formula/breast feeding...eczema

[Minchin]

Hi Lovely ladies,

well I havn't been on here much over xmas as been away but catching up now a bit. As usual when something upsets or worries me I think it's time to make a thread (I really should try some positive ones too one day!) wasn'y sure which section to put this in, feeding or health??

So basically where to start...since about a month Owen had his dream feed of expressed milk so daddy could give it and we knew he was getting a lot. On xmas eve i decided i had had enough of epxressing for half hour every morning and so decided to give the dream feed of formula, used aptimil cartons, which he's had when we've left him with gparents before and seemed no probs.

he also had some antibiotics (for suspected return of mrsa in a spot on his cheek but it was ok in the end) before xmas.

so then his little bit of cradle cap gradually got worse and worse, eczma has started to develop on his scalp too, in last week it's now on forehead, tummy and back, since yesterday it's appeared in leg and arm creases. he has red sore all over front of his neck which doesnt look like exzma just dryish skin that gone raw cos of rubbing in folds and dribble always getting down there.

so anyway docs yesterday prescribed aveena bath oil and cream, some cradle cap shampoo and an antibacterial for the neck as worried about infection and mrsa...so that's the history bit, what I'm worried about is that maybe the formula has triggered this? Am going to swtich back to boob only. For a week or 2 and see what happens. Bloody breastpump broken too (expensive medela one ..) and lost receipt (dumb me) so need to buy a new one...can send medela off and they may repair it but need one soon...just cos i like to be able to go to bed early everyother night and let oh do dream feed. Feel like such bad mummy for 1. not wanting to do all feeds, 2.swapping a feed to formula (stupid for thinking this I know!!) 3.not wanting to express...

ok so anyway, think I just wanted to offload a little! and maybe anyone has expereince of aptimil causing allergic reactions??

Thanks...

 

[lanny]

|I have no idea about breast feeding as herbie is bottle feed on cow and gate but his eczema sounds just the same as owen's it got all infected under his armpit a month or so ago and it now dry on his head back and chest, doctor didnt ask how I feed him so not sure if formula feeding is to blame or not?

 

[Minchin]

thanks for the reply. I know it's pretty common in babies and I knew a fair few pf babies had it. I've been doing a bit of reading and it seems that it's just somehting they get but maybe diet influences it. What do you put on Herbie's? It's horrid where it's red and raw under Owen's neck, seems like it'll never heal as the air never gets in there to dry it!

 

[lanny]

the doctor give me oilatum for the bath and cream and when it was really sore under his armpit and neck he give me a steroid cream but it just stayed wet and it wouldnt dry out so it the end I put sudocrem on and I swear it 2 days it was better. So now I put his cream on every morning and night and if I start to see a little bit of sore skin coming in his folds I put a bit of sudocrem on it works wonders

 

[LouLou1986]

Codie had terible exzma when she was a baby, cows milk set it off so she went on to soya, I wish I cud off brest feed her but I just cudnt do it she grew out off the cows milk setting it off after a few months so she went bk on to it and now she's a healthy happy six year old

 

[Minchin]

thanks
just gonna do one or 2 weeks back on soley breast feeding and see if improvement if there is then I'll find a soya based formula for the dream feed I guess?
We have aveeno oil and lotion and an antibacterial cream for neck but may also try sudo. Do you just put a tiny bit on the bits that look really red? I'd be worried putting it on the 'wet' bits. Am going to book another doc apt fo rnext week as they havn't given me any cream for the eczma just to prevent bacterial infection as they are concerned about the return of mrsa.

It seems there is always something to worry about!!!

 

[Minchin]

off to docs again this pm, saw him last wed and only prescribed moisturiser, saw hv today and said he needs a bout of hydrocortisone cream. It's oretty red and angry on his neck and he's trying to scratch his scalp and belly a lot. Stopped giving him powdered aptimil for dream feed, went back to boobs for 2 days, no difference...just giving the aptimil carton for the dream feed and no worse so will stay with that I think...

I have never been to the gp so much...

 

[kellylou]

Not sure if u already replaced ur pump but saw medela in tesco today 54.99 x

 

[evie_smith]

I bf zander and he had exhma (sp?) try baby oil on his cradle cap works a treat place it on about an hour before a bath then wash it off or as I do with Chloe I put It on when she is in the bath then an hour later I washed it off hers was really bad and it was weeks ago an she has only got like 2 scab/flake bits back the shampoo never works lol! Xx

 

[Minchin]

thanks, cradle cap nearly all gone, bit of shampoo used and olive oil every night at bedtime. Got a steroid cream on monday from the doc and told to use twice a day for a week, the eczma really gone down now decided to stick to the carton formula as maybe powder flared up the eczma?

And thanks about the tesco medela deal, already got a new one!!! but sending the old back to the company who should be able to fix it and then maybe I can sell one second hand. Borrowed my mates tommee tippee electric one and couldnt get any millk from it, weird?!

 

[LouLou1986]

codie had hydrocortizone cream and it was gone within days it is a steroid based cream though so only use it when it gets bad you can buy if from the chemist but its best to get it off the doctors, but morning and night aquerious cream or e45 cream they are a god send, when you dress in the morning and when you put to bed a night, just make sure its all rubbed in though or it gets sticky another tip is non-bio washing powder and stick to the same brand so the skin gets used to it, i still do all this with codie now and her skins lovey and clear

 

[JJ Mum]

sounds like things are picking up. Just to check, you hadn't started to give any foods yet had youi? eg baby rice as 4 months old , (I know they say 6 months nowadays), but my daughter got awful excema all over at 4 months when I started food, and she was fully bottle fed, one of the main reasons I am breastfeeding for the first time this time round with Devon, just incase my antibodies in BF milk help protect him, We got prescribed soya milk formula powder in the end and it saved a fortune as it's over £10 a tub!

She ended up wrapped in special baby sized tubeygrip bandages to keep the cream on and that really helped us get on top ofit

Watch the steroid cream, it can thin the skin if used in the same place over long period time, so I agree only really use it when you really need to

She really dikd grow out of it but at 2 years, so keep going

 

[Minchin]

Hi
Yeah been sticking with same washing powder (non bio) since he was born. Moisturising about 5 times a day with prescribed aveena moisturiser and it's really nice. It's like a health spa round here!

Cleared up well, stoppe dthe steroid cream now and go backs to docs thur for him to check LO.

Havn't intro'd any foods so at least can rule that out (except the formula change)

Fingers crossed it's calmed down now

x