Promise me it gets better!

Lydia

Sun, Oct 27 2019, 2:41 am

Vermillion, I definitely agree about not using steroids for a cosmetic fix. And when you're trying to figure out what's triggering the eczema, steroids just confuse the issues.

HOWEVER...when you haven't slept more than an hour straight for six weeks in a row. And the baby doesn't ever stop crying and fussing. And the baby isn't meeting his milestones because all he can do is writhe around and feels miserable. And you are constantly hungry because you're trying to eliminate all the allergenic foods from your own diet, even though you aren't even sure he's allergic to them. And everybody that sees you on the street has some new cream/doctor/vitamin they want you to try. And your other kids hate the baby because he looks and smells gross and never stops fussing.

THEN it's okay to use a steroid to get some relief for a couple of days. Sure, it's not great. But neither is weeks and weeks of uninterrupted misery.

I've never seen the eczema come back worse (several kids with eczema). And none of the three dermatologists that saw my kids ever told me not to put it on the face. That's where they were prescribing it for.

yOungM0mmy

Sun, Oct 27 2019, 5:29 am

My son is allergic to eggs, dairy, fish, nuts and sesame, and was scratched up on his head, his cheeks were raw from where the breast milk touched, his diaper area was bleeding...
Find out exactly what he's allergic to, and eliminate. Baths should only be once or twice a week, as water actually dries the skin out, and slather with an oily cream as soon as he comes out, before he dries off, to trap the moisture in.
There is a time and place to use steroids. Once you know the allergies and are eliminating, so you are not causing more damage, you need to sort the skin - open cracked skin allows infection. You need to blast it once, and then keep off allergens so it doesn't come back. In that case, a short intensive course of stronger steroid is better than prolonged use of low dose steroids.
My son is now 4, and his face, head, trunk, behind his eara etc is completely clear, he occasionally gets a bit of sore skin in his elbows, but thats it.

amother

Sun, Oct 27 2019, 7:14 am

Thank you all for the advice and support. I know there are so many people out there suffering from severe eczema but IRL we are walking such a lonely path. Of course people try to be sympathetic but (bh!) they just don't understand. It's so validating hearing from others who have been in the same situation.

I find that I'm so busy taking care of and worrying about my eczema kid, that everyone else's emotional needs are being neglected because I am depleted. I try to find the emotional energy but it's hard and my toddler is starting to act out. I don't have kids old enough to help and my husband works very long hours. Yet on the other hand, it's also hard to let the baby scream while I try to give toddler some attention. How do you balance everyone's needs?

DVOM

Sun, Oct 27 2019, 12:01 pm

Oh honey, this is so hard.

My second son had terrible eczema. My oldest was 2.5 when he was born, and like you, my husband was working very long hours. Balancing everyones needs was hard.

First, yes, it does get better. My son outgrew the eczema by the time he was 2, though he does have more sensitive skin. Aesthetically, he has the most beautiful, translucent, peaches and cream complexion, I think as a result of two years of constant moisturization. We always get comments on what a beautiful little boy he is.

As for treatment: what ended up working for us was a)switching to a disgusting, non kosher formula (it was called nutramagin), b)bathing only once a week. I spot cleaned at other times c)using only natural, organic materials for his and my clothing. I remember I once held him wearing a new gap shirt that had not been prewashed... he had the most terrible reaction to it. We wore super expensive clothing that year! d)constant moisturization with Eucerin and Aveeno baby eczema cream. I litteraly did not pick him up without moisturizing him. e)steroids on trouble spots when needed. I tried to avoid it, but did it when I felt things were getting out of hand.

Good luck OP!!! So difficult Sad

.

Im just remembering: One thing that was helpful with my 2 year old was to lie him and the baby side by side and give them both a eucerin/aveeno baby massage, or engaged my 2 year old to give the baby a moisturizer massage (on non trouble areas, like his toes). When he felt part of things and engaged in the process of caring for the baby my two year old did better.

amother

Rose

Sun, Oct 27 2019, 12:10 pm

amother [ Vermilion ] wrote:

Yes, this is another thing that we have been sticking to. Baths are usually 2x a week. We really try to limit it. if your baby is really little and not getting dirty outside etc, definitely worth looking into the no soap method + moisturize right after bath without fully drying. It helps to lock in moisture.

For face, I know sometimes it gets gross from fabric particles and all the scabbing. In those cases, I would take a warm washcloth and pat clean, sometimes would squeeze a bit of moisture, but not a full bath.

You could try getting a filter on your tap water. Sometimes it's not the water that's drying but they're reacting to some of the junk that comes through the pipes. Reverse osmosis filters are good.

amother

Turquoise

Sun, Oct 27 2019, 1:05 pm

there might be oils to help soothe the skin. coconut oil? other oils? do online research.

there is a company called simple sugars, the founder claims she made this product because it was the only thing that helped soothe her eczema. if you get any of her products, only get the facial mild products since this is for a baby's skin.

amother

Vermilion

Sun, Oct 27 2019, 1:41 pm

Lydia wrote:

Sorry but your saying this to the wrong person.. I lived through the nightmare and was off almost every food. Nursed as long as I was able to nurse for. People commented and guess what? Im the one who figured out and knew to help my baby the best. Steroid creams actually made it worse like I explained in my post. Tried once, and a second time when desparate. was enough for me. Look up steroid withdrawal - its real and its terrible.

amother

Goldenrod

Sun, Oct 27 2019, 1:50 pm

I also had an idiot pediatrician who claimed my baby couldn't be reacting to what I was eating and insisted on steroids instead of allergy testing. Nothing helped until we FINALLY did full allergy testing. He had lots of allergies, some common and some not. As soon as we eliminated ALL those foods, his eczema disappeared forever. With later kids I did testing when they were only a month old as soon as we saw the first signs of eczema. BH all my kids testing was extremely accurate even as newborns and we prevented that fiasco from happening again. I still feel so sad when I think about how much he suffered as a baby.