Facial Eczema????

Hello I.:
Congratulations on your first daughter!
I have 2 grown boys myself.

To be allergic to breast milk is very rare unless you are eating, drinking something really unhealthy with lots of pesticides or taking medication that will affect the milk.
I will in any case recommend that you eat as natural and organic as you can, no sodas which contain aspartame, no artificial sugars and try to avoid pesticides or proccessed foods.
Also its very important to eat Natural and organic meats. regular meat sold at stores that are not organic are full of pesticides, antibiotics and chemicals.
If your little girl is sensitive to some of these she could be getting it throu your milk.
Some times the soaps we use, since are not natural or organic have harsh chemicals, that after a certain time or sometimes inmediately, depending of our sensitivities could causes allergies on our skin. I will recomend you to use a Organic and natural soap. This is the brand i use and they have a special line for babies:
http://www.drbronner.com/main.html
it's called Baby Mild and these are the ingredients:
Baby-Mild: liquid soap
Unscented: No Essential Oil
A mild, smooth soap for sensitive skin (but still be sure to keep it out of the eyes).
Ingredients: Water, Saponified Organic Coconut & Olive oils (w/ retained Glycerin), Organic Hemp Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Citric Acid, Vitamin E

Bar soap:Ingredients: Saponified Organic Coconut, Palm & Olive oils (w/ retained Glycerin), Water, Organic Hemp Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, Salt, Citric Acid, Vitamin E
Their organic lotions are also wonderful.

Another product me and my friends had great results with eczema and irritating skin is an 100% pure Aloe vera Jelly and Aloe Vera and Propolis cream from this company:
www.foreverliving.com

I use their products too, with this company you have to buy throu a distribuitor, but you can order online as a retail customer, you just have to mention who referred you to it.
i am a distribuitos so if you feel you want to give it a try, please use my name H. Guerrero and my ID# 001002264216
to order,
They have a 30 day money back guarantee. I recommend applying the Jelly ( which is basically Pure Aloe vera Gel) first and when it's absorbed apply the Propolis cream at least twice a day, the results are amazing.

But it will still be important to use regularly an organic soap such as Dr Bronners. Another product i think it's important too use is a natural detergent, regular detergents have very harsh chemicals that stay in the clothes and end up being a cause for allergies and skin irritation too. Trader Joes has some good ones, as well as Dr Bronneres and Forever Living Products (Forever Aloe MPD it's called)

I hope this helps.
Best regards
H. Guerrero

I.,

I disagree with most of the suggestions here, because of the products people are recommending...I think it would be better to take a more natural approach rather than just turning to a quicker fixer upper, which could lead to more long-term health concerns.

She could definitely be having a reaction to something you are eating or drinking, even if your diet hasn't changed. It can take awhile for the intolerance to show up and sometimes the intolerance can develop when exposed to something repeatedly. Indicating symptoms can form on the face even if the reaction is internal as with allergies...the rash can show up anywhere really...But I would also definitely stop eating or drinking dairy if I were you, here's just one article explaining why...google milk health risks if you want to read more on the subject

http://www.naturalchild.org/guest/linda_folden_palmer.html

She could also be having a reaction to anything you have been applying to her or your body (not just her face)...i.e lotions, diaper rash cream, body wash, perfume, laundry detergent, anything that has fragrance, etc.

I would definitely avoid products like Aquaphor, they contain TOXIC ingredients (mineral oil and ceresin are both petroleum based products) that aren't good for anyone let alone a precious baby...here is some information on that...

http://www.health-essentials.info/pubSources/safety-check...

read these examples...
#2 glycerin, #6 lanolin, #9 mineral oil/ceresin - Mineral Oil alone should be cause to NOT use this product as it says it is a powerful carcinogen, which means it promotes cancer!

A baby's system is quite fragile and with all the products society uses nowadays it can be very easy for her to get over loaded with toxins. Make sure your reading the ingredients list of what you are putting on your baby girl and yourself...It's nothing to be scared of, but it is definitely something to be aware of and take as many steps as we can to not put any undue stress on their systems. I know I wish I would have had someone tell me about this when I was pregnant.

here is some information about steps you can take to provide your baby girl with a healthy start...taking the steps for yourself to will benefit your health as well.

Books: I searched on amazon.com for you under books:natural parenting

Natural Baby and Childcare: Practical Medical Advice and Holistic Wisdom for Raising Healthy Children (Paperback)
by Lauren Feder

Holistic Parenting: Raising Children to a New Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual Well-Being (Paperback)
by Lynn Wiese Sneyd

Magical Beginnings, Enchanted Lives by Deepak Chopra, David Md Simon, David Simon, and Vicki Abrams (more to do about pregnancy, but I thought I would include it too)

Stores: although I don't know where you are located...
The Elephant Pharm is a great place to purchase organic (chemical free) products for you and your baby.
-Studies show that children are disproportionately affected by daily exposures to toxic chemicals. So look for chemical-free products whenever you can, including chlorine-free diapers and wipes, fragrance-free and biodegradable laundry detergents, and paraben-free washes and ointments.-
http://www.elephantpharm.com

WholeFoods has a health and body care section
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/wholebody/wholebaby/index...

Even Longs Drug (at least in my area) is catching on that the there is a demand for organic/natural products. They have a natural products section where you can pick up organic toothpaste, bodywash, shampoo, etc...Although, I haven't looked for any baby products.

Websites: google organic baby or natural baby
www.babyorganic.com
www.hersweetbaby.com
www.allnaturalbaby.com/store
www.earthsbest.com (for when she moves into solids)

Living organically might seem to be a bit more expensive than what is considered the norm, but on a lifelong scale you save...your money (in doctor bills and prescription charges), your health, and your LIFE! I hope this helps. In my opinion...I wouldn't be too quick to jump to the Eczema diagnosis, rushing off to get some prescription that the doctor hands out. Prescriptions are made up of chemicals, which tax anyone's system especially little ones. So always be cautious before going that route and explore natural remedies first. Trust you intuition and natural instinct as her mother, you know more than you might think you do.

Blessings.

My 23 month old son has had facial eczema since about four months old. He was breastfed, as well. I just made sure to rinse his face after each feeding and I put Aquaphor on right before bed. My pediatrician recommended more often during his larger flare ups, but I just did the one application and it would clear up within a week. With the scratching, make sure the fingernails are nice and trim. I remember having a picture day scheduled and waking my child up to find he scratched the daylights out of his cheek! Needless to say, we rescheduled...and trimmed the fingernails.

When my youngest was 7 weeks old, he also developed a facial rash that didn't go away. I think it must have been itchy, because he often tried to rub his face. I took my son to his pediatrician to treat an ear infection, and the doctor prescribed an antibiotic. The rash cleared up at the same time the ear infection did and it never re-appeared. My recommendation -- since your little one has had this rash for 4 weeks, check with your child's doctor. The remedy may be easy and quick, particularly if you are ok with giving meds to your child.

Allergies can begin at any time even if your diet hasn't changed-so I've heard. You could easily eliminate one item at a time from you diet over the course of a week or so to see it that has any effect. I'd suggest to try dairy first as that is something babies are often sensitive to. If aftr a day or so it doesn't clear try the other usual suspects-soy, wheat, etc. Also if the rash is only on her face I would look at the detergent you are using on her bedding and on your clothing or body. Usually allergy rashes will occur all over if they are internal (something she's eating) especially on the torso. One thing I would not do is stop the breastfeeding, that is by far the BEST thing you can do for her and any possible allergies.
-Mama S.

I've heard eczema is common in babies, but you may want to check with your ped before changing your or her diets. Aquaphor helps when my little one gets patches of eczema on her face.

My son, who is now three, developed facial eczema when he was about two months old. I would suggest using Aquaphor. I've purchased it at Rite Aid and Walmart, and I'm sure that other places carry it, too. It may seem a little on the expensive side, but it's worth every penny spent, and a little goes a long way. My pediatrician suggested it, and it worked wonders for our little guy. He still has occasional breakouts, but Aquaphor takes care of it within a couple of days. And even if you're worried that it's not eczema, my pediatrician recommended it for diaper rashes, too; so I don't think that it would hurt anything. It's kind of a thick, sticky substance, but we swear by it. Both my husband and I even use it for our dry skin. Well, good luck with all of it - and I definitely would not quit breastfeeding.

Both my kids had this. With my first I didnt' realize it was eczema so it got bad enough that we had to use hydrocortizone to stop it, then occasionally to prevent flare-ups. With #2 I recognized it and went immediately to lansinoh and or aquaphor and we haven't had to go the cort route this time. Often they will grow out of it and it's not due to your diet. Try the aquaphor ot lansinoh and if it doesn't start to improve callt he pedi. I hated using the cort but it made a huge difference and it was only needed for a short while.

I definetly agree with the natural, organic, non-toxic approach. I have a four-year old with ezcema around his mouth that comes and goes he also develops impetigo when he scratches and picks, we put cod-liver oil on it as well as give it to him orally. He hates it so we aren't as consistent as I would like. I know there are a lot of other diet changes we could make to help also, such as eggs, dairy, wheat... It is hard to go completely natural and healthy in this fast-food age! We try but not good enough, I guess I just need more support, enough about me.
I am 30, married 9 years, mother of 3 (8 boy, 6 girl, 4 boy)