Eczema: the rash that keeps on giving

My sweet baby, Theo, is an eczema victim.  I'm so grateful that he's healthy and quite smiley otherwise, but it still stinks.

Theo, at 8-weeks-old, broke out with eczema all over his body the day after having his first immunization. The pediatrician says his body was reacting against the vaccination, not to it (I need to read up on this).  I knew I needed to investigate my diet since both my first- and second-born sons had food allergies or intolerances.  (Here was my go-to book* when I was frantically searching for answers to problems for my second son, Gabe.)  Before using the recommended steroid cream, we tried baths, no baths, various lotions and creams, etc.  Since I was breastfeeding, I was also trying to "weed out" potential foods that are on various food sensitivity lists.  The eczema did clear up for a few days.  But I went out of town and decided to abandon my diet for the weekend.  Since then, only a steroid cream will clear up the inflamed, itchy skin and it will come back as soon as I quit using it.

I took Theo to our allergist where we discovered he was allergic to dairy and eggs.  I had already been pretty careful with dairy because our family historically has problems with dairy.  Plus Theo would spit up all over the place and be pretty fussy if I ate any dairy at all.  The doctor recommended I also remove gluten from my diet since we already have one child whose blood tested positive for Celiacs Disease.

I must admit, I did shed a few tears the day the allergist told me to give my baby two or more baths a day, lotion often, and cut out diary, gluten and eggs.  But it has not been as difficult as I'd imagined.  I do struggle coming up with the necessary breastfeeding snacks without dropping big bucks in the "gluten free" aisle at Whole Foods.

Plus--you may not believe this--I feel better than I’ve felt in years!  I can’t remember a time in my life where my mind  felt this clear and I had so much energy with so little sleep.  Seriously, I used to always be exhausted.  I’ve heard people boast these marvelous rewards with a gluten-free diet before but, for me, it’s true!

The allergist gave me instructions for bathing and moisturizing that beg to be shared with other eczema sufferers.  It seems to make Theo more comfortable, especially helping him fall asleep easier.  We give him a bath twice a day in warm water, cleansing with Dove Sensitive Skin Unscented bar soap and then pat dry.  With skin still damp, we seal in the moisture with Vaseline.  I appreciated this advice in lieu of buying expensive eczema products, but I'm not sure if Vaseline is doing the trick.  However, the bath and mild soap really help!  

I'm still working on tricks to keep Theo from scratching his face raw.  I swaddle him during bedtimes, keep his nails short, and moisturize frequently.  This is a work in progress since he's only 4 months old.

The allergist is certain I should find a food that will eliminate the eczema.  The pediatrician isn't so sure.  For now, I'm avoiding what the allergist said to avoid and keeping a food diary of the rest.  A breastfeeding mom really has to consume mega calories, after all.

I'll keep you posted on our progress.  In the meantime, I'd love to hear from our readers...  Any secret eczema treatments?

~ Katrina

* We are paid a small advertising fee if you purchase off our link, but the point of the link is to provide easy access to literature we found helpful.  My husband says if you're gonna buy it anyway, he'll accept the sixty-seven cents! :)