A new mother is suffering from a rare and terrible postnatal disease that affects just one in every 50,000 women worldwide. As Fiona Hooker is allergic to her own baby, she develops blisters and red itchy spots on her tummy.
When she was 31 weeks pregnant, the 32-year-old discovered red itching spots on her tummy. As time passed, the allergies worsened. She still experiences itching spots on her tummy, occasionally with blisters, even after giving birth.
Fiona was diagnosed with Pemphigoid Gestationis, a rare autoimmune pregnancy disorder. According to accounts, her immune system attacks her own skin as a result of a gene in her son’s DNA. ‘I got a few tiny, really itchy marks around my belly button that felt like nettle stings. I went to the doctors after a few days because it was getting more and more itchy and unbearable’, said Fiona.
A general practitioner urged the 32-year-old to see a dermatologist. She complied, and she was prescribed a heavy steroid cream to use. ‘Two days before I was due to give birth it started to get unbearable again and 24 hours after I’d given birth it just exploded and turned into blisters’, added Fiona.
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She had blisters and rashes on her breast, arms, and legs after giving birth. Basically, she would carry the infant wherever she went. She was then administered a high dose of oral steroids as well as a cream to help control her allergies.
Thankfully, six months after she began taking the steroids, her allergies began subsiding. However, the transformation isn’t permanent because she has to apply the creams frequently. ‘A lot of people have to have immunosuppressive therapies to get off the steroids and get the condition under control so I’m quite lucky’, said Fiona, who now hopes to raise awareness of the rare pregnancy condition.
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