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Baby Rabies

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      6 Stunning Photos You Would Never Guess Were…

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      December 13, 2018

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      December 6, 2018

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      November 27, 2018

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      November 19, 2018

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      August 22, 2018

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BabiesPregnancy

Postpartum Recovery- At Least It’s Predictable

by Jill January 3, 2017
January 3, 2017

Going into my 2nd, 3rd, and 4th pregnancies, I always reminded myself that my body was made for this- that it had done all this before. I also reminded myself that that was never a guarantee it would do it the same again. Sort of a hope for the best, prepare for the worst kind of approach.

I remember thinking before I had my 2nd that my 1st labor and delivery was so “textbook” that there was no way I’d get that lucky again. I was terrified I’d end up with some sort of complication. Instead, I wound up with a less than 2-hour active labor, which was worlds better than the 21-hour labor with my first.

While each pregnancy and labor has been different, they’ve also all been reliable. I’ve carried each baby to 40 weeks + 4 or 5 days. Though I may not have realized it at the time, I progressed through labor the same way, if not at the same speed, each time, always able to look back and say, “Oh yes, that’s when I hit transition.” 

And just like so much of each pregnancy and delivery was reliably the same, postpartum recovery has been, too. I feel pretty decent (maybe even good?) within the first 12 hours. My body gets sore by the next day, and my tailbone always feels like it’s been smashed by a bowling ball, but I can move and walk and even shower before baby is 24 hours old.

Every baby hates my left nipple and latches like shit on it, and within 3 days I’m cursing my left tit every 2 hours. My right one hurts, too, but it’s manageable.

I’ll be ravenous and eat an entire bag of chocolate candy on my own the night after I have the baby. It will finally taste good to me again, and the reflux will magically disappear.

img_6282

I’ll come home, feeling like this time I’m going to bounce back faster.

AND THEN THE RASH WILL COME.

img_2194

Angry and alllll up in my stretchmarks (and no, it’s not PUPPS), it starts like this. This was taken on Christmas Eve, 3 days after I had Wallace. 

Ahhh, yes. The postpartum rash came again, friends. 4 pregnancies, 4 babies, 4 rounds of postpartum hives. It was NOT a reaction to hydrocodone, it turns out. I know this because I didn’t take any meds of any sort during or after labor except for Advil and Tylenol, which does very little to help the pain of your uterus contracting back while breastfeeding your 4th baby- in case you’re wondering.

And still, it came, just as it always has. Setting in 24 hours after delivery, starting in my crotch and all over my butt, spreading eventually down my thighs, all the way up past my boobs, down my arms and legs to the tips of my fingers and toes by a week later.

img_2532

Taken on the 26th, 5 days postpartum. I know this because there was still pie. 

Wallace is 13 days old, and only in the last 24 hours have I felt like it’s finally going away. This time it took two packs of steroids and a steroid shot, and that really just took the edge off half the time. I also used a lot of lotions and sprays and essential oils. I would have probably let a rat pee on me if someone told me that could possibly work.

I’ve taken as few hot showers as I can get away with because the heat makes it so much worse. That’s been super fun since hot showers (while I pump) are the best remedy for my engorged breasts. Visual: me trying to keep 80% of my body completely out of the water while I lean into the stream of water to submerge my breasts, all while pumping and crying, and rubbing that left boob really hard because it gets clogged ducts like the asshole it is.

I’ve done a ton of Googling (and talking to actual doctors and medical professionals, but they are all stumped as fuck), and I’ve come to the non-educated conclusion that I must simply be allergic to having babies. This has to be a reaction to the surge of hormones in my body after I give birth.

SO THANK GOD I’M NEVER DOING THAT AGAIN.

Someone come tie my tubes. Take them, burn them, cut them, eat them, do whatever. I have never had less of a desire to create more life.

Postpartum recovery is a shitty experience for me every single time. I can rely on that. And I’m sharing that with you all, again, not because I want to scare anyone but because NOBODY TALKS ABOUT THIS REALLY HORRIFIC TIME. And that’s some bullshit because then you have people upset and confused as to why you are a total bitch right after you have a baby and don’t want them to come visit or have you over or generally interact with you in any way.

Yeah, um, honestly my whole body is covered in hives and my nipples feel like they are soaking in cayenne pepper and I am sobbing uncontrollably every 2 minutes. So this is just not the best time for me to interact with any human whom I’m required to wear clothes in front of and/or not shout obscenities at. Truly, someone should take the other children far, far away, too. The only person who deserves to witness this is my husband because HIS FAULT. Mostly. Partly.

I’m sorry I haven’t had more to share on here, like a birth story, but the good news is I’m finally starting to feel human again, and the rash is mostly gone. I think I might even attempt a for-real hot shower today, one where I stand under the stream of water and wash my whole body. I might even shave my legs, depending on how ambitious I am.

And then! Birth story to come. Promise.

And to make up for those awful photos of my hives, here:

img_6484


50 Things to Do Before You Deliver: The First Time Moms Pregnancy Guide
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14 comments

Kimberly January 3, 2017 - 4:39 pm

The. Exact. Same. Thing. Happened. To. Me.
They could not figure it out.
However mine peeled and I oozed and I looked like a really bad burn victim in spots. I had to wrap my entire stomach. 2 weeks in I had to stop breastfeeding because it was severe enough that I needed steroids – over 2 months of it. Triggered the worst insomnia, made PPD worse. OMG. Looking at your rash, I am panicking. I know. I just know. It’s awful. I don’t know what to do because it was a blur.
Just Be good to you – lean on others. Pie. Cookies. Cake. Sleep if you can. Xo
Ps. They tested everything. I’m allergic to goats. Fuck the doctor who rubbed a goat before walking in the delivery room 😉

Reply
Dani January 3, 2017 - 6:56 pm

Having a baby isn’t for the faint of heart and you are a warrior for doing it FOUR times. Seriously. I bow down to you and hope you round the corner soon.

Reply
cori January 3, 2017 - 11:41 pm

Thanks for once again being so honest about it all with your wonderful sense of humor!!

Reply
Brittany January 4, 2017 - 9:46 am

I had the same rash!!! All over …it started in my stretch marks under my belly and on my hips and spread like wildfire! My doctor prescribed me an 8oz tube of steroid cream and a ” hope this helps” comment and I wanted to throw it at him! 8 oz lasted me half a day and then I had to beg the pharm to get him to refill it! It took about three months for it to go away and I had to do the same thing…just lotion like crazy. My only idea is that I’m O neg and my son is O+ so maybe my body reacted to him some way…idk …either way I’ve got 2 years to be hive free before we start this journey again! Was it worth it? Hell ya! But man those hives are a sucky addition to everything else you’re already going through! I feel ya! God bless!

Reply
Tricia January 8, 2017 - 3:14 pm

Oh, Jill. I am so, so sorry. That rash looks so fucking angry and painful. Like you need THAT on top of just normal postpartum shit. The most wonderful thing though? You never have to do it again. Ever.

Reply
Baby Rabies | If I Knew Then What I Know Now January 12, 2017 - 11:03 pm

[…] envy those of you holding tiny babies right now that are going through this brand new. While my postpartum recovery seems to get worse after each baby, the babies themselves? They keep getting […]

Reply
Kay November 15, 2018 - 4:42 am

I think I have this happening now!? Mine started three months post partum – started with a very red and angry looking stretch mark under my belly, in a day it swoll up and progressively got worse, finally started to calm down after I bandaged it and now it’s spreading to other stretch marks. You’re a champ and a doll for posting and hope you’re all free and clear of that postpartum hurdle

Reply
Danyelle November 19, 2019 - 3:51 am

I’m so sorry. I’m currently 8 weeks postpartum With my fourth and this is the first time I’ve had the hives. I didn’t even know it was possible! I started itching uncontrollably after labor around my bikini line and butt a few days after birth. Now it’s horrible on my boobs, my armpits, my low back, and my scalp. Im praying they go away soon as this is the thing that seems most miserable in all of my pregnancies and postpartum recoveries. I constantly look like I have a case of head lice as I’m always scratching my head or like a monkey since the sides of my boobs itch like the dickens. Anyway, thanks for sharing… makes me feel not so alone in this weird symptom.

Reply
Jessica February 26, 2020 - 6:52 pm

I’m having this now but on my feet-it’s miserable!! I had it with my second, as well (this is #4), and it’s pure torture!

Reply
Micayla October 23, 2020 - 4:57 am

I’m having the exact same thing happening! It started in my butt crack and bikini line and then started showing on my face and ear lobs all about 2 weeks before I delivered. I delivered and my face and ears immediately cleared up but my bikini line and butt crack kept itching. I did some research as a rash started to spread on most of my body that resembled big bites and thought I may just have PUPPS. I started taking baking soda and oatmeal baths a couple of times a day to try to right my PH and relieve some of the itch. It eventually all cleared up about a week later. I stopped taking the baths and now I’m starting to itch again and it’s starting in my butt crack areas again. Its only been about a week and a half that it’s been cleared up and I don’t know why it’s coming back!! It’s so much worse at night and I’m nursing and can’t take Benadryl. We’re you able to find out what was causing the itch or anything that helped to make it go away and stay away? I’m dying for some relief!

Reply
Alexa March 2, 2020 - 11:39 am

I absolutely love that you named it baby rabies lol!!!! I just had my third baby and am experiencing the hives yet again. All 3 of my post partum experiences have been the same. Hives start 3 months after delivery and last about 3-5 months. I’ve done extensive research and been to numerous specialists. I’ve learned that theres no cure and nobody knows what causes this to happen. I had a boy and 2 girls so it has nothing to do with the sex of the baby, I’m not allergic to anything, my blood type is the same as all 3 of my children (so not a reaction to different blood types because this happened despite us having the same blood.) I’ve read where antihistamines have helped but I was prescribed 4 Claritin a day and still saw no relief. Avoid heat and itching because this makes it so much worse. If you feel like your throat is tightening go to the ER immediately. You can suffer from a reaction called anaphylaxis that causes your throat to close. Thank god this hasn’t happened to me but I have had difficulty breathing from the swelling and it’s not fun. Good luck to any moms dealing with this. It does get better. Some of us were even crazy enough to do it again! Lol

Reply
Iris January 5, 2021 - 1:28 am

Hi there. I must say wow, 3 times getting hives is seriously unthinkable for me. I just had baby #3 and first time to get hives. Does is really ever go away ? I have no rash but still get itchy sometimes… is this normal or will this haunt me forever?! Thanks

Reply
Adela August 17, 2020 - 3:30 pm

Same happens to me after giving birth my 3rd child, now I see I’m not alone!!! This is crazy! My baby is almost 5 months and still. 🙁

Reply
Lex December 14, 2020 - 12:38 am

Omg. I’m so thankful I found someone else talking about this. I’m going nuts! I got it immediately postpartum. Took a round of steroids and it cleared up, at the 8 week mark and it’s back with a vengeance. Feel like ants on my skin. All docs baffled!

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