The large itchy child belongs to me (and I love her)
Nicole McMullin
Feb 25, 2008
My baby has eczema that dries out her new skin and a urinary reflux disorder that leaves her prone to urinary tract infections. She’s also in the 90th percentile for weight. She’s anemic. She’s 6 months old.
So I have big baby with a rash who takes two medications a day and needs to be moisturized regularly with a prescription cream.
Am I doing something wrong?
Our pediatrician and the nurses in the office assure me that these things are normal. I am told that she will most likely outgrow the urinary reflux and will drop some weight as soon as she starts walking. And according to WebMD, she could outgrow the eczema in a year or so as well.
But, perhaps I was too idealistic about what life with a new baby would be like.
Since I have not spent a lot of time with kids, a part of me expected storybook situations like you see in movies and television.
Sure, Hollywood does a good job of portraying kinds as messy and loud - which I was prepared for - but I cannot recall a show where parents travel with cortisone cream, an antibiotic, an iron supplement, doctor-recommended laundry detergent and multiple changes of clothes to prevent overheating and/or exposure to the wrong kind of moisture (moisture in the air is good, moisture in the pants is not so good). And if that character was represented, it was most likely presented as a hypochondriac, which I am not.
This is just my family. We’re red, itchy and bloated and we carry many products. I would like to think we’re normal and other families have dry skin ointments and medicine droppers hidden in those large diaper bags as well.
But if not - if truly beautiful, organized and rash-free people exist - I beg for guidance and wisdom. Teach me, the mother of the large red child who scratches, your secrets.
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EUCERIN lotion is your friend! After EVERY bath--even in the summer. Carys still has trouble, but not as bad. And don’t wait to get allergy testing--as soon as we eliminated some things out of her diet--weird stuff, too, like tuna and chicken and green beans and peas--it has gotten better. I kicked myself for not having it done sooner (and I swear it comes from the Perry side!).
Carys has had trouble with eczema from the time she was born, and had vomiting issues and all sorts of problems that the pediatrician chalked up to milk allergy. I was breastfeeding, and stopped drinking milk. I switched to soy milk. Carys continued having problems. So the dr. thought it was a milk/soy allergy. I nixed the soy. I stopped BF when she was 7 months old and she was drinking $24 a CAN formula until she was 18 months old b/c we thought she had a milk/soy allergy.
We just took her for allergy testing a year ago when her eczema and asthma was just not getting better, and all of the foods that are supposed to be good for kids were the culprits (watermelon? give me a break!). I never would have dreamed when I was BF and trying to eat well that I was passing things to her in my milk that were making her sick.
Eucerin, Singulair, Clarinex, and nasal sprays have made all the difference for her. Plus, finding the right food allergies--finally! So we carry around the meds, too--and bathe only when absolutely necessary to avoid drying out her skin! But we wouldn’t trade her in, either! :o)
Beth of T-town, VA
Apr. 21, 2008 at 02:57 PM
Hang in there. We have been through four years now of parenting a child with eczema and UTI’s. It started when she was a baby. It does get better, and the more you learn about the issues, the more you feel you can handle it. There are lots of us out there like you who know how it feels to try and control the itching, which many days seems impossible. I hope that you can find rest and encouragement.
Eczema Mom
Mar. 4, 2008 at 05:01 PM
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