I never would have guessed that a little dry skin could turn my family’s world upside down. I say “a little” but in reality there was a whole lot of it. Also, what I’m referring to as “dry skin” was actually some pretty severe eczema.
Prior to a couple of months ago, I had never given the word eczema much thought. I didn’t have it, my husband didn’t have it, and none of my three daughters had it. I only knew it caused dry patches on your skin, and at times it could flare up, whatever that meant. It wasn’t something I had to think about because it didn’t apply to me or anyone I loved.
Little did I know I would soon be getting a very good lesson on eczema, the good and the bad.
Who am I kidding, there is NO good when it comes to eczema. Especially not when it’s on your sweet little baby.
Shortly after my son’s 4 month well baby visit, I noticed he had some areas of skin that were raised, red, and kinda scaly. Since it wasn’t something any of my daughters ever had, I sent a picture to my midwife to see if she knew what it was. She told me it was eczema, and there was something he was allergic to.
I don’t think it took 2 weeks before we were at the pediatrician because his body was covered with the red patches. The doctor agreed that it was indeed eczema. She prescribed an oral antibiotic, in case of infection, as well as hydrocortisone. She was also sending us to get his blood drawn so they could check for a milk, soy, and egg allergy.
I left that appointment thinking all we had to do was take the prescription and we would be in the clear. Well, I couldn’t have been more wrong.
One week later we were back in the pediatricians office. The eczema was worse than it had ever been. During that visit she told us the blood work showed he had a very slight allergy to both eggs and soy. What she couldn’t tell us was the best way to treat the eczema. She decided to refer us to a dermatologist and an allergist hoping they might have some answers for us. In the meantime, she advised me to avoid eggs and soy, and to continue with the hydrocortisone.
This advice wasn’t exactly music to my ears. I didn’t really care about not being able to eat eggs and soy. But the idea of covering my baby in a topical steroid made me feel uneasy.
In the weeks since then, we have been to the Emergency Room, the allergist, the dermatologist, the pediatrician, and then back to the dermatologist. I’ve met with 8 different health care professionals, and the only thing they’ve all agreed on is that it is eczema.
As for everything else, they each have an opinion on what might be the cause and the cure. From bleach baths and wet wraps to ointments and creams, they’ve all suggested a different course of treatment.
As for what I should eat, well I guess that depends on who you ask.
According to the allergist, the positive allergy result to soy and egg we had received from the pediatrician was actually a false positive. So now instead of avoiding eggs, she told me I should actually start feeding him eggs every day to try and prevent him from developing a future egg allergy. Well since he currently isn’t eating anything but breastmilk, I didn’t feel super comfortable with this. I felt even more uncomfortable with it after two other doctors told me they would NOT follow that recommendation.
We also learned via a letter (which I think should have been accompanied with a phone call) from the allergist that he has a HIGH allergy to peanuts.
Because I’m completely ignorant to food allergies, and the doctor never called to touch base with me, I called her. I knew as much about a peanut allergy as I did about eczema, which was not very much. As you might imagine, I had quite a few questions.
Could my other children still have peanut butter? Did I have to get rid of all the peanut butter in my house?
She stated that he should avoid peanuts and tree nuts, but I could eat them if I wanted to. How that wouldn’t affect him through breastmilk I still don’t know. But then again, I’m not the professional.
During the last conversation I had with the allergist she told me she didn’t think his eczema was food-related.
According to her, the fact the eczema hadn’t cleared up meant it must not have been something I was eating. So even though it had only been a couple weeks since I started the elimination diet, she said I could start introducing all the foods I had previously stopped eating.
Again, that didn’t feel right to me. I decided to speak with a couple other doctors and read articles from other parents who have babies that are struggling or have struggled with eczema. My conclusion was to stick with the elimination diet for at least 6 weeks. That means no eggs, dairy, wheat, soy, fish, shell fish, peanuts, and tree nuts.
If I told you I wasn’t dying for a cup of coffee with cream, I would be lying. I tried almond milk and coconut milk. I also tried a combo of the two, but none of them have the creaminess of half and half so I quit coffee. Let me tell you, I really enjoy my coffee. And more than that, my family really enjoys me more when I’ve had my coffee!!
But at this point I’m willing to do just about anything to try and find the cause of his eczema.
The past 2 months have been exhausting, both mentally and physically.
Don’t get me wrong, I know that all new moms are tired. I don’t think there’s a single mother that wouldn’t love a little more sleep if they could get it. But what I really really really want is to not have to hold my sweet baby ALL NIGHT to prevent him from scratching at his face because it’s so itchy.
There’s a difference between co-sleeping with your baby and having to physically restrain them from hurting himself. We even purchased scratch sleeves to keep him from scratching his face, but I still need to hold him.
As if having to hold him throughout the night wasn’t tiring enough, he also needs to be held all day long. Well as you might imagine, this makes it REALLY difficult to accomplish anything else during the day. Being the mother of 3 older children, one of whom is homeschooled, means there’s a lot that needs to be done everyday.
Maybe if he was my only child I could convince myself that this is an opportunity for some extra snuggles. Maybe the sleepless nights wouldn’t seem so bad if I could nap with him throughout the day. And just maybe those naps would make my days without coffee not seem so horrible. But that isn’t my reality.
I do have 3 other children that need me.
Meals need to be made, school needs to be taught and bums need to be wiped. I can tell myself how the dishes can wait, and the laundry can stay in the basket but mentally it gets to me. It stresses me out when I think about the money I’m not making because I can’t work and hold him.
I also have a sense of guilt for not being able to really give his big sisters everything they want and need from me.
I’m trying to stay positive and remind myself that there is a light at the end of this tunnel, but sometimes it’s hard.
A little less than a month ago, my midwife told me to go have him checked to see if he had a Strep A infection. Come to find out he not only had a Strep A infection, he also had a Staph infection. Once again, I thought he’d take the antibiotic, his face would clear up and it would be over. Well, once again I was wrong.
He is only 6 months old and has already been prescribed multiple oral antibiotics and even more topical steroids. We have purchased more creams, oils, and ointments than I have used in my entire life. I have stopped eating all 8 of the top allergens. We no longer use scented laundry soap or dryer sheets. And he gets a bath every day.
So far none of these things have been the magical cure I was hoping for.
I’m trying to be optimistic. Now that the infections have cleared up, I’m hoping the worst is behind us. So for now, I’ll continue to do my research, and seek advice to try and find the cause. While I know there are times when medicines are the only cure, I REALLY don’t want the only solution to be a never ending rotation of steroids and antibiotics.
So far, each time we’ve used a steroid the eczema has almost completely disappeared. The problem is that when we stop using the steroid, within 2 days the eczema is back just as bad.
Between the lack of answers, the lack of coffee, and the lack of sleep I have not been the best version of me. I’m frustrated, tired, and pretty irritable. Luckily for me, my son is handling this all much better than I am.
Despite the severe eczema he’s been dealing with, he is the happiest, sweetest, most smiley baby boy.
I feel so incredibly blessed that I have 4 amazing children and so far eczema has been the worst health issue that we have faced. But it still breaks my heart knowing that I’m his mother and I can’t make it better.
If eczema is something that you or your little one has struggled with, I would love to hear any suggestions you might have to manage this.
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I am so sorry. We struggled with it for years- gluten was the source for my kid. Only time she was rash free was when she had the flu and couldn’t eat.
Oh no….I keep praying that we figure out the cause, or it magically disappears SOON. But sadly I’m realizing this probably won’t be the case. I don’t think the doctors want to test for certain things just incase it’s a false positive. I’m so glad that you were able to find the cause of your daughters eczema. It’s stinks having to avoid certain foods but not as much as being covered in eczema.
I’m so sorry you’re dealing with this. I have no expertise, but I do have empathy and a similar story.
When my son went through this at the beginning of his life and through his first year, we were also trying everything. After months and months of not finding anything that worked, I decided to do nothing. I cut back on bathing to once a week (usually it was like 1x every 10-12 days) in hopes his skin oil would regulate itself, because really, as an infant, how dirty was he?
I stopped using ointments, creams, balms, and the oils – many of the same ones in your photo!! I did do some oatmeal baths (I put the oatmeal in old socks I didn’t care about, tied the end up, and squeezed it to get the “juice out” and make the bath water milky, then tossed the sock) and used a cloth to wring out over his body. And the baths were never longer than 10minutes. I don’t know why really, that just felt like enough 🙂
After the longest 8 weeks ever, his skin showed signs of improvement and starting healing.
He’s about to turn 2, and after a year of healed skin, we’re dealing with a small patches in his elbow creases and behind his knees. But, I think it’s from the sunscreen and beach days. And it seems to be less flared up after a week of no sunscreen.
Like I said, no expert words from me. That’s just my experience. Doing nothing seemed to do more.
It’s funny that you say you stopped using any lotions or potions. I too have wondered if they might be contributing to the problem at times. It’s just so frustrating because I know that what might help one child might hurt another. I do not do well with the “trial and error game” but it appears I’m going to have to get used to it!!! I hope your little one starts to clear back up once summers done.
Please try probiotics! No soap AT ALL – unless you are concerned about more infection. Unscented everything. Baking soda and epsom salt baths. Research high quality epsom salt…not grocery store varieties. Please feel free to email me for more explanations and/or questions. Xxxx
Thank you for the suggestion Jane. No one has mentioned epsom salt baths but I will definitely look into this!
This was me with my little guy! I know it sounds horrid me but bleach baths was the o my thing that worked for us. 1 tablespoon is all you need and we did it twice a week. Even now at 2.5 years, when we have a flair up, a bleach bath cures it!
I remember thinking the doctor was crazy the first time she recommended bleach baths. However, I’m now a believer. I think the key that we might have been missing was doing them at the onset of irritation instead of waiting until it got bad. Twice a week is where we’re at now and he’s looking better than he has in a long time!!
Ugh, we battled this too (and still do to a degree). Our little dude wore scratch sleeves too, we found that a nightly dose of zyrtec might have helped. We use vanicream after baths, and put 1% hydrocortisone on any red spots even if this means all over his back or face (keeping away from eyes). Our very exp pedi, swears that this concentration of hydrocortisone won’t hurt him. He’s two now and still itchy here and there, but no noticeable rashes – we know he’s itchy because he will scratch (back of neck, thighs, elbows, etc) but not because there is red eczema. I’d go to boson childrens if you haven’t been already – they are wonderful. We also eliminated all dryer sheets, detergents, and use only natural soaps/shampoos. He has an egg allergy that we expect him to outgrow as his sister did. I’m so sorry, I was (and still do) feel exactly the same way as you, it was incredibly stressful and I was trying EVERYTHING.
Thank you Ashleigh. I’m so happy to hear that it’s gotten better for your son. The doctors have told me multiple times, I think an attempt to make me feel better, that there’s a chance my son will just out grow it. I’m hoping this might be the case, but I’m not banking on it!!!
Lyndy… I’m right there with you. My middle 2+
Son has severe excema, food allergies (shellfish, peanut, egg, sesame)… we are also in the fight and I have a 6 month old. So if I’m not awake with her, he keeps me up at night itching and scratching.
So I have noticed that he also scratches when he is ‘stressed’ when he is upset or mad or I scold him.
I have been giving him probiotics directly , but for my daughter who I am breastfeeding, I have been taking probiotic myself as t does pass through the breastmilk. I read that if you take it and it’s passed you can have lifetime changes in the child especially if you can have it for 2 yrs.
In the next few weeks I am going to take him to an autoimmune doctor as they say it’s an autoimmune disease. Not sure what he can do, but it doesn’t hurt.
Anyway.. best of luck and just know you aren’t alone!
Amy
My daughter had terrible eczema over the summer and we tried everything we knew. She was at the pediatrician several times for different recommendations. When we switched to Foderma serum we started to see an improvement in her skin over just a few days. We continue to use this serum daily and she hasn’t had a flare of her eczema since.
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