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We're so excited to meet our new little kido! I wonder, will I be saying the kids when discussing my children in the near future, or will I refer to them as the girls?
Early on in this pregnancy I had a slight suspicion that this might be a little boy because I had so much "morning" sickness w/ M and hardly any with this one. But there are so many women out there with kids of the same gender who say the pregnancies were SO different that I wasn't convinced.
Then something happened near the beginning of my 3rd trimester. I developed PUPPPs (pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy)! Thankfully it's not harmful to the baby. They say it isn't harmful to the mother either .. I guess they mean long term, because it certainly feels awful, has taken over my life and makes me nuts. After more than 6 weeks of dealing with this, I can say with confidence that if I had a choice, I'd gladly take 6 months of morning sickness instead. My arms, legs, feet, hands and most recently stomach and hips itch constantly with an intensity that occasionally makes me run to the freezer (at work or home), grab ice, and rub it directly on my skin until it's numb. Oh, sweet relief! But of course that only works for a short time. Yes, I've tried everything. Right now it seems as though Dandelion Root capsules & tea, Omega-3 pills, Aveeno anti-itch cream (right after a lukewarm shower with Pine Tar soap), and periodic applications of Sarna and ice to get me through the most intense spells make it bearable. Of course after a while it just becomes normal and you forget what it was like not to itch all day. I've never had poison ivy (I was immune as a kid-not sure if I am still), but Mike tells me it doesn't even come close to this. Did I mention I break out in itchy hives several times a day and have scratched my skin until it bled? Gross!
Okay, so why does this make me think I must be pregnant with a boy? They don't know why this condition happens, but it only happens in 1% of pregnancies. They think something interferes with the livers ability to do its best work. It typically runs in families and is carried down through the father's side (thanks dad!). Most women that acquire this lovely condition are pregnant for the 1st time and/or are carrying twins (no, I'm not having twins although I am measuring much larger this time even though I've gained less weight). Also, and here's the kicker, 70% of women who get this give birth to boys. There is a theory that something in male fetal DNA is a skin irritant. So now you might be thinking, well, there is still a 30% chance you could be having a girl. Yeah, it's possible, but consider this last thing. Both of my sisters have each had 1 baby. Codie and I both gave birth to girls and had no PUPPPs. Nieka, on the other hand, had a boy and she got PUPPPs the week before she delivered O. Hmmm
My doc prescribed a low dose of steroid that they say is safe for pregnancy, but I just can't bring myself to take it. If looking at the history of prescription drugs in this country has taught me one thing, it's that what they believe to be safe can change. Since this isn't harmful to me or the baby, I'd rather wait it out. It typically resolves within 2-3 weeks of delivery although my sister's lasted 3 months postpartum ... but I'm not going to think about that right now.
So ... boy or girl?
You know what I think ... but I've been wrong before.
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