May 7, 2015

Tips for Itchy Skin, Postpartum Itchy Skin

Once postpartum "complication" that I was not prepared for was a serious case of itchiness. I don't ever recall having it with my first, but definitely had it with my second and man alive! Talk about itching your skin until it breaks and is raw!

Postpartum itchy skin is commonly a result of the drastic drop in progesterone and estrogen following childbirth. Further, as your salt and water levels rapidly decrease after having a baby, the elasticity of your skin changes.

Off I went in search of relief, and I wanted to share some tips with you on the off chance that there are any mamas out there experiencing postpartum itchy skin!


My first remedy was to find a lotion to hydrate my skin. I started with coconut oil right after a shower, which worked nicely. When I found that my skin was itchy in the middle of the night, Gold Bond Triple Medicated Body Lotion was the only thing that I found would give relief. It has the cooling sensation of menthol, which was greatly appreciated at 1am!

Eventually, it got to be so itchy that it felt like I had hives, but without the hive-like blotchy red patches and rash. I sought the help of my bloggy bff, Shannon from Baby Shmizz, and she recommended an antihistamine like Claritin, which would target the areas of itchniess from the inside out. Off to the pharmacy I went, and home I came with the store brand Reactine.

I kid you not, within 20 minutes of taking the medication, the itchiness was gone.

Where were the patches of itchy postpartum skin?

Behind my knees
Under my knee caps
Under my bustline
My armpits
The inner part of my thighs right by my knees

And it was the kind of itching that nags at you, begging for relief...immediate relief!

If you are experiencing postpartum itchy skin, know that there are remedies out there and that you don't have to just sit and wait it out!

Update: if all else fails and you're still experiencing postpartum itch, go talk to your doctor. We found out that my hormones were way out of whack and my birth control pills were actually causing the itch!

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