Kidney Stones While Pregnant

L.,
I am so sorry to hear about your kidney stones! I know what you are going through, been there done that with two of my four pregnancies. The replies you have gotten are awesome advice, but I would also like to add that you really should talk to your OB/GYN. While it is uncommon you can have serious complications as a result. If the stone is so large that it is trapping bacteria in your ureters (tubes from the kidney to the bladder) you can get a massive kidney infection and that can lead to pre-mature labor. Also it is very important that your OB/GYN check and follow your kidney function. If the stone is too far lodged in the Kidney itself it can in VERY RARE cases cause your kidney to shut down. Simple blood tests checking your BUN level and Creatine (don't know if I spelled that right) levels can make sure that your kidneys are functioning properly.

Otherwise it's a waiting game. Drink TONS of water one urologist reccommended 100 oz daily to me, also he reccomended that I drink OJ and Cranberry juice. His opinion on the OJ "studies have shown the acid in OJ to help break down the stones". And cranberry juice is supposed to be the all over urinary cure. I hope it helps...Take care of yourself and hang in there, this pain is FAR worse than labor!!
K.

Hi L.,

I had my first kidney stone when i was 5 months pregnant with my first child. At first, they thought i was in labor. But not, it was a kidney stone. I went to the hospital and was put on Morphine for the pain. The pain will come and go. Drink lots of water and stay away from dairy and chocolate. I had my second kidney stone 2 weeks after my second child. I was told that pregnancy brought them on. But my family has a history of kidney stones. Mine didnt start showing up until pregnancy. I have had more kidney stones since then. But the only thing you can do is wait til the stones pass or if the pain continues, see a urologist. And yes, it is the worst pain you will ever experience, far worse than labor. Some things that helped me were to take a warm bath, drink lots of water, take the strongest pain medication you can that doesnt affect the baby, call a urologist if the pain doesnt go away becuz it is possible that you may need surgery to remove it.

I had a kidney stone during my first pregnancy. It ended up coming out on its own a few days after I went to the ER with the pain. I had had a couple before I had gotten pregnant so I knew the feeling of them, and I was sooo glad when it came out on its own. The ER couldnt see mine though because they could only do an ultrasound and it was too low to see, but I knew what it was.

L.,

I had kidney stones while pregnant. The first urologist I went to wanted me to stay on pain meds for the rest of my pregnancy. I didn't like that option so I went for a second opinion. This next dr told me that my best option was to get a ureteral stent put in. This is done in surgery. Because I was 20 weeks at the time the dr had L&D come down to monitor the baby and instead of giving me anesthesia they just made me very loopy and comfortable. I could still feel some of what they were doing, but after I was great. The stent stayed in for the rest of my pregnancy and I never had any more problems after that. Stents are used to keep the ureters open to allow stones to pass without pain. I have been having stones since I was five and I totally agree that labor and giving birth is nothing compared to these. If you have any other questions please feel free to ask. Hope all goes well.
Good luck
S.

I have had a long history of having kidney stones and had them during both my pregnancies. Unfortunately, the only thing they can do right now is an ultrasound on your kidneys to determine the size of the stone and if it is passable. Most of them are, but it can take up to a week to pass. The key is to drink as much water as you can and take the pain medication. I know how painful and uncomfortable it can be, but the only only other thing they would be willing do to safely while you are pregnant is place a stent inside the urethera to allow to stone to pass alittle more easily, but I wouldn't do that unless you had to, it very uncomfortable. I had a very large one while pregnant with my last son and I had to wait until after he was born and them 2 weeks later had laser lithotripsy to have it broken down and removed. I was in extreme pain just prior to that and it made the delivery painful. I'm not trying to scare you, like I said most stones are passable in time with lots of water and moving around. You definitly should see a urologist to get a better understanding of what you are dealing with. I really feel for you-I've been there-if you need any more info, please feel free to leave me a personal message!

I had kidney stones when I was 7 months pregnant-they put me on a Morphine pump and decided to induce me becasue the Morphine was not good for the baby. I was induced at 37 weeks. The pain was SO BAD!!!!