PUPPs! And not the cute furry kind!

So it's kindof a joke now that I have had every non-life threatening pregnancy side effect known to woman. Now we have a new one to add to the list!

Somewhere around last Wednesday my belly started to itch something awful. Just one spot right below my belly botton which I assumed was just going to be a massive stretch mark. Well, sure, it was, but it was also more. By the time we got to birthing class last night it had spread to my whole belly from button down. I hadn't slept in three nights because the itching is really amazing. I asked Yvonne, our doula who teaches the class as well, and she asked to see it. She immediately said, "that's PUPP!". Oof. I really needed this one...

"About 1 percent of women develop itchy, red bumps and larger patches of a hive-like rash on their bellies in the second half of pregnancy, usually in the last month or two. These irritations are called pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy (PUPPP for short) or polymorphic eruption of pregnancy. They usually show up first on the abdomen around or in stretch marks (if you have any) and then spread to the thighs, the buttocks, and sometimes the arms. They're harmless for you and your baby, but they can itch like crazy! Your doctor or midwife will want to see you for a diagnosis and will probably prescribe a topical ointment to give you some relief. In severe cases, you may need a course of oral steroids. PUPPP should disappear within a few days after delivery for most women. And fortunately, it seldom happens again in subsequent pregnancies. This condition is usually a familial one and can be traced back through the father's side of the family."

This may be the worst thing yet. I actually found several medical message board threads where doctors induced women with this because they were almost suicidal over the itching! I know, you're thinking, "it's just an itch"... oh is that the understatement of the century!