Baby Eczema & Allegies?

Hi L.,

My name is K. and my son Nathan had eczema really bad as a baby and it was allergy related. I did not breastfeed and he was still allergic to formulas except soy. It became so bad at one point that he was just crusty from his skin being so inflamed and red. To make a long story very short---we battled this for months with a "holistic" Pediatrician here in Jax. She said it was not good to give himm any kind of creams, or medications because he was so young...she said that they can erode the skin's surface over time. Stupid me for not insisting

We moved to TN when he was about 3 months and I took him with me to the Dr. (an appt for me) and she took one look at him and I started to cry relating how hard it had been and how miserable he was...and viola--she prescribed him a topical steroid ointment called Elidil. In one application---it was almost gone. It was amazing. All the anxiety and misery that my poor son went through simply becasue that other Pediatrician didn't like the idea of prescribing a steroid. My son was so bad that we had him in little baby mittens until that time. After the elidil, we had an occasional flare up but he outgrew the eczema in time.

I hope that helps!

K.

Hi Eczema is defined as a unexplainable rash that covers everywhere except for hte diapered areas. so if the rash extends to his diapered area, then it is not eczema. It may be an allergy to the soy formula. some infants cannot handle soy protiens. I wonder though why you are giving soy formula to supplement breastmilk? Is your son lactose intolerant? If he is not, and is handling your bm fine, then you may wnat to supplement with regular formula. My advice is Nestle Goodstart, as it digests much like bm, and is easier on their tummies. there have been alot of studies recently on soy formulas and how they aren't as good as once believed, and can even make allergies worse. I would suggest you calling your ped asap tomorrow and having him seen. also talk toyour ped about is vomitting, adn his itching.

I would also suggest baby aveeno lotion. keep him coated, to the point where you can actually see the lotion coated on him. my son had an rash at 6 months due to a food allergy adn a virus. I kept him coated from head to toe with aveeno and it helped wonders to keep him comfy.
hth
B.

Yes..I know exactly what you are going through. My youngest had eczema so bad when she was an infant (now 2 1/2) what worked for me is changing the soap and I did a once weekly oatmeal bath (aveeno...its hard to clean up after the tub drains but it works) plus my ped. said to bath her with just dove or ivory (becareful because it burns there little eyes. To be honest I barely used any soap at all..just enough to clean her and I used Aveeno lotion religously. The allergy side to this is more complicated. My daughter seemed to be allergic to everything. Grass...detergent you name it. In fact she still wakes up sometimes in hives. But after repeated trips to the ER and ped office he assured me her weight was good...she looks good...coloring was good. That she would out grow it. I have often thought about taking her to and allergan specialist and have serveral names of recomandations for you if you would like them. Reese doesnt vomit often and is very vibrant...try to alter the bath and I would talk to your ped about maybe nurtamiagin or allementam (spelling) formula...plus..did you mix the soy formula with water or breast milk...the water content could have been more than he is used to and could have triggered the vomitting.

have you thought about it being the laundry detergent?my husbands family is allergic to tide.if you aren't already,maybe try switching to dreft.it's a little more expensive,but it goes a long way and is hypoallergenic.the only other thing i can think of is to try to switch formula.my sister in law had twins and she had to use nutramigen.it's really broken down so that it's much easier to digest.i would also talk to your pediatrician about possible alleries.possibly something you are eating since you are breastfeeding.that's about all i can think of.good luck!

Yes it could be related, it was in our case!! My son had severe eczema and diarrhea and occasionally blood in the stool. After countless stool samples and him even being on antibiotics, our ped. referred us to a(he was 6m) GI doc and she dx him with milk/soy protein intolerance. I breast ed him so I eliminated these from my diet and within days his symptoms were gone!!! He is now 14m and has taken all milk products fine, i haven't tried the soy yet. Good luck! If it is a allergy or intolerance most kids out grow this by 1, if not then by 2, a very small percent will have it for life. Thank goodness!

My son had eczema on his cheeks so bad it was horrible taking him anywhere because of all the people asking, "What's wrong with that baby's face?" At eight months our ped sent him to an allergist and they determined that he was allergic to milk, eggs, peanuts and wheat. I was nursing so they advised me to stop right away and start hypoallergenic formula which did not work. Then we tried soy and it was wonderful. He had always spit up even after nursing and when he started soy the spitting stopped and he slept so much better! I would try cutting out dairy first and if it doesn't work a visit to the allergist is probably a good idea.
My son is three now and outgrew the eczema around 18 months and can handle eating wheat, milk and egg in small amounts. We haven't tried any peanut products though since the doctor said they usually don't outgrow that one.
One good website to check out is foodallergy.org

On the other hand, my daughter never had eczema, but she did react to soy formula the same way. I breastfed her and supplemented milk based formula. She did fine on that. A couple times, though, all I had was soy formula and after she drank it, it was like an explosion. I never had her checked for allergies because she has never reacted to anything else. I just don't give her soy products.

As for the scratching, try to keep his little nails filed. They are very sharp so he could cut himself if they aren't kept short.

My 10 month old went through wheezing for a while with not much luck from our doctor. The doctor sent us to an asthma and allergy specialist. You might want to ask your doctor about this. He could be checked for allergies through a blood test.
My son went on a breathing treatment once a day and we switch to soy of regular formula. He is now doing better. We even have an asthma action plan for when he gets colds.
If you live near University I know an asthma, allergy, and immunity office you could go to. They do babies, children, and adults.
____@____.com

Do a google search for rotation diet (for yourself if breastfeeding and for your child as he gets older)
I am reading a wonderful book about allergies by Doris Rapp called "Is this your child?Discovering and treating unrecognized allergies in children and adults." I can not tell you how much this book has spoken to me. I wish I knew this when my guys were 12 weeks old!!
Best wishes...ES

If it is allergies then I would try switching baby soaps, or lotions you use, detergent to a hypoallergic maybe even diapers. My brother (who had eczema as well) was allergic to something in the diapers and my mom had to use 100% cotton diapers on him ( not the disposal kind), trust me the thought of washing diapers instead of throwing them away isn't too appealing but it could very well be the problem. If he does appear to have allergies then I would stop supplimenting with formula and strictly breastfeed since there is no child allergic to breastmilk but I would cut dairy out of your diet. Good luck!

My 5 year old has mild eczema and I think he has a sensitivity to milk. I switched to soy milk for myself when he was nursing and he still dislikes cow milk. We just recently switched to Dr. Bonner's Baby Mild organic soap to see if that helps. A few other changes I've made are using All "free & clear" laundry detergent, only regula, milk hand & dish soap - none of the antibacterial stuff, fresh aloe on the affected skin, and because a lot of food allergies are related to an imalance of the good & bad stuff in the digestive tract, I'm giving him probiotics twice per day. It's too soon to tell if it's making a differnce, but maybe some things you might want to research.