I'm currently about 32 1/2 weeks preg with my 2nd child. My 1st was born in Decemeber so I'm learning what it's like to be preg in the summer. I have 2 new problems that I need help with....
1. Heat rash - I have it pretty high up on my legs and it's getting painful. I wear mostly jeans at work. Is there anything I can put on it to get rid of it?
2. BO - both in the arm pits and in the female department. My deo doesn't seem to be keeping up and now that I'm getting hot during the day, the female department is getting to bother me too.
The problem I have is that I'm sensative to products with fragrance (especially now, for example, anything from Bath and Body makes me break out in a rash) and I need to use something without perfumes.
Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I really don't want to deal witht this for the next 2 months or be embarrassed to be around people.
Well, now that my baby's arrived, things have gotten better for sure. But to answer my own questions, while I was pregnant, two things seemed to help.
1. I used the new Lotrimin Anti-chafing cream and baby powder. I also wore some lightweight cargo pants that weren't as hot as jeans.
2. I found that the clinical strength Dove worked the best for me and wasn't too harsh on my skin.
Thanks for all your help!
I can't honestly help you with a deodrant but I know my I'd get a rash high on my legs I used baby powder. As silly as that sounds it does work. Good luck!
Ask your doctor, they may be able to prescribe a good topical treatment.
I'm pregnant now too, and have had a fungal rash in my armpits since October. It FINALLY cleared up, after trying cream anti-fungal, and then a powder anti-fungal. That did the trick.
I too am very sensitive to fragrances. I use fragrance-free antiperspirant, fragrance-free panty liners, try to stay clean, and wear light weight skirts or pants. I often change clothes when I get home from work into whatever is lightest.
Hang in there - you're almost to the end!
Hi R.,
This is so embarassing, but I am having the same problem as you-in the female dept. that is! Even just a few hours after a shower, I get a weird kind of odor. It has happened to me in every pregnancy, and there is no presence of infection, so I just deal with it, and try to shower at night before bed, as well as in the morning. I saw this product at walmart called Rephresh, and I guess it's supposed to make the PH balance inside your vagina return to normal. I have never tried it, but I thought about it. I'm not sure if you can use it during pregnancy, though. Hang in there though...You're almost there!
K.
Monistat makes a powder that is fragrance free and is meant for chafing and odor. It's called Soothing Care.
Both of my girls are summer babies. I feel your pain.
Heat rash--try patting on some corn starch at night, while you sleep. You can try to use it during the day as well, although it's a little messy. My husband does Civil War Reenacting in the summer and, from wearing his wool uniform, gets chafed quite a bit from riding his horse. Corn starch seems to work for him.
Body odor--try using a crystal rock. You can find this at Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, other coops or health stores (you might have to call around), or you can buy it on-line at vitacost.com. It comes shaped like a big egg. You wet it, then rub it over all the areas you sweat. What it does is, the natural crystals and minerals "seal" the area and prevent bacteria from forming. I've been using one for over six months, and I absolutely will never go back to regular deo again! The crystal rock usually lasts about a year, so it's also economical (just make sure you don't drop it on a hard surface; I did, and mine shattered into millions of little pieces).
One more idea: many times, body odor is caused because your body has a build up of toxic heavy metals. I've not sure if there is much you can do about that now, since you're pregnant and can't really detox, but it wouldn't hurt to visit a Naturopathic Doctor and have a test run, just to see (it's a 24-hr urine test, very simple to do). The doctor might have some ideas of safe things you could do if you find that you have some heavy metal issues. I used to have mild bo; after I chelated three times, I have barely any body odor and what I do have is taken care of with the crystal rock.
Good luck! I was pregnant during the winter months, so can't begin to imagine what it's like being pregnant during the warm summer months. Hope these ideas help.
There are plenty of over the counter remedies for heat rash but before you apply or ingest any medication, check with your dermatologist or the pharmacist to make sure it is safe to use during the pregnancy or not. A cool, damp compress can take some of the heat out of your heat rash. A dab of the calamine lotion can also be soothing and it is safe to use. If any rash or the irritation lasts longer than a couple of the days, ask your practitioner about the next steps.
http://www.biblehealth.com/heat-rash/heat-rash-overview.html
A cheap help to the BO problem....baking soda! I had the same problem when I was pregnant with my twins 2 years ago. Just rub a little on over your deodorant. It works wonders!
Ah, ain't pregnancy grand! :)
I switched to skirts and loose cotton pants during my summer pregnancies and that helped with both.
I would just use some calendula on the heat rash. No chemicals at all and just get the alcohol free kind. Or aloe would be good too. Maybe soak in a warm, not hot, bath with some oatmeal?
As far as BO...yeah, I got a little skunky at the end! :) Hormones change so much. I just tried to wear loose fitting tops and keep myself clean. I would constantly ask my husband if I smelled and he'd say no....and he's honest! I think pregnancy nose makes you pretty sensitive to your own smells.
Make sure the odor from your vaginal area is just from sweat, etc....you don't have a yeast infection or anything do you?
Good luck mama...oh, I also, begrudgingly, bought some HUGE granny panties that were cotton and ugly, but they were nice at the end! :)
I'm 35 week right now... the problem spot I have is between my belly & breast. I use baby powder after baths & also if it's really hot & I'm sweating a lot I will reapply it again later in the day. It helps to absorb the sweat, no just cover up the smell. I do sometimes also have to reapply my deo a few times a day sometimes.
I'm not sure if you could find a thinner mat. pants to wear at work, but that might also help.
Another thing you might want to try is oatmeal baths - ask your doc first though... my daughter gets heat rashes a lot - we use the baby oatmeal bath by Johnson's with her, although we have use the other as well, but the baby is gentler on her skin. And it is usually gone in a day or so... so you know we just use the bath as bubble bath & put it in the water as we full up the tub. But You can use it as soap if you want to also.
I did try deo under my breast once & it just made things worse for me, but I'm not a small woman when it comes to that area.
I'm not sure what to say about the other area... right now I have to wear pads because everything the baby moves I have issues. So, I change them a lot & it does help to keep my panties from smelling & if my water does break - it will help to absorb some of that problem also... after all I've already been told I won't make it to 40 weeks with the way I have been feeling & my body is acting.
Good luck - hope you are able to keep cool... the baby will be her soon & the issues will go away :) On Congratz on the little one!!
lots of good ideas! for me, making sure i drink lots of water helps with odor.
heat rash - you could take some benadryl, but since it's so persistant, i'm not sure how well that would work for you. there was a lotion i used when i was pregnant but now i don't remember what it was called.
as for the BO, have you tried the Dove Clinical strength? it works wonders for me! and the female department - Always brand makes these unscented wipes. they also work wonders to help eleviate itching and heat down there. they're great for periods and everything too.
Heat rash is usually caused by bacteria from sweat. Use a deoderant plus antiperspirant under your arms and between your legs(also under breasts)/ Cortisone will clear it up quickly, and you only need tiny amounts rubbed into clean skin, then antiperspirant. If it gets itchy, it's probably progressed to yeast. Ues over the counter clotrimazole for the skin, including the perineal area. Read labels--if you look, you can find it very cheap, sometimes in the foot care section ( used for athlete's foot-also a fungus). Exact same med, only cheaper, that's why you read labels. Another sweaty place this works--- itchy or raw butt crack. good luck. N. B. retired nurse
