Infantile eczema update - March

I havent posted an update in two months now, but I'll try summarise some of the progress/set backs we've been having with our cheeky Mr.T. 

Well in Februaury he was sick with a cold for a few days and that knocked him a bit, now he has one again, but he gets through it. 

I can't really remember what outbreaks he had exactly since I last posted, they just turn into a frenzied blur at times but recently he's had a few so I'll share them with you. If you are reading this because you have a baby like our Mr.T then maybe these triggers may help you determine what sets your little one off. 

Firstly he had three reactions in one week. Two to detergent, and one to dairy. The detergent reactions came when some family members were kind enough to take him for a walk two afternoons, but even with putting their hair under hats and not letting him touch their clothes he came back and ended up in a screaming scratching mess. It alienates friends and family when being around their little relative is so complicated because they love him and don't want him to suffer, but it is possible to socialise and have fun :) thank goodness! There are just some strict rules to adhere to like the following:

- visitors wash hands with 'safe' soap

- after washing, no hand cream

- if visiting overnight or getting close to Mr.T then shower with 'safe' products and wear my clothes or clothes we have spare in various sizes

- if not showering then tie hair back or put under hat, & put on my coat & don't put face near his skin if wearing make up. 
(by safe soap I mean: Dr. Bronners baby liquid soap, Lidl pure soap, Aldi pure soap, Aphrodite olive oil soap, or Morroco method shampoos.)

The best places to meet are outside, going for walks, to the playground, or chilling in the garden. 

Thankfully there are people that are willing to do this so we can resume a half normal lifestyle. My mother is amazing and has even gone detergent free and cleaned her house from top to bottom with natural products to make it safe for us to visit. 

His dairy reaction came from a dish I made him for dinner. One of the ingredients was cheese but I didn't realise it till after he got sick. Poor boy. I felt absolutely terrible!. I had looked at the ingredients and seen the unusual name but it was next to herbs like basil and I assumed it was another herb. I later realised it was a type of cheese. Stupid, I know. But it could happen to anyone, mental note though, make sure you know what EVERYTHING on the ingredients label is. Don't assume anything if you have a baby that is hyper sensitive or has eczema. Google it. 

The next week he had two reactions, one to being in a shop, and the other to flax oil. Taking Mr.T to town into shops has always been risky as his eczema breaks out big style due the detergent dust that is on the items for sale from the warehouses and factories, the detergent that shops are scrubbed with, and the detergent that all the customers have on themselves that falls off as lint and dust. I usually have to get a babysitter if I go shopping but on this occasion I couldn't arrange anyone so I had to take him with me......I washed his hands with organic cotton wool and water I had brought from home after every few shops but by the time I got home his cheeks and hands were burning red and starting to weep. Off to a chamomile and oatmeal bath he went as soon as we got home and then he was better. 

Organic first cold press Flax oil, who would think someone could be allergic to that! Well Mr.T is, as I found out after I added some to his dinner one day. His face and hands and any part that the oil touched became extremely itchy and red until I washed it all off. 

Since then he has had some minor breakouts, but nothing major that springs to mind. It's difficult to control detergent cross contamination as it is invisible so sometimes I think small breakouts are due to this.  

So that's the bad news I guess, but there is good news. 

Mr. T has been drinking Neocate formula since I stopped breast feeding in February of last year. He is now old enough to get a balanced diet through solids however so I was eager to get the Neocate out of his diet. We worked so hard on getting the best ingredients into him and then he was still drinking synthetic amino acids, it didn't make sense. He still needs a bottle to go to sleep, mainly for comfort, and he wakes up 2/3 times a night for a bottle so I had to try an alternative. I now make my own seed/rice milk mix for him out of organic sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, rice milk & water, and after introducing it little by little he's decided he likes it! Not only is it healthy with essential amino acids vital for skin healing, but I now know what he's drinking whereas with Neocate I had no idea. It was just a necessity as he was allergic to dairy, goat and soy. 

Another good thing is that we have started taking him to a herbalist. Although as you can see above he is still very sensitive, I have never before seen his cheeks and hands as clear as they are since about 3 weeks into the herbalists treatment. I am just praying that it will get better even more. It's like walking on a tight rope, it takes so much to stay on, and there are so many things that can go wrong to fall off and all previous efforts are gone down the drain. I am scared to get my hopes up in case we get heartbroken again, but I can't help it. If this works my little boy can live a normal life. Our family would be like a normal household with two children. Mr.T wouldn't have to have things like itching, pain, special care and restrictions in his way, governing his life. That would be amazing! I'll keep ye updated on any progress, and remember, stay strong. Our little ones with eczema, allergies & sensitivities need lots of love and understanding. This world is a habitat that isn't entirely welcoming for them, and they need their mummies and daddies physical and emotional support.