This could be worse than labor, (I'll let you know in 3 months)! I discovered a red, bumpy, itchy rash on the back of my legs. The next morning, it had spread to my butt cheeks as well. I promptly bought some Cortizone 10 that didn't really help relieve the itch at all. This was so weird! I turned to Google, searching "pregnancy rash". Ugh, to my horror, this was an actual thing "chronic hives-like rash" that happens to 1 out of 200 women during pregnancy, 70% of them expecting boys (did I mention I'm having a boy)! It's abbreviated PUPPP. You can wikipedia it.
By evening of day 2, I was slathering A+D ointment on top of Cortizone 10 followed by sitting on a nice cold ice pack. It was intolerable to say the least! This routine continued every 2 hours through the night, in the attempt of getting some relief. In the morning, I went to a neighborhood urgent care clinic. The doctor diagnosed it as a contact allergic reaction (but to what? it's winter, and my white legs haven't seen the light of day in months). I mentioned PUPPP and after she Googled it herself, she said "well you learn something new everyday". Knowing the only cure for the PUPPP rash is labor, I broke down sobbing in tears on the street. I was only 23 weeks, how could I wait that long!?
Do I have to tell you that the $10 ounce size tube of prescription topical steroid cream did nothing? Not to mention, I could have emptied the entire little tube on one ass cheek! I had to take matters into my own hands! I turned back to the world wide web... Babycenter.com had an extensive message board thread on this topic. I could literally see the tears on the screen as hundreds of women asked each other for cures and shared their attempts at remedying the rash from hell.
After tallying the most common solutions, I bought "Grandpa's Pine Tar Soap" and all natural aloe vera gelly from a health store. After lathering with this brown bar of soap from the 1800's, I had temporary relief. The aloe cooled the hot surface of the rash. I still was sitting on ice, finding solstice in being numb in general. Thank goodness it was the weekend, so I could treat the rash every few hours, shower every 5 hours, refresh my ice pack, and air out my tush in the comfort of my own home.
Drying the rash out helped way more than any moisture cream or lotion. I also took Benadyrl to help me sleep at night (I prayed I made it at least 4 hours at a time). Although I emailed my "pregnancy council" of 10 girlfriends, none of them had experienced any kind of rash. =(
On day 6, I had a flare up! Why!? It had been going so well! I think this was honestly stress induced (from work)! My trusted home remedies weren't providing any relief and I stayed home from work the next day. I tried Sarna cream, poison ivy cream, diaper rash cream, and Aveno oatmeal bath in my fight to battle the itch. Willing to try ANYTHING, I searched for "home remedies" or "holistic rash treatments" online. I found convincing testimonials on Earth Clinic by people swearing by Apple Cider Vinegar, Coconut Oil, and Aloe Vera to treat any rash, eczema or acne. At this point, I would have asked my husband to pee on me, if it would have helped!
After showering with Grandpa's Soap, I applied pure Apple Cider Vinegar to the rash. It burned a little from me scratching, but about an hour later, I felt okay. I slept through the night and the next morning, the rash was 50% better! I could not believe it! I continued using ACV in the morning and evening after bathing with the soap. It's been 2 weeks and my rash is completely cured! It's still hasn't completely disappeared, but it is not raised, inflamed, red or itchy. I later read the ingredients in Grandpa's Soap included Coconut Oil - what are the odds!?
This could have been the worst experience of my pregnancy life (I hope nothing is worse than this anyway)! But I have some pretty strong take-aways... A) All natural/organic foods/remedies did wonders that medicine could not do. B) I will approach my son's future diaper rash with a new educated perspective. I like to try an all natural cream versus medicated. My friend loves Emily's Skin Soothers (I'm looking forward to trying it on my dog's itchy feet too). C) I'm avoiding all medicated creams or even body lotions with fragrance for the rest of my pregnancy. D) I'm washing all my clothes, sheets, and towels with baby detergent Dreft for the rest of my pregnancy. E) When my son is born, I will cherish the sleepless nights WITHOUT pain, at least I will not be trying to scratch my ass off!
We all know pregnancy does crazy ass shit to your body, so whether it was PUPPP or a legitimate contact allergic reaction, I'm not sure. (My OBGYN doesn't seem to think it was PUPPP). If my skin wants to be just as sensitive as my emotions, I will treat it with care.
*Thank you also to my own Grandma who recommend vinegar as an old all-natural rash treatment and my mother-in-law who suggested aloe vera worked on her niece's diaper rash that was untreatable by medicated products.
By evening of day 2, I was slathering A+D ointment on top of Cortizone 10 followed by sitting on a nice cold ice pack. It was intolerable to say the least! This routine continued every 2 hours through the night, in the attempt of getting some relief. In the morning, I went to a neighborhood urgent care clinic. The doctor diagnosed it as a contact allergic reaction (but to what? it's winter, and my white legs haven't seen the light of day in months). I mentioned PUPPP and after she Googled it herself, she said "well you learn something new everyday". Knowing the only cure for the PUPPP rash is labor, I broke down sobbing in tears on the street. I was only 23 weeks, how could I wait that long!?Do I have to tell you that the $10 ounce size tube of prescription topical steroid cream did nothing? Not to mention, I could have emptied the entire little tube on one ass cheek! I had to take matters into my own hands! I turned back to the world wide web... Babycenter.com had an extensive message board thread on this topic. I could literally see the tears on the screen as hundreds of women asked each other for cures and shared their attempts at remedying the rash from hell.
After tallying the most common solutions, I bought "Grandpa's Pine Tar Soap" and all natural aloe vera gelly from a health store. After lathering with this brown bar of soap from the 1800's, I had temporary relief. The aloe cooled the hot surface of the rash. I still was sitting on ice, finding solstice in being numb in general. Thank goodness it was the weekend, so I could treat the rash every few hours, shower every 5 hours, refresh my ice pack, and air out my tush in the comfort of my own home.
Drying the rash out helped way more than any moisture cream or lotion. I also took Benadyrl to help me sleep at night (I prayed I made it at least 4 hours at a time). Although I emailed my "pregnancy council" of 10 girlfriends, none of them had experienced any kind of rash. =(
On day 6, I had a flare up! Why!? It had been going so well! I think this was honestly stress induced (from work)! My trusted home remedies weren't providing any relief and I stayed home from work the next day. I tried Sarna cream, poison ivy cream, diaper rash cream, and Aveno oatmeal bath in my fight to battle the itch. Willing to try ANYTHING, I searched for "home remedies" or "holistic rash treatments" online. I found convincing testimonials on Earth Clinic by people swearing by Apple Cider Vinegar, Coconut Oil, and Aloe Vera to treat any rash, eczema or acne. At this point, I would have asked my husband to pee on me, if it would have helped!
After showering with Grandpa's Soap, I applied pure Apple Cider Vinegar to the rash. It burned a little from me scratching, but about an hour later, I felt okay. I slept through the night and the next morning, the rash was 50% better! I could not believe it! I continued using ACV in the morning and evening after bathing with the soap. It's been 2 weeks and my rash is completely cured! It's still hasn't completely disappeared, but it is not raised, inflamed, red or itchy. I later read the ingredients in Grandpa's Soap included Coconut Oil - what are the odds!?
This could have been the worst experience of my pregnancy life (I hope nothing is worse than this anyway)! But I have some pretty strong take-aways... A) All natural/organic foods/remedies did wonders that medicine could not do. B) I will approach my son's future diaper rash with a new educated perspective. I like to try an all natural cream versus medicated. My friend loves Emily's Skin Soothers (I'm looking forward to trying it on my dog's itchy feet too). C) I'm avoiding all medicated creams or even body lotions with fragrance for the rest of my pregnancy. D) I'm washing all my clothes, sheets, and towels with baby detergent Dreft for the rest of my pregnancy. E) When my son is born, I will cherish the sleepless nights WITHOUT pain, at least I will not be trying to scratch my ass off!
We all know pregnancy does crazy ass shit to your body, so whether it was PUPPP or a legitimate contact allergic reaction, I'm not sure. (My OBGYN doesn't seem to think it was PUPPP). If my skin wants to be just as sensitive as my emotions, I will treat it with care.
*Thank you also to my own Grandma who recommend vinegar as an old all-natural rash treatment and my mother-in-law who suggested aloe vera worked on her niece's diaper rash that was untreatable by medicated products.
The puppp cleanse works. It gave me relief in as little as two days. www.pupppcleanse.com
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