Joanne Mackie, a 28-year old mother from Erdington, West Midlands, discovered, after giving birth to her first child, that she has a rare skin disease called Pemphigoid Gestationis, which makes her allergic to her own baby. Mackie developed serious rashes and painful blisters shortly after giving birth to her son, James. The welts in her skin were so excruciating that she could not hold her own baby and was forced to cover her arms with damp towels to protect them while she feeds him. The condition, which is said to affect one in 50,000 pregnancies, arises when antibodies that normally protect the placenta become confused and attack the skin, causing blisters to form.
“At first, when I was told I was allergic to my own baby I thought it was some sort of joke,” said Mackie. “But when it sank in I was totally devastated. It felt like my world had caved in. It was such a heartbreaking time. I had to watch while my husband gave our son his first bath. And in those first few weeks when James cried I had to watch as my husband picked him up to comfort him instead of me.” Fortunately, a month after doctors treated her allergy using strong steroids, Mackie finally was able to hold her baby without feeling any pain. “I have been told there is a 95 percent chance I will get this in my next pregnancy and this time the doctors say it could affect the baby. I am not sure I could put myself through it all again,” said Mackie. “But I have learned that a cuddle from your own child is the most precious thing in the world. Now I can cradle my little lad, it’s heaven. I never want to let him go.”
Pemphigoid gestationis often appears in pregnancy during the second or third trimester and/or immediately after birth. It is usually treated with a course of corticosteroids like prednisone.
