What can I use for (infuriatingly) itchy skin

[IJustWoreMyTrenchcoat]

My belly is driving me absolutely crazy! I need to scratch it but the skin is so tight it hurts to do so.

I am currently using a mix of lots of things: palmers cocoa oil, mama mio o-mega cream, clarins stretch mark control, and a cussons stretch mark cream and a freebie body shop mango body butter I carry around with me. I have also tried my 'normal' non-pregnancy lotions I had lying around (bliss body butter, some Vaseline intensive care, dove, e45, aloe Vera gel from the fridge etc.).

Nothing, save for a cold wet towel held on the area helps. I saw some E45 itch relief cream the other day- would this help? I also plan to get some of Superdrug's vitamin e cream. Does anybody have any miracle cures before I rive my skin off?

Thank you

Have you mentioned this to your mw? Itchiness in pg can be a sign of liver problems. Hopefully not, but as well to get it checked out if you haven't already.

If a cold towel helps how about magicool/similar cooling spray? You can get anti itch/soothing ones?
Or a chilled Evian spray?

I have really bad eczema and I use Aveeno cream - it's got oatmeal in it, it leaves your skin really soft and stops my itching almost immediately. I've gone from everything on prescription to buying expensive online products because my itchy skin drives me so crazy and I swear by Aveeno now, it's great for soothing your skin!

I didn't mention it to my Midwife Deputy. It is purely on my belly, all around my belly button and lower part of my bump so I thought I was stretched skin rather than obstetric cholestasis or anything like that. Would it be all over itching for something like that?

The cooling spray is a good idea, I have some packed in m hospital bag and will give the Aveeno a go, we used to use muslin bags of oatmeal over a running tap for my dn who has eczema so will try it out.

Thank you

Do get checked for OC, my itching was never on my hands and feet (where it is supposed to be for OC!).

I would get it checked myself. Mine also wasn't on hands and feet.

I used a combination of Aloe Vera oil and then Nivea cream smothered on so thick it didn't all absorb at once. Then I'd leave it for about ten minutes (DH would come into the room and I'd be sitting there dead still looking like a snowman). Then I'd smack on more aloe vera.

Would work, but had to be reapplied often.

I had similar itching and it turned out I was allergic to the rise in oestrogen! I was given e45 anti itch on prescription and kept it in the fridge. It worked for me and the itching went away after several weeks.

half a mug of porridge oats in a pop (or thin) sock. Pop it in the bath rub and run the water hot to leach out the milky stuff. Squeeze the sock. Add cold water til the bath is cool. Soak. Squeeze and rub the sock over the itchy areas.

Get checked for OC.

When I had obstetric cholastasis, the consultant prescribed me aqueous cream wtih menthol for the itching.

You can buy it over the counte or online. it did help!

I had this towards the end of my first pregnancy and it nearly drove me insane! So bad I couldn't sleep - ended up going to triage and they had to give me antihistimines (piriton) which made me drowsy but stopped the itching a little bit. There is a condition in pregnancy that causes it, it isn't serious just very annoying - called PUPPP. Its caused by the skin stretching so fast. Sounds like that may be what you have but get it checked out to be sure

Do get it checked by the midwife/doctor.

It might be nothing, and you just get some different creams until you find one that works. Vitamin E hand cream in my case.

Or, it might be a symptom of something. I did have cholestasis, as it turned out. Thankfully, I made a chance comment about the itch and the midwife took some blood just to check.

Nutraplus is brilliant

I tried very expensive oils and creams and the only thing that worked was the very unglamorous anti itching E45. I used to get it from Amazon.

Epsom salt baths. Was miracle like cure for me.

I've been using body shop peppermint foot lotion on my bump and hands as well as my feet, very soothing it is too. I smell like a pack of polo mints but still it's better than scratching!!