Breastfeeding a Baby with eczema...what Did You Cut from Your Diet That Helped?

Sounds like you are doing what you can to help it. Have you considered the products you are putting on her skin - the clothes and diapers in 'free' detergents is an awesome start.

I have a niece that used the Arbonne Baby Care line. It is toxin free, no petroleum products or byproducts including mineral oil (baby oil) which is a major ingredient in all the lines you mentioned.

She went from skin problems to no skin problems in only a matter of a week or two. She was breastfed, too, and was doing everything you are except the cloth diapers.

Prices are reasonable as the products last twice as long as others - more concentrated. Arbonne also offers a membership that gets you a 20% discount year round, no hassles or pressure to sell it either.

I have news articles from msnbc and environmental working group about the major baby wash products being toxic if you would like me to email them. May help you to fill in your big picture of what the next step should be.
Many blessings,
L.
____@____.com

My daughter developed eczema as well when she was younger. I tried cutting things out of my diet (I only breasstfeed her) and didn't see much of a change. My pedi said sometimes, especially this time of year in Texas, it can show up with all of the irritants in the air and then fade off. She suggested slathering her in Eucerin lotion. That seemed to help. After awhile she ended up "growing" out of it, more or less. She may have a tiny flare up once in awhile but that's it.
I know how frustrating and upsetting it can be. They're babies and suppose to have "baby soft" skin! lol Good luck and congrats!

This may sound gross, but you can also put some of your breastmilk on her eczema - it's amazing stuff and I believe they're doing research on the proteins and how it works on skin conditions. Also, I use (but don't sell) melaluca products and they're supposed to be very good for eczema. Hope it gets better! (p.s. - I think all yorkies are neurotic LOL)

Skins problems can be due to a deficiency of essential fatty acids. Try taking a good quality Omega 3. My favorite is Projoba Omega - no fishy burps! A good quality probiotic might also help. Contact me at ____@____.com for more information.

If the eczema is due to your diet, it can take a while to appear (and then disappear). Have you considered getting tested whether you are gluten intolerant? It was the gluten (the protein in wheat, rye, barley and oats) that caused the problem for my son. If he inadvertently gets gluten, it can take up to 6 mos. for his skin to clear, but he is super sensitive.

The reason I suggest testing you is that in my experience when babies are so very sensitive to what mom is eating, mom likely has similar issues with the food and perhaps a leaky gut, thus lots more protein from these allergenic foods end up in the blood stream and breastmilk. And, it is very, very difficult to just remove gluten from the diet - the first reason being it's a huge diet change for most people, the second being that it is hidden in alot of things such as vitamin supplements, as a natural flavoring in processed foods, etc. and the third being that you will have great difficulty eating out until you get really comfortable with the diet (and it's not that the food might not be GF - it's the cross contamination issue). Even if it is seasonal as someone suggests, that is still a hint that other foods may be a problem - it's just that the seasonal allergies are what tips her immune system to the point that she's having the skin reactions because her immune system is already working to handle the food allergens.

My sons eczema completely cleared up after I cut dairy out of my diet. I didn't know that food allergies could be causing the eczema as most of my family members have had problems with sensitive skin, but he was allergy tested at 6 months because he was failing to gain weight and tested positive for dairy. He has not had any eczema or cradle cap (and he had pretty severe cases of both) since I cut out the dairy at 6 months, and he is almost 2 now.

My daughter also had eczema soon after she was born, but so did I as a child. If it is an atopic eczema then it isn't from something you ate it is hereditary. It can come from anyone in the immediate family or somewhere else from your ancestors. Is the doctor positive it is dietary? The good thing is mine never returned since I was a kid and my daughter's is gone too after topical ointments. She is now 3 yrs old.

I also exclusively breastfed a son who had eczema from the first few weeks after he was born. I cut out everything from my diet too, and there was nothing I found that caused his flareups. Detergent didn't seem to matter either. It was very frustrating because I wanted it to be something like that so that he could start getting better. He would scratch himself so hard that it got infected. :(

What worked for us is layering mild hydrocortizone cream, then a prescription moisturizer (Mimyx) and then a layer of aquaphor. This was during a flare-up, and we could only use the hydrocortizone for a week. IT always cleared up during that week. I would put cetaphil cream on twice a day during non flare-up times. We also had a prescription antihistimine more targeted at skin irritation that helped him fall asleep quickly which helped with the nighttime itching.

By 12 months he had grown out of it, with the occasional little patch that shows up now and then.

I hope you find something that works for you. I know how frustrating it can be and hard to see them so miserable.
C.