MY BABY DID THIS TO ME

Fiona Hooker, 32, was looking forward to the birth of her second child - but then her body began to rebel

- MOIRA HOLDEN

Caressing my bump as a determined kick prodded me, my tummy suddenly started itching. It was April 2021, I was 31 weeks pregnant, and as I pulled up my top and peered down at my stomach, I noticed some odd pink spots around my belly button.

'I must have been bitten by something,' I said to my husband, Warren, then 34. But more and more spots appeared over the next few days, forming into a rash. They became lumpy and unbearably itchy and spread across my body. I found it impossible to leave it alone, my fingers raking constantly at my skin.

When it didn't fade, I rang the GP for advice. He suggested the rash could be eczema and prescribed a steroid cream. But still my fingers scratched incessantly, leaving my skin a pulsing, angry mess.

DESPERATE FOR HELP

I was a full-time mum to my daughter, Phoebe, then two, and also ran a hypnobirthing business. And despite two stronger prescriptions, there was no improvement. I couldn't get comfortable or sleep properly because of the neverending urge to scratch and I was so tired that running my business was starting to become impossible.

I'd been referred to a dermatologist, but by the time I was 34 weeks, I couldn't take it any more. 'I need help,' I wept to Warren, and desperate for some relief, we decided to go to A&E.

All they could offer was some high-strength allergy medication, which helped a little bit, but there were no answers as to what was causing the rashes. All I could do was wait until my appointment with the dermatologist.

A week later, I sat in front of her, hoping she could help me. You have pemphigoid gestationis (PG),' she said, explaining it was an autoimmune condition that flares up in the second or third trimester. In short, I was allergic to my baby.