Pregnancy PUPPPs and Hives

I originally wrote about this topic on my first blog.  That blog is gone now (or soon will be) but I wanted to keep my experience documented in case someone else can benefit from it.  Or at the very least know they aren't alone in their PUPPPs misery!

The skin rashes of pregnancy are no joke.  They are frustrating and often painful and there isn't much that can relieve or cure the rashes outside of childbirth.  I've spent hours reading message boards and websites looking for any sort of relief for my symptoms and thought I'd share what worked (and what didn't) for me in case some other mommy-to-be finds herself in similar itchy desperation!

My Story

When my husband and I decided to add to our family, I honestly thought it would take a few months to get pregnant.  When the pregnancy test...ok three pregnancy tests...turned positive six weeks later, we were a little bit in shock and very much excited.  We were going to have a baby!  I immediately started pinning nursery ideas and my husband used it as an excuse to get serious about buying our first home.

Pregnancy hasn't been easy for me.  I had morning sickness for 20 straight weeks immediately followed by months of my sweet, vicious baby laying on my sciatic nerve, making it painful to stand or walk for more than a few minutes at a time.  I spent my first two trimesters sleeping, huddled over the toilet, or laying on the couch.

When the third trimester started, my kiddo was finally big enough to get off my nerve (haha, see what I did there) and I was able to really enjoy the little guy cooking in my belly.  I had energy, the record cold Minnesota winter was finally fading, and I was excited to ride the rest of the trimester out through summer.

And then I noticed an itchy red patch on my left elbow.  I showed my nurse practitioner and she thought it looked like hives.  She gave me a prescription for an anti-itch cream and I filled it that afternoon.  The cream helped a little, but the rash didn't go away.  In fact, two weeks later the rash had spread over my entire left arm and on to my right arm and legs.  I showed my doctor and while he showed some concern, there wasn't much we could do - hopefully it would fade.

A week after that, my arms, legs, back, belly, feet and even between my fingers were covered in the rash.  It was very red, hot to the touch and itched to the point that I literally could not sleep for more than an hour at a time without the itching being too much to take.  My nurse practitioner put me on a form of predinsone and Benadryl and referred me to a dermatologist.  After consulting with two dermatologists, I was diagnosed not only with pregnancy hives but with PUPPPs.  Since the only "cure" for PUPPPs is childbirth, I was given another prescription for anti itch cream and told to add Claratin to my daily Benadryl routine by the very sympathetic dermatologists and sent on my way.

When I shared my diagnosis with my doctor, he took another look and brought up inducing labor early.  Moment of gross honesty:  even though I try not to scratch, sometimes I just can't help it.  I'm 32 and know better but there are moments when I just can't take the itching and have to scratch.  I even seem to do it in my sleep and have woken up with little bleeding dots all over my legs.  Anyway, while my doctor brought up the possibility of early inducement, I'm trying to hold off until I hit 40 weeks pregnant.  I've lived with these rashes for over a month already, what's another 2 weeks?  (We'll see if I can make it.)

What I've Tried

[1]  Grandpa's Pine Tar Soap - By far the most effective itch relief I've found, Pine Tar Soap is green and smells like campfire.  However, Pine Tar Soap relieves the itch for a good 45 minutes, or just enough time to fall asleep for a few hours until the itching is back.  I use it in the morning, after work/before bed and usually one time in the middle of the night.  I found my bar at my local GNC, but have found them online at places like Walmart, Walgreens and Amazon.  Since I use my bar so often, I expect the small bar to last just under two weeks.  If you still have quite a bit of pregnancy left, I suggest you buy two!

[2]  Ice packs - The numbing effect of ice on my rashes has helped provide very temporary relief, especially on the hives, which are hot to the touch.  I wrap mine in a flour sack kitchen towel and use it at work, as my office is generally a little warmer than I'd like and keeping cool helps keep the itch down.  I have ice packs on hand at home, but you can easily make your own by putting ice in a bag and wrapping the bag in a towel before applying.

[3]  Aloe Vera Gel - When I first noticed my rash it was dry, hot and itchy---a lot like sunburn.  I used Aloe Vera gel a few times to see if it would provide any relief, and it did...but only for as long as it remained wet on my skin.  Aloe will work in a pinch, but was not my favorite choice.  I got my Aloe Vera Gel at Target, and suspect you can get it at any pharmacy, health food store, big box chain, or the organic version from a plant.

[4]  Desitin - When I realized the Aloe wasn't working to my satisfaction, I ransacked my baby's room for some diaper rash cream.  I needed something I knew would be safe for both me and baby and when one of my good girlfriend's suggested it, I figured it was worth a shot.  The Desitin helped reduce the redness of the hives, but didn't help the itch.  Plus it was incredibly messy.  You can get Desitin (or any diaper cream) at places like Target or Walmart, online and even the local dollar store.

[5]  Aveeno Oatmeal Bath and Soap - Taking baths while pregnant is usually a no-no, but my nurse practitioner gave me the OK to try an oatmeal bath so long as I kept the water lukewarm (which feels freezing).  The oatmeal bath and soap helped while I was in the water and for a half an hour after.  To be honest I'm not convinced if the relief was from the actual oatmeal or from cooling down my skin.  I chose the Aveeno brand, but my local pharmacy (Walgreens) had a generic version I would be willing to try too.  I found my box in the anti-itch aisle.

[6]  Fels-Naptha Soap - My nurse practitioner mentioned that Fels-Naptha soap helped relieve her sister's PUPPPs so I'm going to try it this weekend.  The back of the package mentions that the soap can irritate skin so I'm a little nervous on this one.  Hopefully it works.

So far the Pine Tar soap and Claratin combination have seemed to do the trick for me.  My rashes have significantly lightened up and were even bearable for a good week until another flareup hit earlier this week.  Looks like I'm back to the twice a day Claratin, thrice a day showers and lots and lots of air conditioning until this baby is born.

Disclaimer

I'm not a doctor nor do I aspire to be one.  Please don't try any of these remedies without first consulting your own physician.  While some of them may have worked for me, they may not work for everyone.  And remember, my doctor and the internet say the only true cure comes from having your baby.

Update

I never got around to trying the Fels-Naptha soap before I went into spontaneous labor.  One side benefit of my water breaking: the rash stopped itching immediately (perhaps because I was so excited to finally be in labor that I forgot all about it).  I also noticed that my rash significantly lightened just a few hours after delivering my son, and that the itch was completely gone a few days after delivery.