No, it ain’t a band name. Do I have to tell you this is a TMI thread?
I’m seven months pregnant, and have been having sensitive/dry/cracking nipples for months now. I’m getting kind of used to it, and using boatloads of lanolin has helped.
Well, a while ago, my nipples felt really itchy. I investigated, and they felt crusty to the touch. At first I thought it was very dry skin. But then I noticed a little piece of fuzz clinging to my nipple, and pulled it off - and it came with several small chunks of crystallized colostrum! No wonder the nips were itchy - they had sugar crystals embedded in them. :eek:
At least now I know I can fix the problem by giving them a quick rinse of clear water. But jeez, how many weird things can pregnancy do to your body?
I, who make Casper the Ghost look African American got that linea nigra–very dark mark down my belly (on very white skin)–it looked like I’d been attacked with eyeliner.
I got sciatica with my second pregnancy–that was loads of fun.
Hint re the nipples–let them air dry after nursing, it will toughen them up more quickly. (no worries, they get soft again after nursing). Don’t bother with the silicone nipple shield (if they still even offer them)–waste of money.
Mmmm… weird pregnancy symptoms. The only times in my life since I was 10 yrs old that I’ve had completely and perfectly blemish free skin was when I was pregnant.
And I grew two cup sizes.
Kinda makes me want to get knocked up again. (until I remember the all night feedings)
I had that too. I thought it was pretty neat, and it went right away after I had the baby. The only residual effect I had from pregnancy was that my nipples got really dark and stayed that way for quite awhile before returning to their formerly pink state.
So, take heart! Most of these pregnancy things will go away eventually and you’ll be back to your normal self in no time.
I have stretch marks on my breasts. Well, on one breast. It’s weird. No colostrum yet, but my nipples look sort of… bumpy? Or something? And stretch marks on my hips. Neither bothers me. I wasn’t planning on wearing bikinis any more anyway.
I was told about acid reflux, but no one told me that you can have nine months of not having anything blocking your stomach off from your esophagus. So lying down must be done very carefully, and never on a full stomach.
Sciatica, check - with my first pregnancy and it just emerged with this one. Going to physical therapy next week.
And yeah, I know I sound like a noob, but this is my second pregnancy (well, technically third), and I just weaned my 4yo over the Summer (come to think of it, maybe I’m making lots/early colostrum b/c my boobs never cycled down from lactating). Plus I am known amongst my friends as a breastfeeding expert. So you’d think nothing would surprise me, but it still manages to.
And now to demonstrate my expertise:
Lissla Lissar, stretch marks are normal. In fact, recently there was a study that confirmed that pregnancy, (and age, and smoking, if you do so), not breastfeeding, causes breast sag. So it’s normal to see sagging and stretch marks during pregnancy. Those bumps are probably Montgomery’s Tubercles, and it’s normal - they secrete tiny amounts of lubricating and antibacterial fluid that help keep your nipples in shape and get ready for nursing.
And Zebra, as much as I got a laugh out of your post, if you actually have nipple discharge that is crystallizing, rather than dry skin flakes, you should tell your doctor. Abnormal nipple discharge can be a sign of problems, and men can get breast cancer.
CalMeacham, I have the soundtrack to O Brother Where Art Thou, and I’ll never listen to it again without substituting your lyrics.
Oh, man, I have stretch marks everywhere! Although since I got pregnant at 17, I admit it’s hard to tell what was from pregnancy and what was from still growing like a teenager.
My weirdest pregnancy symptom was Pruritic Urticarial Papules and Plaques of Pregnancy - PUPPP, (PUPPP Is an Itchy Rash During Pregnancy), incredibly horrid itching that started in the stretch marks and then covered everything below the chin line. I would purposely scratch myself bleeding and then dab iced salt water in the wounds, because the cold and pain was more pleasant than the itching. 8 weeks of hell. Unfortunately, it’s considered “harmless” to the mother and the fetus, so no one gives a load of dingo’s kidneys about finding a decent treatment or preventative. If there was one thing I was glad about delivering my second child so early, it was that I didn’t come anywhere near my third trimester, where PUPPP is most common.
I also get curly hair when I’m pregnant - both times now. Like Shirley Temple curly, when I usually have Rachel from Friends flat hair. Not all over, unfortunately, but I have these random corkscrew curls that come out of nowhere and disappear about 2 months after delivery.
Oh, and my glasses prescription changes and my teeth get loose. Fun times.
