I would like to add more information about HG to Darlene Breed's note. My
medical source is chapter 61 of an OB text by Rapini and Jordan and my own
personal experience as my daughter had this rare condition during her second
pregnancy 3 years ago. . The infant mortality rate for untreated moms is 30%,
and there is an increase in prematurity and small for gestational age infants.
Post partum flares in 50-75% of patients and can last several weeks or months.
Here's the interesting part. Skin lesions have been reported to persist more
than 1year in women who do not breastfeed, as compared to whose who do
breastfeed. (average postpartum duration duration is 1-6 months) Subsequent
pregnancies often result in an earlier and more severe onset. My daughter had
this miserable condition, she delivered a healthy but very small baby, who was
breastfed for well over a year.