Shared Stories of Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy (ICP)
Meghan, Arizona
The ICP Care website alone, when I was first diagnosed, was incredibly helpful and provided me with great guidance on what to expect. When the itching first began during my pregnancy with Oaklee, it didn’t seem like much. It was early fall, and the scorching Arizona...
Julie Anderson, Florida
I had a relatively normal pregnancy; however, I did see a Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist (MFM) doctor from my second trimester on. It wasn’t until Memorial Day weekend that I started to get this horrendous itch all over my belly. I honestly assumed it was from my...
Jenapher Blair, Minnesota
My first diagnosis was in 2008. I presented with itchy palms at approx. 30/32 weeks. My OB at the time actually had no idea what was going on and seemed very distraught. I remember her saying "I've never seen this before but I remember reading about it in school, let...
Nicole Plunkett, Chicago, IL
If it wasn’t for ICP Care, I don’t think I would have mentally been able to cope with my diagnosis as well as I did. ICP Care gave me the evidence-based resources and support groups allowing me to ask questions in the Facebook group to advocate for my baby compared to...
Pamela Durden, Maryland
At around eight months, I started developing itchy skin all over my body. I did not think much about it as I thought it was due to dry skin or my skin stretching due to pregnancy.
Angelina’s ICP Story, West Virginia
I first developed intense itching on my hands and feet five days after testing positive for COVID. I contacted my midwife and she sent in orders for blood work, which came back elevated (20.7) for bile acids, and in a normal range for liver enzymes. I was diagnosed...
Signs and Symptoms of Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy: One Mom’s Story
My name is Ashley Bonnes; I am the Illinois Ambassador for ICP Care. My ICP (Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy) story started in 2018 while pregnant with our son.
Myra Miracle Nze, Canada
It had been a difficult pregnancy - with Hyperemesis Gravidarum plaguing me in the first trimester to dealing with Intraheptic Cholestatis of Pregnancy. My ICP journey began in my third trimester, itching from all parts of my body that left my partner and I confused,...
Angel Smith, South Carolina
I started experiencing itching at 30 weeks with my second pregnancy. At the time I experienced the symptoms, I also was waiting back for results for gestational diabetes. From doing an online search, I saw that Cholestasis of Pregnancy may be a possible cause of the...
Amelia’s ICP Story
The nurse practitioners casual tone shifted and she implored me to alert her if this happened again or did not improve. I told her that it really had not improved much but was manageable during the day. At this time, despite, nine years of education and 2 years of residency in health care I had never heard of ICP and had no idea that my itchy hands could be more than an allergy.
Erika’s ICP Story
I had a pretty normal pregnancy, up until about 21 weeks, when one morning I woke up with an unbearable itch all over my body. I made an appointment with my doctor, the next day he did labs
on my liver panel and bile acids.
Hannah’s ICP Story
My name is Hannah and I live in Columbus, Ohio. My back started itching when I was about 20 weeks pregnant with my second kiddo, a boy we’d name Asher, in October 2020. A whole lot of intuition and some quick googling led me to guess ICP and I quickly had my levels...
My ICP Story: Baby Loss, Journey to My Rainbow Baby and Learning to Swim the Waves of Grief
My 35 week appointment was cancelled due to Covid. When I called in Tuesday questioning Laylee Joy’s movements, my nurse who I had seen for every appointment said it was normal for babies to have sleepy days.
Jennie Terranova, Oregon
I’ll never forget the night of September 21, 2017, the first day of my third trimester of pregnancy with my son Pablo Valentine. I remember so vividly being weak on the bathroom floor with bile coming out from both ends. It was yellow, acidic, and burned like nothing...
Christa Jensen, Utah
At about 30 weeks, I began itching and asked my doctor about it. I was itchy everywhere. He told me to avoid hot baths and take benedryl. At 33 weeks, I went to an all you can eat buffet and that night I could not sleep because the itching was so bad. Finally about...
Lindsey Duclos, New York
I woke up in a fog with a strange feeling that I wasn’t pregnant anymore. Almost like I woke up in the middle of a dream. I reached down and my belly was still there, but I couldn’t shake this weird feeling. I was 39 weeks along with a perfect pregnancy. There was no...
Kelly Bailey, USA
My first pregnancy was smooth and easy. I didn’t even have the infamous nausea. I carried my baby to full term and delivered our little girl at 41 weeks. Two years later, I was pregnant with our second baby and everything seemed to be on par with my first pregnancy,...
Ashlee Barnes, Michigan
My ICP journey began with my first pregnancy at 5 weeks gestation. I found out that I was pregnant at 4 weeks gestation, a week later I began to persistently itch. I spoke with a local emergency room nurse early on, my OB, a new OB and made countless trips to OB...
Stephanie Nuñez, California
It was week 28 when I started itching. One night, I was so itchy I googled “intense itching during pregnancy”. First thing that popped up was “Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy”! After reading about it, I knew I had it. I remember telling family, I think I have...
Pregnancy Stories Shared by ICP Care Volunteers
Katelyn VerMerris
My connection to ICP Care is deeply personal. During my first pregnancy, I only knew to talk to my doctor about my itchy legs because of a story from a friend of a friend. I didn’t know anyone who had experienced cholestasis in pregnancy before that. I relied heavily...
Adrienne Butler
My name is Adrienne Butler and I am the proud mother to three children (born in 2017, 2021, and 2024). I was diagnosed with ICP in 2021 at 33 weeks with bile acids in the 40s, which jumped to 100 by the time I was 35 1/2 weeks. I had itchy feet and assumed it was from...
Taylor Haldeman
My journey with ICP began in January 2023 during my first pregnancy. Overall, I felt great during this pregnancy until I was diagnosed with COVID-19 at 38 weeks and 6 days. I can vividly recall how terrible I felt during that time, with common symptoms on top of being...
Damia Petrie
My ICP journey began in May of 2024, when I woke up, at 33 weeks & 2 days pregnant, SO itchy. It was all over my body, including the palms of my hands. An hour & a half into my shift at work, I was so itchy I had claw marks on my arms and legs from scratching...
Kristine Koenig
I am the proud mom of my itchy baby, Petey, and currently expecting a daughter in August 2024. My cholestasis story began when I was diagnosed at 21 weeks gestation during my pregnancy with Petey, back in 2020. Friends told me itching was normal, but I knew the level...
April Hubbard
Hi! My name is April Hubbard. I am a Volunteer with ICP Care. I am passionate about raising awareness of ICP—what the disorder is, what it means, what it can do, and why proper treatment in pregnancy is important! I have three beautiful children on earthside. My...
Meredith Zadd
My cholestasis of pregnancy journey began at 33 weeks one sunny Monday afternoon with severe upper quadrant pain and intense itching. Later that night, I was the itchiest I have ever been! I was up all night scratching my belly, arms, palms of my hands, and soles of...
Cassandra Bae
After three rounds of IVF and a heartbreaking ectopic pregnancy, it was finally time for me to have my miracle baby. When I was only three months pregnant and just starting to share the news, I attended a birthday dinner for a really good friend. A mutual friend had...
Kara Fernandez
My name is Kara and I am the mom of two boys. Prior to my first pregnancy, I had never heard of Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy (ICP). At 17 weeks, I started itching all over my body and at 18 weeks was diagnosed with severe cholestasis. I ended up delivering at...
Chloe Adams
In 2021, I went to my 35-week appointment thinking I had 7ish weeks left to meet my daughter and left with an induction date for a week later and a diagnosis for a disease I had never heard of before. I had been dealing with an itch so intense my body was covered in...
Danielle Van P
My husband and I have a bustling household with our three kids (all ICP pregnancies) Lillian, Gemma, and Iver. It was a long journey of starting a family as we struggled getting pregnant and having miscarriages before having my rainbow baby, Lillian, in June 2016....
Maya Carraway
I am the mother of two beautiful baby boys. I am also a registered nurse working specifically in gynecology and oncology. Prior to being diagnosed with ICP during my first pregnancy, I had never heard of ICP before. My hope is to help raise awareness of this condition...
Nicole Lorentz
My passion for helping spread ICP awareness stems from my personal experience with ICP in both of my pregnancies (2017 & 2019). My journey with ICP began in 2017 while pregnant with my daughter. At the start of my 3rd trimester, I started getting itchy and by 32...
Sara-Jayne Carcerano
I am a mother of three children under 5 years old who keep me busy.. My first pregnancy was seemingly free of complications and my son was born on his due date. However, looking back there were some symptoms that make me wonder if I did have ICP with him. 10 months...
Carla Karp
I am a proud mother of three young kids: Samuel (born in 2015), Vivian (born in 2017 after my first ICP pregnancy), and Tessa (my pandemic baby born in 2020 after my second ICP pregnancy). ICP runs strongly in my family. My mother had it (undiagnosed) for three...
Lia McKernan
The road to Lia McKernan holding her son in her arms was one paved with exhaustion, loss and anxiety, but ultimately joy. Read her story.
Katy Kessler
Katy Kessler was misdiagnosed with Hyperemesis Gravidarum early on in her second pregnancy. She had lost 60 lbs. and felt super ill. Read her story.
Katherine Probert
When Katherine Probert began itching, she shrugged it off and labeled it as normal. By 37 weeks she was miserable and not sleeping. Read her story.
Kaitlan Terry
Kaitlan Terry was on vacation and thought her intense itching was due to getting a little too much sun. After a week, the itching persisted. Read her story
Julie Taylor
Julie Taylor was admitted to the hospital for an unrelated medical issue and her blood work revealed elevated liver enzymes. Her ICP story.
Jodie Wiren
Jodie Wiren started itching on her hands and feet. A quick google search and she knew it was (ICP) Cholestasis of Pregnancy. Read her story.
Jaimie Cozzone
Jaimie Cozzone had itching on the bottoms of her feet and knew about ICP, but because she wasn’t scratching her skin off, she brushed it off. Read her story.
Hilary Boyer
Hilary Boyer is mother of three ICP babies. She uses her degree in biology combined with the knowledge of a sibling doctor to help others. Read her story.
Grace Abraham
Grace Abraham, a mother of 3, noticed her hands and feet started to itch at 18 weeks. By 20 weeks, the itch had spread to most of her body. Read her story.
Elisabeth Naff
Board member Elisabeth Naff along with her husband Lucas are the proud parents of three boys: two on earth and one in heaven. Read her story.
Amparo Healey
Team volunteer Amparo Healey had her first experience with ICP at the age of 22 when she was about 18 weeks pregnant. Read her story.
Amanda Dykeman
Amanda Dykeman had three completely normal pregnancies while unfortunately, her fourth pregnancy was anything but normal. Her ICP story.
Yvonne Casuso
Yvonne Casuso, at 32 weeks pregnant, started to have severe itching. Thinking she was having an allergic reaction, tried self-care options at first. Read her story.
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