The Rash

An itchy red rash can be one of the side-effects of the post- birth watershed.

The rash tends to be worse at the bra line, the waist band of your pants or where the elastic of your underwear touches the skin. Sweat has a better chance of accumulating in these places and the skin remains damp for longer periods of time.

To add to the conventional list of warnings to young women, I also noticed that the tatoo on my hip was especially itchy because tatooed skin is more sensitive. It’s a good thing I wasn’t cool for very long and only had the one part of my body inked. I also had the rash on my legs from wearing support hose during the first ten days after giving birth to lower the risk of embolism. Even in my sleep I was constantly scratching.

My midwife suggested adding a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to a basin of water and bathing the inflamed areas once a day to reduce itching. I didn’t have any apple cider vinegar on hand, so using my vast knowledge of chemistry (ha ha), I decided to substitute one fruit acid for another and use lemon juice.

Since I am all about energy management, I didn’t bother to squeeze the lemon juice into a basin of water, but just rubbed lemon slices directly on the rash.  The acid burn stung like mad for about five minutes, but I didn’t have a single itch for at least twenty minutes. I don’t recommend that anyone repeat my experiment.
Later, I started using talcum powder to keep the skin dry.  My mother suggested corn starch would work just as well, but I just wasn’t feeling experimental. Talcum powder and corn starch can both be tricky things. You have to be careful how much and when you apply it to ensure that when you nurse or have other skin to skin contact with the baby that they won’t inhale it into their little lungs.

Talcum powder also helped reduce itching. For at least twenty minutes.

Finally, my midwife told me that another one of her mothers had found successful rash relief with Calendula Nappy Change Creme from Weleda. It worked for me too! It’s nice to know that what protects baby’s bum can also stop mum’s itchy tatoo from driving her mad.