Helen George opens up about pregnancy complication in moving throwback post
Call The Midwife star Helen George has opened up about suffering with a health condition during the late stage of her pregnancy last year.
The actor, who plays Nurse Trixie Franklin in Call The Midwife, gave birth to her daughter Wren Ivy in late 2017 and is now urging others to be vigilant about the condition which affected her pregnancy.
A post shared by Helen George (@helenrgeorge) on Jul 3, 2018 at 11:46pm PDT
Alongside an image of herself in a central London hospital room, Helen wrote:
"This was me just over a year ago, gowned up and showing off my bump in Big Ben’s gaze. The day before we had been out walking the dog when I had the feeling of my blood literally boiling, and an itchiness all over my body even in my ears and in my eyes. I had scratched myself so much that my shellac nail varnish had chipped and I was black and blue from bruising.”
Helen knew ICP ran in her family and that she had a 50/50 chance of having it during her own pregnancy. She called the charity ICP Support and was told to head to hospital to have her bloods checked.
“I tried to brush [it] off, we had a roast chicken in the oven which I REALLY wanted to eat first. But I went… and within 24 hours Wren was delivered. It wasn’t my “perfect birth”. My nail varnish was chipped in all of the photos, my overnight bag was lacking in everything I needed, but Wren was safe, 3 weeks early,” Helen went on.
Helen ended the message by inviting her followers to a fundraising event she is hosting for the charity ICP Support, which she is patron of.
A post shared by Helen George (@helenrgeorge) on Oct 21, 2018 at 3:42am PDT
ICP: What does the NHS say?
Itching is common in pregnancy and is usually thought to be caused by raised levels of certain chemicals in the blood, such as hormones. As a bump grows, the skin of the tummy is stretched and this may also feel itchy. However, itching can be a symptom of a liver condition called intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP), also known as obstetric cholestasis (OC). ICP needs medical attention and it affects 1 in 140 pregnant women in the UK, according to the NHS.
The main symptom of ICP is itching, usually without a rash. For many women with ICP, the itching is often more noticeable on the hands and feet, but can be all over the body. It is also often unbearable and worse at night, but it can be mild.
Other symptoms can include dark urine, pale poo and - less commonly - yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice).
If you have these symptoms, you should call your midwife or GP.
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