Before

After

• November 29, 2018 Our precious Anthony was born

• Anthony received 1 dose series of 2 for Hep B vaccination in the hospital. 
• I had low milk production initially, which caused Anthony to have low blood sugar. Because of that I breastfed and supplemented with ~2oz of formula each day.

• Jan 17, 2019 I had a doctor’s appointment for breastfeeding position and latch support. All went well.

• Anthony began developing cradle cap.

• Near the end of January I started to put coconut oil on Anthony’s cradle cap to massage it out. Doctors will currently tell you there are not strong facts for or against removing cradle cap.

• Jan 30, 2019 I had mastitis (an infection in the breast milk duct) and took a series of antibiotics (dicloxacillin 500mg 1 capsule 4 times a day for 10 days) 
• Anthony’s skin irritations began in early February. It started off as a red spot that appeared like a burn on his chin. It seemed quite itchy. Soon his whole body including his face was rather dry.

• Through trial and error I tested many natural ingredients (coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, shea butter, & jojoba oil) and products (Vaseline, Aquafore, & Medela lanoline) to soothe and moisturize Anthony’s skin -especially right after a lukewarm bath. The natural ingredients seemed to work best. Anthony would itch his face by rubbing it on any surface he could touch like his crib sheets or our shirts when we held him.

• February 17, 2019 I took the advice of a dula and gave Anthony a lukewarm bath with organic, gluten-free oat flour, organic goats milk powder and raw honey in the hopes of soothing his skin irritations. This did not go well as Anthony broke out in small red spots all over right before my eyes.

• February 19, 2019 I caught the flu. In addition to breastfeeding, this led to dehydration and a visit to the Emergency Room. I received two IVs and took Zofran for anti-nausea. Anthony was solely given formula while I was away.

• Feb 21, 2019 Anthony had his first vaccination appointment for Heb B, RV, DTaP, Hib, PCV and IPV. I showed our pediatrician Anthony’s skin irritations. "Eczema" was noted on his chart. I mentioned coconut oil seemed to work best for the dry skin. The doctor said I should only use products like Aquaphor and Vaseline petroleum jelly since the brand's production process is regulated. Also, if Anthony was reacting to a food allergy, then the coconut oil could be a trigger. The doctor said his reaction should clear up on its own. I mentioned that lukewarm baths seemed to help. He said with eczema the fewer baths the better. The photo below is of Anthony falling asleep in the doctor's office after being fed.

• I stopped using coconut oil and solely used Vaseline petroleum jelly. Anthony scratched his face non stop. I trimmed his nails very short and put socks on his hands (mitts just fell off) to keep him from creating scratches that bled. However, he would just use the socks to rub his skin raw. Anthony just wriggled out of swaddling blankets. I ended up holding Anthony in one arm while I held his hands away from his face with my other hand for hours at a time. This was not sustainable. I learned to place Anthony in a baby rocker chair and attempted to lift my hands off of his for moments at a time. I made it a game where if Anthony tried to scratch his face I'd pull his hands back to his lap as quick as I could. Eventually if my eyes were on Anthony, then often times he wouldn't scratch. Sometimes his urges were just too strong and he scratched as hard as he could before I would reach him. If I were to look away for too long, he would seize the opportunity to scratch.

• Feb 23, 2019 I made a garment to keep Anthony from scratching his face. His arms were tucked into a tube of stretch fabric that was held down by a loop in between his legs. I wasn't sure it would work but once I lifted my hands off of him, he just smiled back at me because I could not stop smiling. Anthony wore the garment around the clock except for when we did arm exercises or took a bath.

• February 28, 2019 Anthony's skin was weeping at this point on his cheeks and neck. I put a bandage on Anthony's cheek in an attempt to protect him from rubbing it on surfaces.

• March 1, 2019 Anthony had eczema head to toe. The garment was a solution to help stop the scratching but I still needed to figure out Anthony's underlying cause(s) for his skin irritations. I booked our pediatrician's next available appointment and waited. I began taking detailed photos of Anthony's skin for the doctor's and our reference.

• March 5, 2019 we visited Anthony’s Pediatrician, who said to “air the skin out and see how things go”. I also spoke with the nurse practitioner, who recommended using Aquaphor for Anthony’s skin and prescribed Fluocinolone to apply to Anthony’s face. I first tried airing Anthony’s skin out for 24 hours. This did not go well as his skin just dried out and even got worse.

• March 6, 2019 I used Fluocinolone on a section of Anthony’s face once to test it. The skin turned a deeper red color. I discontinued use. I called a 24 hour nurse line to try and get advice for the underlying cause(s). She said the number one cause of eczema in babies is dairy. Since I was breastfeeding Anthony I stopped consuming dairy. I also stopped supplementing Anthony with formula to solely breastfeed and just hope that I would produce enough milk. That evening I used Aquaphor to moisturize Anthony’s skin including his face. It can also be noted that throughout my pregnancy and breastfeeding Anthony I did not consume alcohol, smoking of any kind or caffeine (tea, coffee, cocao). 

My diet restrictions:

No: alcohol, smoking, caffeine or dairy

• March 7, 2019 During the night, Anthony slipped his arm out of the garment I made him and badly scratched his face. I wondered if there was a way to  improve the garment design.

• March 9, 2019 I worried I wasn't making enough milk and gave Anthony formula to test his reaction. 

• March 12, 2019 Anthony’s face turned “burn” red all over. I permanently cut formula from Anthony's diet and I stopped consuming all sugars except for fresh fruits in an attempt to minimize inflammation. These photos show the "weeping" stage (the second stage of the 1burn 2weep 3crack skin cycle). 

My diet restrictions: 

No: alcohol, smoking caffeine, dairy or sugar (except fruit and vegetables)

• March 13, 2019 Anthony saw his Pediatrician, who said “I don’t know what this is.” I asked for a referral to an allergist. The office found a clinic that would see babies. The pediatrician also gave us an urgent referral to a dermatologist at the children's hospital. Because Anthony's condition was not deemed life threatening, we couldn't get an appointment for 2 months. In addition to the clinics we were referred to I also made a list of nearby dermatology clinics. I began calling them regularly in an attempt to be seen sooner. For each clinic I forwarded our referral, asked to be on cancellation lists and sent photos of Anthony's skin. These images show the "burn" stage.

• March 14, 2019 These are photos taken at different times throughout the day (mostly in the cracked stage). The different times show how much Anthony's skin would change in one day. It was difficult to know what I could do to help his skin; whether to let it air out or apply over the counter products. I would dab Anthony's skin with a clean, wet (with room temperature water) cloth to keep his skin clean. I also changed his clothes and sheets often because the weeping liquid would dry hard onto fabric. 

 5:59 AM

 8:54 AM

10:31 AM

11:44 AM

4:57 PM

• March 15, 2019 I read about topical steroid withdrawal (TSW) syndrome on the internet, reading that it only takes one application of a steroid to take affect and that many doctors do not acknowledge the syndrome. I had used Aquaphore with corticosteroid on his skin. My husband and I got scared and decided to discontinue the use of any over the counter topical ingredients or products on Anthony's skin for 24 hours to see if it might help. Anthony's skin became very dry -almost like cradle cap but on top of wet, raw, red skin. I did not feel that this was helping and went back to using Vaseline. I made sure to send these photos to my list of dermatology clinics. 

11:58 AM

5:14 PM

• A friend's dermatologist friend told me their training is to prescribe steroids and recommend Vaseline. He also said babies do not need soap for bath time unless they have something on them that needs help coming off. In this case he recommended "a bar of soap with the less ingredients the better -no fragrances." I took his bath time advise and could tell it made a big difference. 

• March 17, 2019 the skin condition began spreading to Anthony’s neck.

• March 18, 2019 A cosmetic dermatology clinic had a cancelation and though they didn't specialize in babies, they agreed to see Anthony the next day.

• March 19, 2019 The Cosmetic Dermatologist took a swab sample from Anthony's cheek to test for fungus, which takes two weeks to get the results back. He prescribed Desonide Cream (steroids) and Clotrimozol for fungus. I was instructed to use both medications together at the same time. I asked the dermatologist if he thought the cause could be due to food allergies. He said that "only 20% of babies have eczema and of those another 20% have it because of food allergies". The dermatologist then said the number is so small that he did not recommend I try treating my son's skin that route. I asked when I should stop using the steroids and he said there is no end date, that I should use it as needed. 

• I was grateful to test the topical prescriptions. However, I chose to further look into the possibility of environmental and food allergies. I also tried my best not to use the steroids for longer than two weeks (as recommended through my online research and confirmed with the pharmacist). I was skeptical about using both medications together because if Anthony reacted poorly then I wouldn't know which one was the culprit. Also, I wanted to wait for the test results to possibly avoid physically testing medicines on Anthony. In this case I first tested the cream to see how Anthony's skin would react.  

7:27 AM (before Desonide Cream)

• Anthony’s skin cleared up incredibly well.

9:43 PM (After Desonide Cream)

• March 20, 2019 The medication also caused a couple blisters. The doctor said blisters could be cause for alarm so he prescribed Desonide ointment instead of the cream. I second guessed myself and tested Clotrimozol (fungus treatment) on one of Anthony's blisters. The skin turned red and I discontinued use. 

 9:20 AM

4:41 PM

• March 21, 2019 The Desonide ointment arrived and I began using it instead of the cream. 

10:43 AM

• March 22, 2019  

9:00 AM

12:52 PM

• Anthony broke out again in the same cycle I got to know: red like a burn, then weeping yellow liquid and then cracks in the skin.  

4:19 PM

• March 24, 2019 Anthony wriggled his arm out of the garment I made him during the night. He made bleeding scratches on his face. I dabbed the cuts with a clean, wet cloth using room temperature water.

• March 25, 2019 Despite the blisters the Desonide cream seemed to be working much better for Anthony. We discontinued use of the Desonide ointment and used Desonide Cream twice daily. Anthony's skin improved. The photo below is of Anthony and his very supportive big brother, Andrew (who thankfully never had concerns of eczema triggers or allergies).
• March 26, 2019 In addition to no caffeine, alcohol, smoking, dairy or sugar, I also cut out all nuts and soy from my diet since at the time I read they are considered the top allergens. 

My diet restrictions:

No: alcohol, smoking, caffeine, dairy, sugar (except fruit and vegetables) nuts or soy

• March 27, 2019 Anthony's skin kept getting better though the itchiness stayed with him. He grew bigger and stronger (he loved eating) and was able to wriggle out of the garment I made him easier. It was at this point that I started altering the design to improve it. I needed a way to stop the bleeding scratches.

• March 29, 2019 With two large safety pins I made a garment that was diaper changing friendly. But somehow I needed the shoulders to stay up better.

• March 31, 2019

• April 1, 2019 Anthony had a follow up appointment with the cosmetic dermatologist. I mentioned Anthony still broke out occasionally. He was quick to point out that I chose not to fully use Clotrimozol, the fungus treatment. I was sold a CLN wash in the clinic to use in Anthony's bath. It's said to be an alternative product for "bleach baths", a very tiny amount of bleach in a bathtub of lukewarm water. Later that day the fungus test came back negative.

• April 2, 2019 I used the CLN wash (measured out carefully) in Anthony's bath.  His face turned all red with white around the edges. His skin looked different after that like cauliflower but red. I discontinued use.

• April 3, 2019 I cut out all sugars from my diet including fruit, carrots, sweet potatoes, beans, pastas and breads for the Candida diet (for possible yeast overgrowth). 

My diet restrictions: 

No: alcohol, smoking, caffeine, dairy, sugar (including cane sugar, maple syrup, honey, fruit, carrots, sweet potatoes, beans, pastas and breads), nuts or soy

• April 4, 2019

• April 5, 2019

• April 7, 2019 Anthony broke out after a trip to his grandparent's house (a new environment). 

• April 10, 2019 Follow up pediatrician appointment. The nurse mentioned that her son was once allergic to oats. It's recommended that anyone with eczema take an oat bath to soothe the skin. The nurse's son would break out in little red dots all over his body. This happened to Anthony yet I didn't think to cut oats from my diet until then. I cut oats from my diet and tomatoes for acidic reasons. The nurse recommended I come off of the Candida diet. I trusted her and began eating all fruits and vegetables again. I was also recommended to try using the CLN wash again (the alternative to a "bleach bath",which is 1/2 tsp of bleach per 1 gallon of lukewarm water). 

My diet restrictions: 

No: alcohol, smoking, caffeine, dairy, sugar (except fruits and vegetables) nuts, soy, oats and tomatoes 

• April 12, 2019 I used the CLN wash (as directed on the bottle) in a lukewarm bath for Anthony. His skin turned red with swirled edges. I threw the CLN wash away.

• April 13, 2019 I cut eggs from my diet. I came across information on the internet that warned against using Clotrimazole Cream on the face or any damaged skin, which contradicted the prescription we were written.

My diet restrictions:

No: alcohol, smoking, caffeine, dairy, sugar (except fruits and vegetables) nuts, soy, oats, tomatoes or eggs

• April 15, 2019 for concern of Red Skin Syndrome (withdrawal of steroids) I  stopped using steroids cold turkey. Anthony’s skin did not respond well at all.  It turned “burn” red all over his head/face down his neck.  His body broke out in what looked like hives in front with red spots all over the back. His groin turned red (but not in the creases). The creases behind his knees and elbows turned red.

• April 17, 2019 I started using steroids again. 

• April 18, 2019 We had an Allergist appointment. The doctor prescribed Nystatin for Anthony’s groin and Mupirocin for any cuts in the skin. He recommended using Desonide ointment instead of the cream because it has less ingredients. Anthony’s skin was too irritated to do a skin-prick allergy test so we rescheduled. 
  
  
• Nystatin did not work after 3 days of use so we discontinued use and turned to Desonide ointment for the groin, which worked. Mupirocin worked within a day and a half. Then we discontinued use. Desonide ointment was used once a day until April 23rd at first head to toe and then as a spot treatment (mainly in creases including the neck and also face/head).

• April 23, 2019 Anthony took an allergy skin-prick test with our Allergist.

Allergy Test Results: Allergic to peanuts, almonds and eggs.  

Not "allergic" to wheat (gluten), oats, coconut, soy. This doesn’t mean that the non allergens cannot still trigger the eczema. 

Definite eczema triggers are sugar, stress and formula (perhaps the milk and/or soy in the formula is a trigger?). 

Suspected eczema triggers were: oats, cocoa (caffeine), gluten, dairy and soy. 

• Since Anthony solely breastfed, he had never ingested these ingredients himself so the degree of his reaction was unknown. For this reason we were prescribed Epinephrine Auto-Injectors (EPipens) to keep with us at all times. If needed, this could hopefully buy us time to get to an emergency room.

• The Game Plan from here was: ween Anthony off of the Desonide ointment (from once a day to every other day to every third day and so forth). Use Vaseline as a moisturizer. I was to mainly keep nuts (including coconut) and eggs out of my diet but eat them sparingly to ideally create a tolerance for Anthony. I was to test the results through the process and if Anthony reacted very poorly to an ingredient, I was to stay clear of that food.

My diet restrictions: 

No: alcohol, smoking, caffeine, dairy, sugar (except fruits and vegetables) nuts (including coconut but do eat them sparingly) soy, oats, gluten, tomatoes or eggs (though eat sparingly)

• April 30, 2019 Our dermatologist appointment with the Seattle Children’s Hospital finally arrived. The Pediatric Dermatologist went over all of my notes in detail and talked with us for two hours. She compared notes with our Allergist, took photos of Anthony's skin for her records and worked with me to find answers. The Results: Anthony had a bacterial infection (staph infection) on his face and is allergic to the fragrance in his diapers. He was prescribed antibiotics to heal the bacterial infection. For his face, neck and sensitive areas I was to use equal parts of Mupirocin Ointment USP at 2% and Alclometasone Dipropionate Ointment USP 0.05% as needed until our follow up appointment. For Anthony's body, he was prescribed Triamcinolone Acetonide Ointment USP 0.1% as needed until our follow up appointment. Bleach baths (1/2 tsp of bleach per lukewarm gallon of water) were recommended 3 times a week. I was also recommended to take probiotics. I unfortunately cannot recall and do not have the notes to confirm if Anthony's antibiotics were an oral treatment in addition to the antibiotics in the Mupirocin.

My diet restrictions: 

No: alcohol, smoking, caffeine, dairy, sugar (except fruits and vegetables) nuts (including coconut but do eat them sparingly) soy, oats, gluten, tomatoes or eggs (though eat sparingly) 

My diet additions: 

Yes: probiotics

• The bacterial infection cleared up. His medicines were working and no more break outs happened with the new diet. Anthony would still scratch but not as bad. His swaddle garment helped immensely with this. It's hard to think about how much worse his skin could have been if he was able to touch and scratch it all the time.

• February 28, 2020 At a later Allergist Appointment we found out Anthony was also allergic to all seeds. Tomatoes were fine to eat. I stopped sparingly eating foods and simply avoided them. I never got into the probiotics.

No: alcohol, smoking, caffeine, dairy, sugar (except fruits and vegetables) nuts (including coconut) soy, oats, gluten, eggs or seeds  

• All of Anthony’s allergies had been tested through the allergy skin-prick test. He only ingested them through my breastmilk and never directly himself. Because of this we can schedule "Challenges" with his Allergist to test the severity of each allergy (nuts, seeds and eggs).

• Eventually the foods I avoided and the diet I ate became Anthony's pureed diet.

• Anthony directly ingested mustard flour through a vegan mayonnaise by accident. His upper lip swelled within two minutes of eating it and we rushed him to the Emergency Room. Luckily this was not Epipen grade. He was monitored as the swelling went down.

• April 15, 2020 I had Mastitus a second time and was prescribed Dicloxacillin 500mg 1 capsule 4 times a day for 10 days like before. I chose to suddenly stop breastfeeding just in case this contributed to Anthony's skin irritations back in January of 2019.

• Anthony's pureed diet became his solid diet. We were able to pinpoint corn through trial and error. As far as Anthony's eczema triggers go, we have reintroduced foods directly to test each. Soy took 6 days to react, and then he broke out from head to toe in red bumps. Other triggers were around 2-4 days reaction times. As Anthony ages he could grow out of his eczema triggers so it could be a good plan to introduce small amounts of each trigger over time. For now we are used to all of Anthony's sensitivities. We mostly eat from home, are very careful about Anthony's allergies and simply avoid his eczema triggers. We still discover some sensitivities from time to time -like sauerkraut (picture above). Anthony loved it though the skin around his mouth reacted poorly to the acidity with bumps and itching.

No: tree nuts, peanuts, seeds (including sunflower, sesame and mustard), eggs, corn, dairy, soy, gluten, oats & limited sugar (coconut seems to be fine) 

Anthony's environment restrictions: 

Fragrance free detergent and fragrance free diapers (not cloth as cloth does not keep moisture and waste away from the skin well). No soap in the bath. Dove bar soap (no added fragrance) if we need to. Vinegar for cleaning the house (once vinegar dries it no longer smells). No candles or air scents. Water or jojoba oil for moisturizing (mostly water). I know Vaseline is recommended a lot but we don't use it. I personally like shea butter but since it comes from a nut I don't use it on Anthony. 

My diet restrictions after my pregnancy with Anthony and no longer breastfeeding: 

I don't smoke and drink on special occasions. I find that I just feel better without consuming gluten. After my pregnancy with Anthony I found I now have a sensitivity to dairy. My face will break out with acne and eczema. I find I end up eating according to Anthony's diet anyway because he always wants to eat what I have. ;)