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Jessica Williams, 23 years old, was pregnant for the first time. When her body started to develop red rashes all over her stomach, she wasn’t sure if it was just part of the pregnancy process or not, the Mirror reports.
Williams had to go through a lot of problems while she was carrying her baby daughter, Ivy. She suffered blood clots and extremely difficult morning sickness.
Williams said, ““It was like my unborn baby was trying to kill me. The rash was unbearably itchy and it would keep me awake at night. But I was relieved that Ivy was born healthy despite my eventful pregnancy.”
Williams’ partner, Dan Powell, works as a roofer. They met in September 2014 and the couple found out that they were having a baby in January 2016. Powell is 28 years old.
Williams said, “It was definitely a surprise, but we were so happy. I was smitten with Dan and we were excited to start a family.”
However, when Williams hit the seven-week mark, she began to experience some painful feeling in her belly.
Williams said, ““Before I knew it, I was vomiting 10 times a day and couldn’t keep anything down. It got so bad that I was hospitalized for dehydration. Thankfully, my illness didn’t affect the baby and I was relieved when our 12-week scan showed that everything was fine.”
Two months later, Williams was diagnosed with swine flu. Fortunately, she recovered after two weeks. She continued to pursue her pregnancy despite all of the painful and sickening things that she had felt.
At the 28-week mark, Williams couldn’t force her body to sit up properly and her chests were feeling like it was drooping down.
When she was taken to Queen Alexandra Hospital, doctors informed her that blood clots started to form on her lungs and can potentially kill her.
Williams said, “I was so embarrassed and refused to show it to anyone. The itching became unbearable and I was constantly restless. I even scratched my skin so much that it bled.”
She was eventually diagnosed with polymorphic eruption in pregnancy. Doctors told her that they were related to hormone changes and given her antihistamines to alleviate the rash.
Williams said, “Essentially, my body was trying to fight the pregnancy. I was shocked though, after the other complications I’d suffered during my pregnancy I wondered what else would go wrong. But in the end, I knew my baby would be worth all the pain and stress.”
Once she gave birth to Ivy, the rash suddenly went away and disappeared.
Williams said, “We’d love to give her a sibling one day. Doctors have reassured me to experience the rash during a second pregnancy would be extremely rare, but if I had to, I’d go through it all over again.”
