Vincelli: Party of 6

Vincelli: Party of 6

Sunday, September 12, 2010

WEEK 35 SYMPTOM UPDATE

More stretch marks have appeared above and around my belly button now. My skin is being stretched to the limits!! It’s also become very hard to control my urine. Sometimes when I sneeze, I pee a little. I’m sure you really wanted to know that, but I’m just reporting the truth!

My lower belly is extremely itchy. Usually a wet, cold washcloth helps ease the itchiness and pain. But it’s so hard not to scratch it. Along with this itching, I’ve noticed bumps on my lower stomach. I asked my OB about it and he said it’s PUPPP, Pruritic Urticarial Papules and Plaques of Pregnancy. I googled it and found it’s the most common rash in pregnant women and usually starts around 35 weeks. (So that’s right on!) The rash is very itchy, or pruritic, hence the name. It can last 6 weeks and is resolved after delivery. The most severe itching lasts for about a week. (That’s good news!) The cause of PUPPP is unknown. Another interesting fact is that 70% of women with PUPPP give birth to boys! So there’s a new hypothesis that male fetal DNA acts as a skin irritant. Interesting!

The pressure in my lower uterus is unbelievable. If I sit or lay down for even 5 minutes, by the time I get up, it’s hard to walk. The inside muscles of my legs are so sore, I have to walk really slowly and it is painful. It’s hard to lift my legs to try to get pants on even!

Will I survive the 4 remaining weeks? Time will tell!

Here I am at 35 weeks!