Hello mumofmonsters
As you know, I had OC with my first pregnancy. It started at 28 weeks and i was induced at 38 weeks.
Am 27 weeks tomorrow and am now totally paranoid about every tiny itch! My skin is looking quite pale and yellow so I suspect i'll be itching before long.
Things that helped me:
- drink loads of water
- cut alcohol out completely, if you haven't already
- avoid high fat / high sugar foods, and red meat.
The above are all designed to reduce the strain on your liver. Consultants etc will tell you that there is no evidence to suggest that diet can influence OC symptoms, but there is a good OC support group on Yahoo (called Itchymoms) and lots of women on there have reported reduced itching by controlling what they eat. My worst OC night ever followed a night out at a restaurant at which I drank red wine and ate steak. Avoiding certain things definitely helped me, even if only to give me some sense of control.
Menthol cream - get your chemist to mix menthol into aqueous cream. Provides blissful relief from the itching (although not for long).
urso - my itching really subsided when i started taking the medication. If yours hasn't, you should ask about taking an increased dose.
Wear light, cotton clothing. This was the only thing i could tolerate against my skin.
Hope this helps. You have my total, total sympathy. The itching / lack of sleep / stress combination is really hideous and the last thing you want to be dealing with when anticipating the arrival of your new baby.
It honestly does disappear COMPLETELY when the baby's out, though.