My baby miserable from Eczema please help

amother

Slategray

Mon, Mar 07 2022, 4:30 am

My husband had terrible eczema as a child. His parents/doctors tried literally everything. Finally, he went to a doctor who told him to use only the plain (original) Dove bar soap. His eczema cleared up, and he's never had any issues since. It's still the only thing he uses.
It's all I use on my baby, and her skin is very clear. (Her pediatrician said it's the smoothest skin she's seen)

Mayflower

Mon, Mar 07 2022, 5:09 am

amother [ Slategray ] wrote:

That is so interesting! My 6yo also has terrible eczema and nothing seems to work (except for cortisone, which works magic until we stop using it and the eczema will come back worse...). Will definitely try this.
You say the plain original is better than the sensitive skin bar? Just want to double check to avoid doing more harm than good...

amother

Powderblue

Mon, Mar 07 2022, 5:56 am

amother [ Bisque ] wrote:

Unfortunately I recycled the Binah. But it was just from last week (read it yesterday on Shabbos afternoon) so your local store may still have copies.

From what I remember from the Binah article—they took the baby to Davos in Switzerland for a few months.
There was a different article a while back-might have been in the Ami- in which a humidifier was used, and made a huge difference.
Also, Eczema is often a result of allergies.

amother

Indigo

Mon, Mar 07 2022, 6:05 am

amother [ Bisque ] wrote:

I suffered terribly from itching as an adult for an extended period of time (well over a year, the result of skin grafting & burn recovery) so I know what I'm talking about when I say it is cruel to put a baby in that. (Honestly the reason I recycled my copy of Binah so quickly was because reading about a baby's suffering from such terrible itching was triggering to me, that article and the photos included made me cry). Forcing a baby to not be able to at least move her hands in the direction of where she is attempting to sooth her unbearable itch is going to add to her emotional distress. Op, I beg you not to. Please contact Binah and ask them for the contact info for that eczema foundation.

The baby can absolutely move hands in the area but nails will not cause bleeding or infection. This is a tried and tested product. You are comparing your experience as an adult. Not as a parent whose child needs to be potentially hospitalized due to infection. You may think it is cruel but this is a product that makes the scenario less physically dangerous. Scratching just makes the physical condition worse and the priority should be to minimize the scratching, not to facilitate it. I definitely recommend op tries this at least for the nighttime so that baby can get quality sleep, be less at risk for infection, and keep wounded area protected.

amother

Outerspace

Mon, Mar 07 2022, 6:28 am

OP, I was in the same exact position as you are. I tried all the magic cures that people are posting about here. Nothing worked. The only thing that finally worked was the Dr Aron method. It is a mixture of a low dose steroid, antibiotic cream and moisturizer. There are doctors in different areas that will prescribe this compound. Are you in NY?
You start with putting it on a few times a day and then slowly tapering until you’re doing it only once a week, and then only when it flares up. My son is now six and we use it once in a while. I’m not going to pretend that his eczema is gone, because eczema usually never truly goes away, but it’s much better.

amother

Bisque

Mon, Mar 07 2022, 6:44 am

amother [ Indigo ] wrote:

You don't know what true itching is like. You just don't. This is not the simple itching from poison ivy or the like. It is a never ending agony.
Do you think I don't know that scratching makes it worse? Of course I do. But the mental anguish from the discomfort from not being able to try to follow natural instints to "allieve" it makes it so so much worse.
If you haven't undergone something similar please do not presume to lecture me.
Yes it is cruelty . Only someone who never experienced this sort of suffering personally could think otherwise. I stand by what I said.

There is no quality sleep while undergoing such itching in any case. If baby falls asleep out of sheer exhaustion she will wake up from the agony a few minutes later. This was all described in the Binah article, how the entire family had to take shifts thru the night bec she just couldn't sleep, but I know it anyway from personal experience.

amother

Indigo

Mon, Mar 07 2022, 7:15 am

amother [ Bisque ] wrote:

The goal is to prevent infection and hospitalization. I know what it’s like, actually pretty dangerous. Not going to lecture you, you’re entitled to your own opinion. But I think it’s definitely helpful that OP heard other pov’s from people who have benefitted from this product and how it’s helped babies’ conditions to improve. There are loads of opinions on different cream options, diets, food allergies, soaps and detergents. Here is another that has been extremely helpful for many mothers and their babies’ skin conditions, whether you support it or not.

amother

Bisque

Mon, Mar 07 2022, 7:31 am

amother [ Indigo ] wrote:

You are talking a more mild case of eczema. People suggesting mild soap and detergent or dietary changes are thinking that too even though they think they know what a "bad" case is like. They don't. . That's not the sort of case I'm thinking of, and that's not the case described in Binah. If it was as "simple" as that, a family wouldn't pick themselves up and move to Switzerland for a few months. Obviously none of that worked and obviously the parents were on the verge of a nervous breakdown seeing their baby's neverending agony. That's the kind of agony where it is absolutely cruel to do anything that adds the slightest discomfort to the baby.
It goes beyond the worry of some infection from scratching that you are thinking of in a typical case, that's not anything compared to what that baby had.

amother

Indigo

Mon, Mar 07 2022, 7:57 am

amother [ Bisque ] wrote:

Honestly, it is people like you who make mothers feel guilty about actions they’ve taken to help their children heal. Just because you think it’s cruel based on your personal experience are your own feelings, but they are not facts for everyone. Babies scratching their (very serious case) eczema can be really, really dangerous. I would be curious to hear if other moms or medical professionals would label this as a cruel measure or more of a helpful intervention. It is way more effective than the mitts that can be purchased. Besides for having personal positive experiences with this, so have friends. (Who switched to using these instead of duct taping their babies stretchies closed over their hands.)

fmt4

Mon, Mar 07 2022, 7:58 am

amother [ Mint ] wrote:

Someone very close to me had terrible terrible eczema as a child. After trying all the creams and none worked, we researched on the root cause for the eczema and ended up being allergies . Did you take her to an allergist?

She wrote in the OP that she did.

amother

Bisque

Mon, Mar 07 2022, 8:29 am

amother [ Indigo ] wrote:

Obviously their babies did not have a truly bad case. Serious to a degree maybe but not truly bad. Not if they were able to control it, not if it didn't turn their entire household upside down so they were willing to do literally anything including dropping everything to move to a European country in the middle of a pandemic.

BTW the sort of itching I lived through....there are documented cases of people literally going insane and even committing suicide RL. So don't presume to lecture me on the topic of suffering from itching. I know how bad it can get.

amother

Indigo

Mon, Mar 07 2022, 8:52 am

amother [ Bisque ] wrote:

No, this is actually for babies with bad cases. It's a tool to help make cases "less bad." You are the first person I have ever heard who is actually encouraging babies to scratch. And that makes me pretty concerned. Have you actually seen cases where scratching helped heal babies' severe eczema?

You can be judgey all you want and tell people that they're being cruel to their babies. In fact, moms in these situations are probably used to all kinds of nasty comments and good-intentioned advice.

But those that need this resource should know about it and feel comfortable using it (speak to your doc first, if it makes you feel better). Love to all of the moms who are dealing with this. 💔

amother

Whitewash

Mon, Mar 07 2022, 9:04 am

amother [ Maroon ] wrote:

Yes, please refrain from steroids and anything that suppresses. The withdrawal is not worth it and doesn't solve the problem

I can't say I did all she research in the world but I can talk from my own experience.
When my baby had eczema I was so scared of steroids because of everything I heard. I went to a highly recommended doctor and discussed my concerns with her. I decided to trust her over all women that were firing advice every time they saw my baby. Bh my baby did amazing on her regiment. He is now 3, skin clear , and off steroid cream. Here and there he gets a red spot and Vaseline takes care of it.
For me that route worked. And bh I didn't have to take him off food groups that are important for kids development. Just sharing my experience to give you another perspective

amother

Valerian

Mon, Mar 07 2022, 9:07 am

My baby had terrible eczema. We went to an allergist who suggested we get her on breastmilk. Yes, shes on donated breastmilk for 8 months now and baruch hashem, what a difference. Please look into this option. Formula has lots of additives that your baby may be sensitive too and it's difficult to test what the trigger may be.

workout geek

Mon, Mar 07 2022, 9:26 am

Ask your doctor about Eucrisa it has saved my daughter. It is an expensive new cream but it is steroid free and amazing when paired with a moisterizer. I get it for my daughter from a mail order pharmacy for much cheaper so worth exploring. Also remove all fragrance and dye from any products that go near skin including shampoo, body wash and laundry detergent. Good luck it is a hard journey!

amother

Jasmine

Mon, Mar 07 2022, 9:32 am

My relative's husband and kids have eczema all to varying degrees.
Some are so bad, it's hard to look at them without flinching and feeling terribly sorry for them.

Some years they go to Switzerland Alps for a month in the summer and they come back clear.

It usually comes back but as they grow older, their eczema clears up more.

Also, her kids are on a restricted diet. They eat chicken and rice for breakfast dinner and supper which keeps them a little clearer and not so raw.

amother

Whitewash

Mon, Mar 07 2022, 9:33 am

workout geek wrote:

You can ask your doctor for a free sample to see if it works for you before you fight insurance for it or pay so much

amother

Ghostwhite

Mon, Mar 07 2022, 12:23 pm

I went to a lady that tested to see what foods are better for him and which ones to avoid she lives in willisburg if you're instrested ill post her number I saw a big difference I use calandual cream the organic one which helps for the inflamation and itching as well as aquphor bh he's doing so much better and hasn't been on antibiotics since.
Hatzlacha