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Filed under: Health & Safety: Babies, Medical Conditions, In The News, Weird But True
Joanne Mackie broke out in welts from her child. Photo credit: cash4yourstory.co.uk
All Joanne Mackie wanted was to hold and comfort her infant son. But shortly after giving birth, the 28-year-old British woman developed a mysterious rash that was so painful, it completely stopped her from acting on her natural instincts.
"It was such a heartbreaking time," Mackie told the Daily Mail.
What started as tingling in her palms the morning after James, now 11 months old, was born spread into blistering welts within a day. For relief, Mackie took to wrapping her arms in wet cloths so she could hold her son, but the pain only worsened. Subsequently, her husband, Robert, 37, took care of James.
Doctors were initially stumped for a diagnosis. Eventually, a skin biopsy revealed she suffered from a rare skin condition - called pemphigoid gestitonis - that afflicts pregnant women and new moms. Simply put, Mackie was allergic to her son.
According to The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), pemphigoid gestitionis is a skin condition in which blisters appear on the abdomen and, in the worst cases, over large regions of the body. Women can develop the condition during the second or third trimester and after giving birth. In the rarest of cases, children can be born with the rash. The Daily Mail reports that doctors told Mackie she could not pass the rash to her son.
Approximately 1 in 50,000 women suffer from pemphigoid gestitionis, according to a Michigan State University study. Why women get the rash is still unknown, but the blisters and welts appear when antibodies are formed during pregnancy that attack normal proteins in the body. Treatment includes taking oatmeal baths and avoiding getting overheated, which worsens the itching sensation, according to ACOG. Doctors might also administer medication to ease the pain, as they did for Mackie, who took steroids.
Today, Mackie, who originally sold her story to cash4yourstory.co.uk, is clear of the rash but dark spots remain on her body as a reminder of the difficult period.
"I have learned that a cuddle from your own child is the most precious thing in the world," she said.
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ReaderComments (Page 2 of 2)
8-03-2009 @ 10:59PM
Karen said...I felt like I was the only one when this happened to me. My doctor was stumped as to why I was having my rash. It was the last 6 weeks of my pregnancy and I was covered in a rash on my thighs and lower abdomen. It itched so bad and burned that I was wrapping my self in ace bandages to keep my thighs from touching each other of the clothing that I was wearing. It was unbelieveable how fast it went away after my daughter was born. Within 12 hours I felt such relief. Luckily, I didn't have this with my second child.
Reply
8-04-2009 @ 1:35AM
Paula Berge said...I have gestational pemphigoid and have had it for 9 years without remission. A friend and I started a yahoo group 8 years ago to support women with this autoimmune disease. We have many members that have had second and third children after PG.
Babies born with blistering is transitional, they do not have the disease, they share the same antibodies as mom for a few days and then their own antibodies take over.
She is definitely not allergic to her child! I am shocked that the UK would print such a story as Dr. Martin Black in London is considered the authority on this disease. The placenta expresses an antibody to protect the baby and unfortunately this antibody can get out of control and begin to attack the mother's largest organ - skin.
Reply
8-04-2009 @ 1:48AM
Paula Berge said...As kchara wrote, those who have a rash that immediately clears after delivery had something called PUPPP.
Gestational Pemphigoid (or the old name, pemhigoid gestationis) is much different, although in the beginning stages, PG is often mistaken for PUPPP.
Reply
8-04-2009 @ 4:30AM
rabbitrainbow5 said...hi im another suffer from pemhigoid gestationis sorry paula when i was diagnosed almost 4 years ago thats what it was called alsoa member of paulas yahoo group for this disorder.
the treatment for this is high doses of steriods for an extended period of time so the comment by jeff i find offensive after all its bad enough justhaving a baby and feeling a little unactractive let alone going through this awful condition and being covered head to toe with blisters and plaques then to be put on a drug to fix that that makes you gain weight. we are not sea cows!!!!!!!!!!!! i understand why the photo is of her with a older baby after all noone could have paid enough for me to get in a photo while i was going through it for 6 months then at least another 6 months trying to lose the weight i had gained so a little respect people for what this women and many others like her have gone through
8-04-2009 @ 6:16AM
RONALD BROWN said...rbrownsbrown7
THE LADY TOUCHED MY HAND ON MY HAND, START TO RASH AND I AM ALLERGY OF HER SKIN. MY SKIN GOT BURNING, I WASHED RIGHT A WAY MY HAND WITH SOAP, THAT HELPED ALOT.
JOANNE, WHEN YOU GET RASH FROM YOUR CHILD,WASH YOUR SKIN WITH SOAP,RIGHT A WAY. DON'T WAIT TOO LONG.
I HOPE IT WORK.
GOOD LUCK
Reply
8-04-2009 @ 4:10PM
Deelalips said...It's NOT her child. She's have hormone allergies. They'll go away as mysteriously as they came on. Welcome to being a woman.
Reply
8-05-2009 @ 1:03AM
my_boys said...I also have Pemphigoid Gestationis and experienced with all three of my pregnancies. I was first misdiagnosed with Chicken Pox, then PUPP, and finally once my body was covered from the sides of my face all the way down to my ankles in the very thick rash and I started to get the water blisters my derm. knew that it was PG. It is not an allergic reaction at all. It is an autoimmune disorder. It does not go away within days after the baby is born. In fact it gets rapidly worse about five days postpartem. Would you say that AIDS or Lupus or Multiple Sclerosis was in someone's head or call them obsene names? It is a blood disorder that is so itchy as to be painful. With my first pregnancy I wasn't able to walk without the support of my husband. And I couldn't sleep for almost two weeks because of the pain and also because of lying in one position and not moving around until I was given Prednisone and it started to clear up. With my second and third pregnancies I had a great doctor who listened to my story, saw the pictures my husband had enough foresight to take, and gave me a standing-prescription to take as soon as I needed to. Because I knew what to watch for I was able to have healthier pregnancies, but the risks and problems are still there. My heart goes out to anyone experiencing this or PUPPs or an actual allergy or anything out of the ordinary where you have to fight to be listened to at your worst possible time.
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8-07-2011 @ 1:55PM
Rebecca Van Hout said...The poster kchara is correct. The author of this article did not do a very good job of explaining this condition. Pemphigoid gestitionis is an AUTOIMMUNE disease. Nothing this mother could have done could have prevented it. It is not a psychological condition, but the body is producing antibodies against the skin. Check out the International Pemphigus and Pemphigoid Foundation for more information. I would put a link but they are not allowed in the comments here.
There are other skin conditions such as PUPPS that can develop during pregnancy but Pemphigoid is different and the kinds of topical treatemenst such as oatmeal won't be effective. This condition requires steroids to treat it.
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