Pregnancy does the funniest things to me
I think this time I am being laid low
By every infection going
I am guessing because
Not only am I growing a human
I am also feeding one!
I REALLY need to stop feeding Bea
My lack of immune system
My lowered bug defences
Have so far these past 14 weeks
Seen me sport a rather ugly cold sore
And now a nasty skin infection
The cause is unknown
But likely to be be a bite
Or cut
Or other form of broken skin
Allowing bacteria or a virus in
One of my main symptoms this pregnancy
Which I think is linked to the growing
And the feeding
And the general hormonal imbalance
Is that I have incredibly dry skin
I am literally shedding my skin
Every time I dress and undress
My body is scaly beyond belief
Reptilian!
As pregnancy is stealing all my skin’s
Oil and elasticity
I am probably not drinking enough either
Now I am not one for lotions and potions
Never have been
But that is about to change
Because I have learned
That this extreme dry skin
Can lead to more frequent infections
Of the skin
More deep tissue infections
That need treatment with antibiotics
I did not know that dry skin could be more than unsightly
But it can actually be deadly!
Who knew?
My extremely dry skin
Causes my skin to crack and break
Allowing bacteria to penetrate the deeper layers
And cause infections such as Cellulitis
My plan now is to exfoliate my limbs
Which is where much of the dryness is
And to use a really good moisturiser
To rehydrate my skin
And stop this painful thing
Happening again
I also need to make sure that I am drinking my 8 glasses of water a day
And more if I have a tea or caffeinated drink
I am so baffled
At how all my pregnancies have been so different
With such different symptoms and problems
This baby growing business is never ever easy!
So I need to fix my skin
Because I am pregnant though
I am not really sure what products are safe to use
And what I should avoid?
Can you help me?
What can I use on extremely dry skin
To rehydrate and heal
Whilst pregnant?
Thank you x
You can read more about dry skin in pregnancy here http://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/whose-body/skin-dry.aspx
(I was originally told I had a blood infection but have since been advised if this was the case and I had Sepsis I would be being treated in hospital)
Congratulations on your pregnancy. We use aveeno on dry and eczema prone skin in our house, baby, kids and grown ups too! Very gentle and effective, plant based rather than mineral oils. Have also had good results with moogoo products. We use their milk wash and shampoo on our wee ones. Their scalp cream was also amazing on cradle cap. Hope you find something that helps. X
So many things I have never heard of! Thank you x
Sorry to hear your struggling with dry skin, I was similar at the beginning of my last pregnancy and used Raw Organic Coconut oil. You can buy it from Aldi for a few pounds and it’s really effective plus completely natural. You can also use it for cooking, in your hair etc. I use it now on my baby boy and have done since His birth 7 weeks ago X
My husband and children use double base dayleve gel/ cream. It’s prescribed though but of course you would then get it free atm. May be useful to check with the doctor whether you need an oil based product or not, depending on the type of dryness etc.
Oh my goodness there are different types of dryness? There is so much I do not know!
I am so stupid. My feet are like hooves and I never thought it was pregnancy related! Aveeno is good or I like the body shop stuff. If your skin is so dry I think you need something thicker than a normal body lotion-more like a body butter. We all know with other children to look after though, the last thing we have time to do is put cream on ourselves! I’ve been putting thick cream and socks on when they go to bed and taking them off before bed. Saying that though, I’ve only managed it once. Maybe look for a spray to save time?
I’m so glad I’ve read this. Sorry for the essay 🙂
I thought nothing would surprise me this pregnancy and yet every day I seem to be learning something new. I need to find some time amongst the chaos of large family life and look after me. Somehow x
As a diabetic, I’m prone to extremely dry skin. I use organic coconut oil and find that it works the best for me and also contains no harmful chemicals. I also use it on my hair once a week, wrapping my hair in a towel. Keeps your hair shiny and healthy as well! A word of caution though – let it seep in for about 10 minutes before climbing into bed.
I have been using lanolin cream on my stress-related dry skin recently. It works wonders!