Are you pregnant and worried about the constant itchiness around your belly? Well, calm down. Mild and constant itching around one’s belly and breasts is considered to be common and normal during pregnancy. As much as 20% women have itchy skin and experts advice one to not worry much about the same.
Moreover one may feel especially itchy on and around the belly and the breasts because the skin around this area is stretching to accommodate the increasing size of the uterus. Apart from that, even dry skin and hormonal changes play an important role in causing the irritation. However if the itchiness becomes intolerable, one can always undergo these home remedies
Home remedies to get rid of itchy bellies during pregnancy
1. Oatmeal bath
It is always advised to not take hot shower bath during pregnancy as it may dry out the skin and make it much more vulnerable to itchiness. Instead one can go for traditional colloidal oatmeal bath. Colloidal oatmeal is finely ground whole oats. These are available in the market or you can always grind oats to a fine powder and use it for your bath.
However remember that you mix 2-3 cups of colloidal oatmeal in the bucket of warm water, not hot. And for optimum relief, pat yourself dry after you are done bathing and apply any mild moisturizer around the belly and breasts. This oatmeal bath is warm and soothing and done if done twice a week, can provide a great relief.
2. Aloe Vera gel
Aloe Vera gel has always been famous for its health benefits. It can be used as an excellent juice or even as a moisturizer to relieve burning and itching skin. Its medicinal attributes makes it an excellent choice to be used while itchy during pregnancy.
One can apply this gel liberally 2-3 times a day. Moreover, it is not really absorbed y the skin so it’s the best treatment for external itching without worrying about any adverse effects. But remember excessive use may cause skin to dry, thus start off with smaller doses.
3. Cold compress
As already mentioned, taking hot shower is never considered idol during pregnancy as it may aggravate the itching. And if itching has severed down and your skin has started to flake off, you can always choose to apply an ice pack or some cold compress on the affected area. This ice pack can also be used in areas where itching has fostered into skin rashes.
4. Moisturize
MOISTURIZE; consider it as the only gospel truth to treat the itchiness during pregnancy. You should moisturize your skin every now and then and must always go for unscented stuff to avoid itchiness and skin rashes. You can find a lot of creams like mild calamine lotion, vitamin E oils, and calendula creams in the market which are made solely with this purpose. Hence you may slather all the belly butter you want and find your rashes and itchiness gradually decreasing.
Furthermore, remember to wear loose cotton and natural fabrics clothes to avoid any aggravation of these rashes.
5. Apple cider vinegar
Apple cider vinegar has always been praised for its antibacterial qualities. It is one of the most widely used remedy to treat skin and scalp itching, dandruff, yellow teeth etc. Moreover it contains citric acid that helps in killing off the bacteria causing skin itching. Apart from that it also hinders any further bacterial growth, thus, making sure that the symptoms of itchiness never returns.
Furthermore, it is also a great antiseptic and anti-inflammatory agent that decreases the possibility of having skin rashes and infections. And best of all is that it keeps the skin soft and tender. So, just keep a bottle of apple cider vinegar and cotton balls handy and keep dabbing each time an itch irritates you.
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