RE: BW
If you gals want to avoid shaving by the hospital, it may be best to do it within 2 weeks before your EDD. By then the regrowth should be a short stubble of less than 1 cm, anything more than 2 weeks, depending on your hair growth rate may cause the hospital staff to decide to shave for you anyway.
RE: Rashes
The other time I had my bout of rashes, every time I felt itchy, I would wash the area with non soap based bath wash, wipe dry and put moisturiser that my gynae prescribed. After about a week of this and my controlling of my eating habits, the rashes went away. I also cut my nails very short so as not to scratch.