Rosie.
With Jacob I was already aware of the symptoms of ICP and that it’s likeky to reoccur in future pregnancies if you have had it previously. This time my itching was all over my body but only mild, none the less I was diagnosed with ICP at about 35 weeks pregnant. My symptoms were managed by support from various wonderful NHS staff. Again due to the risks of still birth Jacob’s birth was brought forward and he was born at 37 weeks and 3 days. Although it’s not 100% confirmed, research suggests that Jacobs breathing difficulties and reason he had to fight for his life is connected to me suffering with ICP. Thankfully with the help of lots of amazing NHS staff, medicine and equipment he was discharged home from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit after 9 days.
I am very fortunate that both my babies were born alive and I treasure them every day because this is sadly not the case for everyone with ICP so I hope to raise awareness of the condition and also raise money to help fund further research. More research may help Rosie one day, she went from having the normal less than 1% chance of having the condition to now 14% chance if she ever has children because the condition is known to be passed down .
Thank you for reading about my experience and visiting my page. I would love if you could donate anything at all to support me to achieve my goal (and make giving up my favourite treats worth it)!
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
I am raising money for a pregnancy related condition so I thought I would give up 3 different things that I thoroughly enjoy for 3 months each to represent the 3 trimesters of pregnancy.
1st Jan to 31st March, no wine!
1st April to 30th June, no cake!!
1st July to 30th September, no chocolate!!!
Not sure which I will miss most!
I wanted to do something after suffering with Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP), also known as obstetric cholestasis (OC) when pregnant with both Rosie and Jacob. I want to help build awareness of the condition while also helping to raise money for a charity that supports those affected and undertakes research to protect future babies. ICP can lead to premature labour and sadly in some cases stillborn babies. The main symptom of ICP is itching which can be mild or severe, each experience can be different. I had never heard of ICP before my diagnosis so I feel it is really important more awareness is raised and more is learnt about the condition.
When pregnant with Rosie I had very severe itching on my hands and feet so much so I scratched until my skin was raw and broken and it kept me up at night. I had not heard of ICP at that point so didn’t think to mention it to my Midwife until it was really bad, I simply thought it was heat rash. I was diagnosed on a Friday at 37 weeks and 5 days and was booked in to be induced the following Monday due to the risks ICP presented to Rosie.
With Jacob I was already aware of the symptoms of ICP and that it’s likeky to reoccur in future pregnancies if you have had it previously. This time my itching was all over my body but only mild, none the less I was diagnosed with ICP at about 35 weeks pregnant. My symptoms were managed by support from various wonderful NHS staff. Again due to the risks of still birth Jacob’s birth was brought forward and he was born at 37 weeks and 3 days. Although it’s not 100% confirmed, research suggests that Jacobs breathing difficulties and reason he had to fight for his life is connected to me suffering with ICP. Thankfully with the help of lots of amazing NHS staff, medicine and equipment he was discharged home from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit after 9 days.
I am very fortunate that both my babies were born alive and I treasure them every day because this is sadly not the case for everyone with ICP so I hope to raise awareness of the condition and also raise money to help fund further research. More research may help Rosie one day, she went from having the normal less than 1% chance of having the condition to now 14% chance if she ever has children because the condition is known to be passed down .
Thank you for reading about my experience and visiting my page. I would love if you could donate anything at all to support me to achieve my goal (and make giving up my favourite treats worth it)!
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.