Just  spoke directly to the itchy mom.  Here are a few more relevant
details.
This phenomenon began about 4 d pp .
It begins about 1 minute into the feed with teary, red and itchy eyes,
then progresses to a erythema which is similar to heat rash ( i.e. small
pimples according to the mom) spreading over her neck and face.
It subsides when the feed is over.   It will often occur when the baby
oversleeps a feed, at around the time when her breasts "begin to feel
full" (MER?).  It did not occur during labor, but she said her whole
body was numb from the epidural, so she felt nothing.
She is ready to give up breastfeeding which is a shame since the baby is
super thriving, having gained 400 g in the first week.
I think the oxytocin is triggering an allergic reaction.  She says she
suffers from mild seasonal and dust-induced rhinitis.

I think she needs some kind of medicinal relief to help her continue
breastfeeding.  Some say that pruritus is harder to endure than pain.
Unfortunately she lives in Jerusalem and not here in Tel Aviv, so I
can't refer her to a breastfeeding-friendly dermatologist, and Dr Mira
is too far away.

If anyone comes across anything that might be related, please let me
know.  I found out some pretty amazing stuff about oxytocin while
searching.  It makes you so much nicer and more sociable.  No wonder LLL
meetings were always so pleasant!!  But no where is there a mention of
it making you itch.
Are there any dermies out there?  Or endocrinologists?

Esther Grunis, IBCLC
Lis Maternity Hospital
Tel Aviv, Israel
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