I recently wrote about tracking down what was leading to my baby’s recent breakout of eczema.  I was delighted to have solved the puzzle, and to have a plan.  Unfortunately (or fortunately, because coconut oil is so fantastically healthy), I was wrong.  His skin cleared up around the time I wrote my post, and last Saturday morning, broke out again – and I hadn’t had a bit of coconut oil for a week. His skin got a little better during the week, and then this morning, terribly flared up.

He has bumpy spots on his arms and legs, not very red, but still noticeable.  His face is where it’s most obvious. 

He’s also been cranky and out of sorts, and scratching at his face (and legs, when he’s wearing warm weather clothing).  When I touch his face, it’s noticeably warmer in the inflamed areas, and the skin right next to it is cool.  Even before this, I’ve been spending the last three months or so holding him all day long.  But at least he was happy being held.  

I’m having a hard time figuring out what he could be reacting to.  One big challenge in nursing infants is that the response to the allergenic food through breast milk can take up to 96 hours.  So I can’t tell if he reacted this morning to something I ate four days ago, or something I ate yesterday.  Confusing, isn’t it?

I already eat very simply, a plain protein with some fruit or veg at each meal, along with a grain or potato/yam, and some fat.  No processed foods, no hidden ingredients.  Most of the top allergenic foods I’m already either not eating or eating very little of. 

I don’t think that treating eczema topically will solve anything (since I want to find the root of the issue, which is probably digestive), but I’d like to find an interim way to alleviate his discomfort.  Not with cortisone creams, obviously (recently one of the commonly prescribed creams for infant eczema was found to be linked to cancer), and I know that’s the only suggestion the doctor will have for me.  Cortisone creams are powerful steroids that enter the body through the skin and don’t solve the problem, it only temporarily covers up the problem at best.   Eliminating the symptom is very different from eliminating the disease.  I’m thinking more along the lines of pure shea butter or vitamin E oil.  Tonight I put some emu oil on since I have some in the house, on just one side of his face to see if it makes a difference. 

I also took some flaxseed oil capsules tonight, and will continue with that in case he has an essential fatty acid deficiency that might be helped; he’ll get it through my milk.  I need to pick up some more fish oil, which I’m out of and haven’t taken for a while.  I’m going to add the coconut oil back in slowly, since I think it will help heal whatever is going on inside him.  I already drink homemade kefir (cultured milk – full of probiotics) but will up my daily intake, as that can only help. 

Sigh.  It’s so hard to see your baby suffer, not knowing what to do to help him.  I’ll be sure to share what works for us once we figure it out, since it seems that this is more common than I thought. 

Avivah