4mo EBF DD developed eczema, had a really bad rash the other day. SOme qu's for those with experience!

[Summerhols]

Hi

My DD is 4 months old and is EBF. About 2 months ago I noticed she had dry skin on her back, this has increasingly got worse. She now has rings of red patches on her legs, her leg, arm and neck 'cracks' are red and sore looking. I went to GP last week and he prescribed e45 and that stuff you put in bath (opti something).

On Sunday she developed a really nasty rash around her neck and down her chest. Small pimples with really red skin. This has now faded but I have noticed that she has simular spots all over her legs.

Anyway, after reading a bit about treatment for eczema I have ditched using the E45 - was making her legs redder and got some Cetraban today. So started to use this instead.

So finally my questions:

• Could the red rash be related to eczema, is this another symptom as well as dry skin?
• I understand that eczema is the result of allergies. Can I assume that it is not food allergy because she is EBF, or can she react to what I eat, in that case what are the common foods to avoid?
• If not food allergies, can it be an allergie to cat. We have a cat, which I am allergic to (I have asthma and react with streaming eyes, running nose), could she develop this also?
• Finally, are there any other environmental things she could react to.

Thanks if you have got this far! I am a bit misserable about this, was really hoping EBF would help her as both myself and DH suffer as a result of allergies.

She can react to what you eat, not sure of best foods to avoid tbh.

Yes, it could be the cat.

yes, could be other environmental alergens

Top tip: ditch fabric conditioner; use half recommended amount of non bio detergent and wash all her clothes, towels, bedlinen, blankets etc on a high water level/extra rinse wash.

Get Diprobase and rub in a thin layer twice a day. Avoid steroid creams unless necessary and use sparingly. E45 has lanolin in it (I think) which is sometimes best avoided.

Bathe her in oilatum or plain water, avoid all baby shampoos, bubble bath etc. Pat her dry rather than rub and make sure all her creases are dry.

Keep her nails short.

If you and your dh suffer with allergies there is a good chance she will too.

If you can temporarily lose your cat for a week or two, have a damn good clean (damp dusting everywhere and if possible shampoo the carpets) and then see if there's an improvement, you may need to rehome your cat.

www.eczema.org/

Should be useful.

Hi there,

I have suffered from eczema since birth and after lots of experimenting have found a few gentle ways to control it.

I agree that non bio washing liquid is the way to go. If you can try to use Faith in Nature Clear Spring or Supermarket brand eco friendly as they tend to avoid parabens which can be really bad for sensitive skin.

In terms of bathing you can use Aveeno oatmeal sachets to moisturize and reduce itching, you can buy this from online chemists (not seen in in a store yet). You just pop a sachet or half in the bath water.

If you can avoid creams with parabens/SLS and opt for natural creams from health food stores, I use Green People unscented cream and lipbalm or Aveeno cream which you can get from Boots. There are also lots of natural things by Earth Friendly Baby.

I only use steroid/pharmacy creams when I have a serious break out as I find them to make my skin worse over long periods. Sorry this was so long, I hope this helped a bit. :)

Hope you wee baby is feeling better soon.

PS: In my experience and a friend with psoarisis, E45 is terrible, makes my eczema flare up and makes it very red and burny so would definatley recommend staying off it :)

Would second use of Aveeno cream my GP perscribed it for dd

Sorry to hear your DD has eczema, my DS1 had it terribly from a young baby but thankfully it has got a lot better over time.

To answer your questions -

• Red rash/pimples can happen with eczema, or could be a reaction to the E45 (as said already, it's not recommended for eczema sufferers), or maybe a reaction to something you've eaten
• Eczema is not caused by allergies per se but it can sometimes be triggered by certain foods and also quite often exists alongside allergies. If you are BF then this could be something that's passing through your milk but then again might not be. The only way to tell is by 1. an exclusion diet (eggs and dairy are prob the most common to look for) and 2. blood testing. The exclusion diet should only be attempted under supervision of a dietician. Get your GP to refer you to a consultant who can help search for triggers and advise you on treatments such as steroids, wet wrapping etc.
• We had a cat when DS1 was a baby but our paed said cat allergy was a relatively uncommon eczema trigger, if unaccompanied by sneezing/wheezing etc. But again get advice from your consultant.
• Dust, extreme heat and cold, stress are common environmental triggers but again not everyone will react to the same things.

Good luck, the most important thing is a) keep trying different creams til you find one that works and b) get a referral! GPs ime are pretty ignorant when it comes to eczema.

To add to my comment, made whilst trying to settle a 8mth old.

A friend gave me some good advice that she received from a dermotologist ( sorry can't spell) , you have to become your DD's doctor in the sense that you need to manage the eczema on her behalf before it gets too bad, in her case that meant keeping her son the consistancy of a greasy chip.

I developed eczema in my 20's and my DD when she was 6 months old, with her I also thought it was food related as has started weaning, though looking back I think its just one of those things we inheritantly have.

Some guard against the use of steriod cream, but IME there is a place for it and if your DD is sore then steriod cream will help. My GP seemed quite relaxed about it as it was not a strong cream that she prescribed for DD, I havent had to use it much at all as use Aveeno cream on her at least twice a day, as I said I am trying to mangage it on her behalf if that makes sense.

Would second the idea of getting a refferal to a specialist, my friends parents paid for her to take her son to private session though don't know how much that cost!

Hope you get it under control soon

My DD had a tiny bit of dry skin. Stupid HV prescribed E45 which I rubbed in religiously until her entire body was red raw. Finally clicked and stopped using it. Got Diprobase from dr and she's been fine ever since. AVOID E45 AT ALL COSTS!!

Try dream cream from Lush. Contains oatmeal and rose oil
Worked a treat on my dd and ds as babies( i tried the lot) and on my partners psoriasis.
amazing stuff and they will give you a ssample in store ... google it

THANK YOU so much for all your advice.

Sorry to be a pest but a few questions in response to all the advice -

Is Cetraban a steroid cream, as you all say to avoid steroids? If so I will ditch this.

After searching for Aveeno - I see there is lots of different creams. Do people just recommend "Skin Relief Moisturising Lotion with Shea Butter"?

Thanks again, sorry for short post, baby just woke up [hangry]

Cetraban is an emollient (not a steroid cream), use it liberally as long as it seems to help!

I don't think anyone has said to avoid steroids - they are a vital part of treating eczema flare-ups. There's no problem with using a weak one such as 0.5% hydrocortisone sparingly when needed - far better to use steroids as needed than end up with infected eczema.

Hi Summerhols,

I'm dashing on here so sorry if I'm repeating anything anyone's said.

My ds2 (EBF) developed eczema when only a few weeks old and quickly developed into bleeding weeping sores, mainly on his face and then 'normal' eczema everywhere else. His face kept becoming infected so he had quite a few courses of antibiotics.

We were prescribed a few different moisturisers for him, can't remember the names of them all but diprobase, double base, and one which is basically a massive pot of vasoline. Also a bath additive. The others didn't suit him but the vasoline one was ok. He also had hydrocortisone prescribed which did help at first and then stopped working.

Eventually at 6 months old we paid and took him to a specialist who said with eczema it is trial and error and what works for one person won't suit another so try each thing for a couple of weeks and if there's no improvement then go back to your GP and get something else. Apparently there's tons of different moisturisers to try and GP often stick to a common few but keep on and insist you try more.

The specialist was fab and prescribed Unguentum M, this is a pot of think white cream, and Eumovate steriod, it's stronger than hydrocortisone but cleared him within a week.

DS is 3 next month and usually we get away with the Unguentum once every day or so but occasionally he gets a flare up but it's never been as bad as it was.

We also have an eczema nurse in our area (assume they have them everywhere?) and she was lovely and gave us loads of samples of different creams. We accessed her through a HV referral so maybe ask about that.

I did investigate food allergies and some websites recommended I stop eating all dairy and wheat, but to be honest I just couldn't do it. I know that sounds awful but I would be a very unhappy lady without my tea and toast in a morning so decided on the medical route to help...the specialist did say changing my diet wouldn't alter ds's excema anyway but then he probably would say that.

I would advise you be very persistant with the GP/HV and if it gets much worse ask for a specialist

x

Re Aveeno cream (not trying to promote it!!!!) GP percribed 'Aveeno Cream, with natural colloidal oatmeal' you can buy this in supermarkets.

As others have said it might be a case of trial and error ie using steriod cream when there is a flare up with daily use of the various moisturisers recommended here.

Have also heard that there is an eczema nurse in our area, so this might be worth checking out with your HV, may prove more useful than GP

Sorry to hear you're going through this.

DS gets Aveeno cream on prescription but he hardly ever needs it any more as in his case the eczema was totally related to his food allergies. While he was still ebf, 3 GPs, a paediatrician and a dermatologist all told me that his eczema and other symptoms (wheezing, rashes, general unwellness) were not related to anything I ate, but I didn't really believe them. I started keeping a detailed diary of what I ate, and soon figured that dairy, eggs and a few other things caused major flare-ups. (Those allergies have since been confirmed by a specialist).

I agree that food exclusion diets shouldn't be undertaken lightly, but it might be worth making a note of what you eat in case there is a link.

Hope you get to the bottom of it soon. It is so awful watching your little ones go through this

@summerhols
its tru what works 4 me may not work 4 u coz we al v different skin types. M sure yur baby s ok by now,but sum1 out there myt find this useful
My baby had those red patches,1st on the abdomen,legs n back. I got so scared n the paediatrition doctor prescribed PEVISONE cream which worked like magic in jus 2 days. Its like he nevr got them. I told my friend bout the doctor whn she had same problm n she got the same prescription n her baby got the magic cream.
As for the dry skin E45 worked 4 me so wonderfully,but i made a mistake as making it my baby's daily moisturiser evn aftr the problm was solved. 4 the past months ive noticed my baby has dark patches around his cheeks n forehead n i feel it culd be E45 coz its the only thin i use on him. I plan to stop it n use sum j n j product or so to c if my baby skin will normalise,i feel like a bad mama but hey i thout i was doing the best 4 him,God knows. E45 is great but it shuldnt be used 4evr as long as the problem is solved,pack it away. Don knw why it took me ths long to notice this..A PROSPEROUS 2011 to all parents n their children. Stay blessed

Aveeno was only thing that worked on my dd. The other thing that I found that helped was using Canesten in the folds of skin. GP seemed very surprised when I told her this, but it does make sense that someone with sensitive skin could get yeast infections in the sweaty folds of skin.

DD eventually outgrew her eczema around age 3 or so (we move from uk to los angeles at that time, so this may have made a difference as well....different water and lots of sunshine). But I still find that any sun cream with zinc will give dd rashes. I'm very careful what I put on her (and my) skin.