Updates

Belly Rash
Hydrocortisone was working at an amazinginly slow pace. Or so we thought until Minal started getting itchy around her lips. She thought it could be a side effect from the cream and she went online to check if there were any side effects. Not only she found that that could be one of the side effects she also found that Hydrocortisone had a FDA rating C and was not recommended for use by pregnant women without consulting their doctors!!! This is because it contains steroids that could potentially pass through the skin into the placenta and can be harmful to the baby! She got so mad. I mean here we are trusting our doctor and she goes on suggesting something potentially harmful to our baby without even mentioning side effects. I was pissed off too and I called immediately to get an appointment with a Dermatologist for Friday.

At the Dermatologist we found that her skin being sensitive was reacting very quickly to steroids and was depositing pigments very quickly. Which is why all affected areas were getting all brownish. Basically her entire belly. But the rash apparently was an early break out of PUPPP that usually is seen after 30 weeks of pregnancy. The nurse suggested using natural alternatives such as Aveeno Oatmeal bath and/or Eucerine. She assured that use of steroids so far is not going to affect our baby in anyway.

Minal has been using Eucerine for a couple of days and that seems to be taking care of the rash. But we are afraid that brown color from pigment deposits is going to stay for a long long time.

Lesson learned: no matter how trusting you want your relationship with you gynaecologist to be, you always have to explicity ask about the side effects of anything that he/she suggest. And, do not use anything in pregnancy withough Googling on it.

Is the baby moving?
Probably not. Although she has felt those exact movements a couple of times on different days it is probably not the baby moving. We will have to wait and watch for obvious (or mysterious) signs of baby moving. Probably a feeling of bubble floating around in the belly? Or may be we will have to wait until skin has thinned enough and baby is big enough for us to see his moving elbow making running impressions on her belly. I guess we just wait.

The baby moved, she thinks

Minal called me this morning and asked 'What does your reading say about how it feels like when the baby moves?'. I said is this a test or something? Yes I have been doing my part of reading books but I do not remember everything I read. But I had to know this one since we are in our 18th week and baby's first move can be anytime between 16 and 20 weeks of pregnancy. The problem is that books don't clearly describe how it feels when the baby moves the first time. Women who have been pregnant before can easily tell baby's first move from gas bubbles but not the first time pregnant women.

Anyway, so I told her it feels like gas bubbles moving inside your belly. And she goes - but the gas bubbles are supposed to be inside stomach while the baby is in uterus. Isn't it? And I am like 'ummm... feels like gas bubbles'. She has been feeling what she calls small kicks or pats from inside on the right side below her belly button. That is where we also expect the uterus be at this time. And she has felt those a couple of times since morning. So yes it could be the baby moving!!!

Lets wait and see if the feeling persists through tomorrow and we will definitely know.