I'm Itchy!

I am 33 weeks and itching has been driving me literally mad. Here is what I have found works.

* Aveeno collodial oatmeal baths nightly
* A good moisturizing soap - I am using Kiss My Face Olive Oil soap
* Tea tree oil! It's magic! I am using one by Desert Essence
* Benadryl if it gets too hard to deal with

Good luck and feel better!

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If I were itchy, the first thing I would try would be a couple of 1000mg vitamin C pills. They won't hurt the baby (I take the C for my allergies--it knocks out my hay fever, and I looked & looked for any reason not to while preggo & couldn't find anything with any research behind it), &, if the itching is a weirdo histamine response, or some such, it might help. And it's OTC & cheap. I had poison oak last summer, while I was pregnant with my son, & I took vitamin C for that, too.

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Can be a couple of things - 1) normal caused by your pregnancy and should go away in time, 2) you are allergic to something.

If you think it is the first, get some unflavored oatmeal, put about 1 - 1 1/2 cups into a warm bath, disolve it as the water is filling the tub. Soak in it for a little bit and keeps pouring it on your body while you soak. This WILL soothe the itch. Also, get Palmer's lotion or oil (has a picture of a preggo woman on the label). You can find it at Walgreen's, Target, etc. Faithfully apply this liberally to your body right after getting out of a shower - every time. This will help you.

If you think it could be allergies, call your doctor to discuss your options.

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Country comfort herbal salve (I think it is sage and comfrey)- my sister-in-law gave it to me when I was pregnant and didn't want to use benadryl. I still use it on myself and both my kids. Sometimes it works better than the bneadryl cream! I think it is from Whole Foods, or Trader Joe's.

I developed an alergy to corn (which is in EVERYTHING) when I was pregnant with my 2nd child. Benadryl Gel works really well at stopping the itch, but you might think about seeing an alergist to see if you do, indeed have a food or other alergy.

Get a blood test to check your liver. Maybe it is just your skin stretching to accomadate your growing belly. However, my sis-in-law had a condition called intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy. It causes severe itchy skin, jaundice, and can be fatal to the fetus. She had to be induced at 33 weeks with her twins to prevent them from being still born. By the way, the condition goes away after giving birth. Pregnancy does such weird things to our bodies. I hope it is nothing and you find some relief.

This is an actual condition and unfortunatly it's your body's way of reacting to your pregnancy. :( I had it on my belly and my right thigh (go figure) the entire pregnancy starting on week 18 :(
The only thing that seemed to help me was using Eucerene lotion about as often as I needed to. I even put it in the fridge so the coolness would sooth.

Luckily it goes away almost immediatly after giving birth......unfortunatly, that's a long way away.

I know what you're going thru.....good luck.

K.

Hi J.,

I had terrible itchiness all over during my first pregnancy. It finally subsided. It's so uncomfortable, and it absolutely drove me nuts too! Your OB does not sound too concerned, so I'm sure your just fine. But my OB mentioned that every once in a while severe itchiness during pregnancy could be a sign of something more serious called "intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy." It has something to do with the liver.

I hope you're feeling better soon.

oh poor thing...I was itchy until I delivered which I do not like to tell you because that probably sounds far off..try meditation and EFT technigues..you can google them

..Please ask about the gold bond because I am not sure..ask about benedryl so you can sleep...ask about topical benedryl too. Not sure.

Hang in there. Hange in there..

See if you can discover what you're allergic to (ei: detergent, soap, certain fabrics, etc...) and eliminate as needed. I would start by changing my bath soap and laundry soap to hypoallergenic / unscented and see if that helps.

Yikes! It depends on the soap you use. If you use a soap that you don't use it could be that. I used the Dove soap once, I felt mosquito bite marks all over my knees, I had welches on me. It was aweful. I soaked in pure hot baths to relieve the itching. I never used that soap again, I started using something else.
Think of the thing you started using before the itching, or possibly your allergic to something you ate. Some say it can cause a skin reaction too.

Hi J.,
I'm sorry to hear of your discomfort. I have had skin problems my whole life. Iv'e used perscription lotions before but I found the only thing that has worked for me consistently is "EUCERIN" lotion. It is OTC. A little pricey but worth it completely....Also try some non-soap cleaners for your skin. If I use ANY TYPE of soap it irratates my skin, and I come out of the shower with huge RED welts all over my skin. Doctor says, it's not an allergic reaction but severe exema. So I take showers only mildly warm,NEVER HOT, & no soap cleaners. Then I cover myself in Eucerin!!!!
I still have issue's in the winter but it's the only lotion that has worked for me! Hope this helps you.....I know there are several "all natural" type of lotions but so far nothing has been able to match the Eucerin.....Good Luck & Congrats on the baby!!!!

It could be PUPPS http://www.pregnancy-calendars.net/pupps.aspx I had it when I was pregnant and it was definitely annoying!
My doc prescribed benedryl and a anti-itch lotion (don't remember what it was though). I would double check with your doctor about what you can/can't take.
I also agree with what others are mentioning, check what things you are using at home that could be causing a reaction.
Hope you figure out a way to stop the itch soon!

Well, you're not crazy. the same thing happened to me with my last two pregnancies. It drove me nuts. I used Tea Tree Oil and unscented lotion to soothe my skin and when it got really bad, aloe vera. I didn't use anything stronger. I wanted to go natural. It stops a couple of weeks after you have the baby.

Sounds to me like food allergies. Itching is a classic symptom of this. I would get tested. There are blood tests and scratch tests. They can give different results so you may need to do both. Food allergies and intolerances are more common that doctors would like to believe. You will need a new dermatologist in my opinion! :)

Wheat, soy, corn, yeast, dairy, eggs, nuts, shellfish are some of the more common allergens. Tomato is one that can really tend to cause itching. Once I found out what foods I was allergic to, (all of the above and more) my rashes and itching went away. Some women's itching and other symptoms get worse during pregnancy because their doctors tell them to push the dairy products. If they are allergic to dairy, it is too much for the body to handle.

Good article: http://www.healthwatchcenter.com/2007/11/most-common-food...

It could be environmental allergies too (grass, trees) since this is the time of year for that. Not sure what you can take during pregnancy but Zyrtec has been around a while and is good. Xyzal is a little newer and is being recommended quite a bit. Doesn't make me as tired as some of the others. Check with your doctor!

Feel free to let me know if you need anything. I suffered with the same thing for years! Take care!

Have you found any answers? My sis had a disease (long name - I forgot it) where she was allergic to the hormones of being pregnant. They said she would get the rash every time she was pregnant but has had 8 kids since and never got the rash again. She went to many Drs. Her skin had red bumps everywhere. She was in misery. They never did find meds to help or anything. She just did the baths. Best of luck to you!

I was itchy and found out I was allergic to the Tide laundry soap I was using. Made a switch and have not had a problem since. I agree with the other suggestions to switch soaps, detergents, things that touch your skin. You could be reacting to those. Good Luck!

Test your blood... you might have diabetes.

Have you tried benadryl lotion? It's really helped one of my sons who has allergic itches. Also, you should call the dermatologist and tell him "don't scratch" is just not working, and you want him to suggest something else.

I had the same thing during my first trimester and into my second trimester. I changed the lotion that I was putting on my body and it went away. I don't know if it was going to go away anyway or not. I changed to Weleda Calendula Baby Lotion. Good luck!

I had the same problem when I was pregnant with my son, now six months old! For the second half of pregnancy I was so itchy I would wake up with bruises and scratches all over my thighs, stomach, and back! It was eventually suggested to me to try plantain oil. It sounded weird, but nothing else helped so I went for it. It worked amazingly! I would put it on a couple times a day, wait a few minutes to it to dry, then get dressed. It is olive oil-based, so it's great for you skin anyway! I stopped itching like it was a numbing drug, but it is totally natural and safe. I got it at a local natural health store, and am not sure if it is widely available, but look into it! Good luck! It took months for my itching to stop!!!

E.- mama to Sophie (two) and Patrick (6 months)

Hey J., the itching drove me mad too. During the last few weeks of my first pregnancy in the U.K., my huge belly constantly itched, day and night and drove me nuts. I would absent mindedly just sit and scratch all over my belly until my husband couldn't stand to hear me scratching. Clothing touching my belly made me itch so I just ended up wearing a simple, big cotton dress that only touched a tiny part of my belly. Cold water on it helped too but I had to resort to OTC medicine in the end.

Calamine lotion (pink liquid in a bottle)really helped me. It stops most itches and is also good for chicken pox spots. My husband used to dab it all over my belly with cotton balls and it dried to a thin pink crust. Sounds awful but it worked for me especially if washed off after a few hours and reapplied.

Good luck!

I was told that the itching would stop after birth but it was a few weeks afterI gave birth. I can laugh about it now but it was awful at the time. Keep smiling :)

Try changing your soap! It worked for me. I used only dove soap. Also apply Aveeno moisturizing lotion. And remember to cut your nails before they grow :)

My legs were terribly itchy and taking fish oils along with using Aquafore cream twice a day helped out. Your case sounds a lot worse but also Aveno baths might be helpful. Good luck!

OH... MY... GOD, I thought I would just DIE! I went to bed with a bristle brush every night, I'd sleep with my brush in my hand, it was terrible. I also had Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) during the pregnancy so as you can imagine I didn't get much sleep. Sometimes I would get up at 3am (or so) and take a warm (NOT HOT!) bath, sometimes it would help me a little but OH MAN, it was just the worst thing ever, I'd literally be laying in the bathtub crying because I was so tired... looks like you have some really good responses here but I just wanted to tell you I feel your pain and THANKS for the FLASHBACK, LOL! :)
Wishing you all the best,
J.

Just wanted to add that Sarna Lotion, while not great smelling, works nicely for itchy skin. You can buy it at Walmart or Kaiser Pharmacy, over the counter.

Hi there-
Uggh, allergies when your pregnant suck so bad!! The ears are the worst! The only thing that helps me is acupuncture. I'm still going as I'm breastfeeding still. You'll get other perks of more energy and less prego body aches too. Best of luck to you.

p.s.-my allergist told me that most often ear itching is a histamine reaction to environmental or food allergens.

K.

I did the same thing when I was pregnant. My doctor recommended Aveeno oatmeal bath. I did it for 3 nights and the itchy cleared up. Good luck!

If you are anything like I was nothing will help. I tried it all, the oatmeal baths, the Aveeno lotion, etc. My doctor prescribed me a medication (can't remember what it was as it has been 7 years) and informed me it would make me "sleepy." Well it did make me sleep, and during that time I wasn't itchy, of course...The bad thing was when I woke up I would be itchy again. Maybe the medication would work for you? Ask your doctor if you have lots of time to sleep...

Sister, I feel your itch! I recently went through the bumps and itch and thought they were going to drive me crazy. I did go to a doctor who couldn't diagnose the underlying cause other than allergy of some sort. The doc I saw did prescribe medication including steriods, which made them go away. Being in your shoes right now I don't know that these would be feasible. OTC Zycam did help as well as topical anti itch skin creams, but don't know about contraindications with the baby on board.

I don't have any real advice but you do have my sympathy!

One thing that worked for me is to stop using fabric softener in the wash. I don't know why, but my OB suggested that I stop and the itching went away once my cloths were void of softener. I use those little rubber balls instead you can find in the drug store and they work pretty well.

Hi J.,
Did you try google? I wrote "itchy during pregnancy" in the search line and found several entries - one from baby source that explains some of the reasons and conditions as well as remedies. Higher estrogen levels could be one. Did your doctor check kidney function? Please ask it to be done if it wasn't done already...
Putting medicated cream all over your body is not great, because some of it gets absorbed by the body. It might be better to take low doses of an allergy medication.

Ask your Doctor if you could take Zyrtec. (I googled "zyrtec during pregnancy" to see if it is safe - it seems to be - but better research it and see what your Doctor says.

I had an allergy for several years, tried many meds but found that I had no side effects with Zyrtec.

I used to take baking soda baths and it helped (I was not pregnant though.) I also had to quit eating oats - anything with oats - and my allergy went away - but it took several weeks while taking Zyrtec. When I got better I fazed it out slowly over a period of many weeks. Going to 1/2 every day, then every other day, then eery third. Depending on how I felt.
Something in your diet or a supplement you are taking might cause it, too.

ALl the best to you and the baby!!!!
I.

Ps: I am not impressed with the response from your dermatologist. Can you find someone who is more informed and sympathetic to your situation? His response tells me that he does not know what to do. I worked as a nurse for many years and have been fighting this kind of attitude all my life....

Aveeno oatmeal bath works great. Also calamine lotion will stop the itch but is a light pink color once it is on your skin.Try any type of oatmeal based product and I'm sure you will feel the difference.

V. P.

I had the same thing... during my pregnancy and only then, I was allergic to soap.