I’m just gonna say it:
Seeing the words ulcerative colitis pregnancy together used to make my stomach drop — and not in a cute “butterfly” way.
More like, oh great, my colon and hormones are about to argue like two toddlers fighting over an iPad.

I thought pregnancy alone was hard.
I thought ulcerative colitis alone was hard.

But putting them together?
Yeah… at first, it felt like trying to juggle fire while someone keeps giving you more torches.

Not gonna lie — I was terrified.
Terrified of flares.
Terrified of meds.
Terrified of eating anything that might “set things off.”
Terrified of scrolling forums where people act like pregnancy with UC is either doom or magic, no in-between.

But the truth I eventually found?
It’s messy.
It’s unpredictable.
It’s full of “wait, is THIS normal?” moments.

And yet… it’s manageable.
Surprisingly manageable, actually.

Let me walk you through the real stuff — the stuff no doctor appointment, no pamphlet, no cheesy mommy blog ever prepared me for.

1. The First Trimester Was Not What I Expected At All

I thought my first trimester with UC was going to be a disaster.

Everyone online says the same thing: “Morning sickness makes your UC flare.”

“Hormones make your gut angry.”

“Be prepared for the worst.”

Yeah, cool.
Awesome.
Great pep talk, internet.

But do you know what actually happened?

My UC… got quieter.
Like it went on vacation.

I don’t know if it was hormones or the fact that I was too nauseous to eat anything irritating, but my gut went from “angry gremlin” to “sleepy house cat.”

Still, there were surprises:

✔️ The nausea was REAL

And sometimes I couldn’t tell if I was nauseous from pregnancy…
or from UC…
or from anxiety about UC…
or from the internet telling me I should be anxious.

✔️ Bathroom trips got weird

Not diarrhea.
Not constipation.
Just… weird.
Like my body was rebooting and forgot what the default setting was.

✔️ Foods randomly betrayed me

Bananas were fine one day.
Poison the next.
Why?
No clue.

I messed this up early — I tried changing my entire diet in week three because one day I had cramping after breakfast.
Don’t do that.
Pregnancy already messes with your digestion.
Not every stomach rumble is a flare.

If I could go back, I’d tell myself: “Chill. Your body is confused, not collapsing.”

2. Medication Was the Most Stressful Part (But Also the Most Important)

This part made me cry more times than I’d like to admit.

Every time I looked at my UC meds during early pregnancy, I’d freeze.

My brain said: “Protect the baby.”

My colon said: “Protect the colon.”

And honestly?
I didn’t know which voice to listen to.

I read too much online.
I googled late at night like an absolute fool.
Every website contradicted the last.

Here’s what I finally realized:

Stopping meds is often more dangerous than staying on them.

Flares hit harder during pregnancy.
Inflammation is the enemy, not the medication.

Nobody told me that the stress of not knowing can actually trigger symptoms too.

I finally sat with a doctor who explained things in plain English and I swear I almost sobbed from relief.

The big lesson: “A controlled gut is safer than an untreated flare.”

I didn’t expect that clarity to calm me down so much.

3. Flares During Pregnancy Feel Different (And I Thought I Was Imagining It)

This honestly surprised me.
My flares didn’t feel like “normal” UC flares.

They were:

• shorter

• more random

• triggered by weird things

• mixed with pregnancy hormones

• confusing as hell

It wasn’t the classic UC pain.
It was more like… “Is this a flare? Is this pregnancy? Is this gas? Is this a baby foot poking my intestines? Hello??”

The worst part was the overthinking.
Every cramp felt like a crisis.
Every bathroom trip felt like a test I was failing.

Here’s what helped me tell the difference:

Pregnancy Gut Drama

• gas

• bloating

• slow digestion

• weird poop texture

• mild cramps

UC Flare Drama

• urgency

• mucus

• blood

• that “heavy” bowel feeling

• multiple bathroom trips in a row

I learned the nuance slowly.
And sometimes I still got it wrong.

But that’s okay.

Bodies during pregnancy are chaotic.
It’s not a moral failure.
Just… biology doing weird biology things.

4. Second Trimester Felt Like a Plot Twist I Didn’t See Coming

Everyone told me: “Second trimester is the easy one!”

And honestly?
They weren’t lying.

My energy went up.
My gut stabilized.
My appetite felt normal-ish.

But my UC… decided to get playful.

Not in a dangerous way.
More like:

• random cramps

• occasional urgency

• weird diarrhea every few weeks

• mild constipation between

It wasn’t a flare.
It wasn’t normal.
It was just… pregnancy rules.

The funniest part?

My colon moved.

Literally.
The baby pushed everything upward.

Suddenly my flares felt like they were happening in a completely different area.
It was disorienting as hell.

I’d poke my belly like: “Hey… you good in there? Can we NOT press on the colon today?”

But second trimester taught me something huge:

Pregnancy and UC don’t always make each other worse. Sometimes they neutralize each other.

Didn’t expect that at all.

5. Third Trimester Was… A Whole Circus

The third trimester was when I realized my colon had absolutely no respect for personal space.

Everything was crowded.
Everything was compressed.
Everything felt… full.

Here’s what hit the hardest:

1. Bathroom trips doubled

Sometimes from UC.
Sometimes from the baby pressing on things.
Sometimes from drinking too much water.

2. Urgency came back

But not like a flare.
More like, “There’s no room in here, MOVE.”

3. Constipation showed up randomly

Possibly from iron.
Possibly from gravity.
Possibly because pregnancy is messy.

4. Hemorrhoids

Yeah.
Let’s not talk about it.

5. Anxiety peaked

Because I kept thinking:
“What if I flare during labor?”

Spoiler:
I didn’t.
Most people don’t.

Your body somehow prioritizes the baby in the weirdest, most magical way.

6. Labor With Ulcerative Colitis Was Not the Horror Story I Expected

Okay, real talk.

I spent MONTHS terrified about labor with UC.

I imagined:

• flaring in the delivery room

• losing control

• pain layered on pain

• needing emergency meds

• doctors giving me judgemental looks

None of that happened.

What actually happened shocked me:

My UC went silent for a whole 48 hours.

Like my colon was like: “Alright, I’m gonna sit this one out. Good luck.”

Adrenaline does weird, magical things.
The body knows the priority at that moment.

And if you’re wondering…

Yes, pooping during labor is normal.

And no, nobody cares.
They literally see it every day.

That was one of my biggest fears… and it turned out to be nothing.

7. Postpartum Is Where Things Get Real (And Nobody Warned Me)

This… was the hardest part.
Not pregnancy.
Not labor.

Postpartum.

Your hormones drop.
Your stress rises.
Your sleep disappears.
Your schedule evaporates.
Your gut goes: “What the hell is happening??”

My UC flared six weeks after delivery.
Not severely — but enough that I knew it was inflammation and not pregnancy leftovers.

I blamed myself at first.
Like I should’ve been stronger or calmer or more organized.

But the truth?

Postpartum UC flares are incredibly common.

Your body is recovering from EVERYTHING at once.

Here’s what helped me regain control:

• eating warm, easy-to-digest foods

• staying hydrated like it was my job

• taking meds consistently

• asking for help (this was huge)

• walking every day

• not catastrophizing every symptom

It wasn’t perfect.
But it worked.

8. The Emotional Rollercoaster Is Real (And Valid)

Honestly, nobody prepares you for the mental side of ulcerative colitis pregnancy.

There’s:

• fear

• guilt

• shame

• frustration

• confusion

• anger

• hope

• more confusion

• and sometimes… relief

I went from: “I can do this.”

to “Why is this happening to me?”

to “Okay, maybe it’s not that bad.”

to “Oh god, is this a flare or did I drink milk too fast?”

It’s messy.
It’s not linear.
And it’s not your fault.

You’re dealing with TWO unpredictable systems at once:

hormones + inflammation

Of course things get complicated.

But you’re tougher than you think.

9. What I Wish Someone Told Me Before All This

Just gonna lay these out simply.

These are my real takeaways — the things I wish someone had whispered to me at the beginning:

✔️ You can have a healthy pregnancy with UC

It’s more common than you think.

✔️ Controlled UC is safer than no meds

This one is huge.

✔️ Flares do NOT automatically happen

Don’t assume the worst.

✔️ Not every stomach symptom is UC

Pregnancy messes with digestion.
That’s normal.

✔️ Stress makes flares worse

Even the fear of flaring can cause symptoms.

✔️ You’re allowed to ask for help

You’re doing twice the work of a typical pregnancy.

✔️ Your body wants to protect your baby

It reorganizes itself — sometimes beautifully.

✔️ Postpartum is the real challenge

Plan for that phase more than the pregnancy.

✔️ You’re not weak

You’re navigating something incredibly complex and doing your best.

So yeah… pregnancy with ulcerative colitis is a whole ride.
It’s confusing, it’s emotional, it’s unpredictable — but it’s nowhere near as impossible or terrifying as I once thought.

If you’re going through it now?
You’re not alone.

Your body is doing something extraordinary on top of something already hard.
Give it grace.
Give yourself patience.
Give your gut time to figure out the chaos.

And if you ever doubt yourself, remember this:

You’ve gotten through every flare, every setback, and every hard moment so far.
You’ll get through this too — even if it’s messy, even if it’s emotional, even if it doesn’t look “perfect.”