Irish Eczema

We went to the pediatrician's for our 4-month check-up about a week ago.

While there, I had them look at a little rash that comes and goes on Ella's chest and tummy from time to time.*

It looked like heat rash. It wasn't angry in appearance or infected. It was just a little rash that would flare up and then go almost completely away as if on it's own.

The doctor had only glanced at Ella when she exclaimed, "Eczema. She has eczema."

I, of course, freaked. I'd read enough to know that eczema is related to allergies and asthma, and just like allergies and asthma, eczema shows a generally weakened immune system.

I immediately began to wonder what I'd done to weaken my baby's immune system.

I began telling the doctor everything I'd ever eaten, knowing that often an eczema-related outbreak is due to an allergic reaction to something internal, like dairy (which I don't eat), soy (which I don't eat), eggs (which I eat very little of), citrus, or gluten.

The doctor told me she didn't think it was a reaction to food at all, as Ella wasn't showing any other kind of reaction (digestive, behavioral, etc.) to a food source; it was just that Ella had "extremely sensitive skin."

She made some suggestions, and I left the doctor's office even more puzzled, believe it or not; her definition of eczema was nothing like what I'd define eczema as.

So, later, at home, after doing some reading, I deduced that, indeed, Ella didn't really have eczema, medically speaking, at all. She just had skin that was reacting to things.

In fact, what Ella had was much more likely to be classified as "drool rash," according to a few books I read and Dr. Google. Some doctor's classify that as eczema in babies, it turns out.

In addition, a conversation with my mother reminded me that Ella had not inherited my skin tone; she had my husband's skin and, in fact, my mother's - and both of them have extremely dry skin that flares up out of almost nowhere.

Later that night, my mother-in-law re-iterated what my mom had said. In fact, she had a name for it: "Irish eczema." (My husband's family is Irish and fair, as is my mother. I have my father's skin-tone, even though I, too, am half Irish.)

"All my babies had that," my mother-in-law said. "It's not real eczema. It's just sensitive skin."

So, with that, I calmed down.

But I still wanted to find a solution for the rash. And I wasn't thrilled with the doctor's suggestion: She wanted me to put prescription cortisone (a steroid ointment) on it.

But previous reading I'd done had linked cortisone use to respiratory problems and other immuno-suppressed complications. That was a last-resort, as far as I was concerned.

So I whipped out my natural healing books, Googled some things, called our local health-food store, and went to a few places, including Target.

Within a few days, Ella's "Irish eczema" was completely gone.

And, so, today, because so many of you requested for me to share what I did last week, here's what worked for us:

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The cast of characters** I used are as follows:

From left to right: Emergen-C Vitamin C packets, Vitamin E capsules, olive oil, beta-carotene capsules, Shea Moisture Organic Raw Shea Butter & Argan Oil Baby Eczema Therapy, Dove's Sensitive Skin body wash, Boiron Homeopathic Calendula cream, Dr. Bronner's Baby Mild Aloe Vera Organic Hemp soap, Florasone Cream, organic chamomile tea, CJ's Butter, Aquaphor, multi-flora probiotic (including acidopholus), a peri bottle filled with chamomile tea, and Shea Moisture Organic Raw Shea, Chamomile, and Argan Oil Baby Head-to-Toe Ointment.

I'm not particularly attached to any of these brands. It's simply what was available at my health-food store or in my medicine cabinet. Largely, I think it's more important how you use these elements for healing that works.

(Quick Note: Natural/homeopathic healing is labor-intensive. At the beginning of this, I was putting stuff on Ella up to six-seven times a day. So if you're looking for a quick-fix, this is not your cup of tea.)

1. Make bath-time, tea-time

We now bathe Ella no more than every other day. Water in and of itself is drying to the skin, and she's a baby. She's not that gross yet.

When she is bathed, I brew a cup of chamomile tea; let it steep for about an hour, and throw it in her bath water, which is luke-warm at best. (I also add a few drops of organic lavender essential oil, as it has a calming effect on the skin, too.)

The bath is quick, and the majority of the time, we pour the chamomile water over her body.

Then, we quickly wash her down with one of two soaps: Dove Sensitive Skin body wash (not for babies, so watch their eyes) or Dr. Bronner's Baby Mild Aloe Vera Organic Hemp Soap. (I much prefer this option, but Dove is good in a pinch.)

When she doesn't get a bath, I quickly sponge her down with a cloth wipe and a few squirts of chamomile tea, which I keep in my post-partum peri bottle. (I knew that thing would come in handy again.) I do the same thing every morning, as well. Chamomile and lavender are calming, and they work topically, as well.

2. Layer on your treatments

Morning and night, I applied the following layers of ointments:

*Florasone - a homeopathic alternative to cortisone, which you use no longer than seven days. (I saw improvement in less than two.) In extreme situations, I'd use it four times a day, as the bottle suggests, but Ella's rash wasn't that bad.
* Calendula cream - a homeopathic treatment for skin irritations, burns, cuts, and abrasions; this stuff works wonders. I use it on diaper rash, too. It's a God-send.
*Vitamin E - I simply bust open a capsule and pour it on the rash and rub it in. (I only use this if I'm noticing a real flare-up or if the skin is starting to really flake and dry out. Vitamin E promotes healing, but you can use too much of it. So once the rash starts to improve and goes away, nix the Vitamin E.)
*Raw shea butter and argan oil ointment - It's a grainy, long-term, deep moisturizer and helps keep the skin hydrated, as dry skin is much more easily irritated. (I found it funny that the stuff I found that contains these ingredients describes itself as "baby eczema therapy." Obviously, this isn't just a problem for Ella.) A great substitute for this would be CJ's Butter - a cloth-diapering-friendly diaper rash cream. It's a colloidal ointment, though, that works on eczema, and if Ella has a bit of a rash in her diaper area, I use this instead of the raw shea butter treatment, as CJ's Butter is a little creamier and a little less intense.
*Aquaphor or lanolin - Basically, this last waxy layer works as a barrier method. It protects the skin from the rubbing of clothes, etc.
*Olive oil - I dab this on any dry spots she may have on her head, legs, ears, or arms.

3. Do up-keep during diaper changes

Every time I changed Ella's diaper, I re-applied the calendula cream and the raw shea butter treatment to the rash, even though it wasn't in her diaper area. Once the rash improved, I dropped the calendula and just kept moisturizing with the raw shea butter at each change. (The brand I'm using has a combined ointment, containing more chamomile, I keep in my diaper bag, as does California Babies, I believe.)

The goal is to keep your baby as moisturized as possible, in an effort to protect her skin.

4. Help your baby along with your own intake

I try and take Vitamin C, beta-carotene, an extra probiotic (acidopholus is best), evening primrose oil (not shown) and some Vitamin E if I notice Ella's skin flaring a bit. Internally, they help get the job done, and since Ella is still exclusively breast-fed, I have to take them for her to reap the benefits.

5. Consider a what else is touching their skin

I have bad news for all you Dreft detergent lovers out there: The stuff has chemicals in, too. That's why it's not safe to use on cloth diapers. And it may be causing a reaction on your child's skin, too.

Make sure you are using a true "free and clear" detergent on your baby's clothes (I like Dropps, which are great for cloth diapers, too) and add in an extra hot rinse when you wash them.

Also, consider buying lotions and soaps made from organic ingredients. It's just another way to eliminate something that may cause a reaction on your baby.

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Hopefully, this works for you all who asked.

This baby, or "Irish," eczema seems far more common than I ever realized. And, lately, it has my baby taking baths and getting rub-downs like she's a member of some four-star spa. (Or Baby Jesus himself. One of the ointments we're using has frankincense and myrrh in it. You can imagine the Christ-child jokes that have abounded.)

But all that aside, thankfully, this combination of treatments seems to work. I wish I'd taken before-and-after pictures, as Ella's skin is clear as can be these days. Even my husband was in awe, and he's not easy to impress.

Simply put, she looks like a new baby.

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*Our 4-month check up was literally three days after we were recovering from our first fever. I told the doctor that the fever had seemed to aggravate the rash - it was the worst I'd ever seen it - but the pediatrician quickly dismissed me, saying that "didn't make any sense." Still, considering how fast the treatment cleared up, I'm kind of mad that the doctor didn't listen to me. Because obviously, I wasn't making it up, and as Ella got healthier, the irritation cleared up super-quick, and I can't think it's all thanks to my mixture of ointments.

**I bought almost everything here at Target, The Vitamin Shoppe, or my local health-food store. I didn't receive any compensation for mentioning these products. It's just what I found that works.

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Now, I'm no doctor. I'm not even an expert. I just combined some things I'd heard about and researched, skin-tested my daughter, and, knowing she could tolerate them, went for it. We got lucky, in part.

So, please let me know if you have any questions at all, but I'm sure this isn't everyone's be-all-and-end-all solution.

It's just what worked for us, and if it can help anyone else, I'll be thrilled.

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Happy Monday, everyone!