Pregnant Mom with Eczema

Dear B.,
I used to get eczema when I was in high school and thankfully it went away after I had kids, as did the awful migranes. Right now though, I am fighting a bad bout with poison ivy, reminiscent of the eczema. What I have been using is coconut oil. You can get it in the grocery store under cooking oils. It comes in a jar and is solid until it heats up, so it looks kind of like butter. As soon as it makes contact with the skin it melts and spreads so nice and feels just great! You're wise to avoid cortizone and steroid creams. Careful with lotions too. I like Neutrogena hand cream unscented -- it's very concentrated.
Good luck!
N

Congrats on baby #2!!!!! I slept with Vaseline when i got preg with baby # 3. My skin itched so bad! If all else fail..... Vaseline or eucerine.

I ditto the coconut oil--there was a research study recently about the use of coconut oil in eczema. I use it on my son's eczematous patches and it seems to be helping. So does bleach, which another poster mentioned. The swimming pool has a similar level of chlorine to the studies (but isn't hot enough to harm a fetus), plus it's always nice to swim when you're pregnant. (and you can take your other child and then it's a bonding activity AND a skin treatment!)

I feel really iffy about using a steroid when pregnant, but you also need to keep your skin from bleeding. I'd use it very very sparingly.

Try some zinc oxide -- not that I have any proof it'll work, but I heard somewhere that zinc is good for eczema. Zinc oxide is the white stuff you used to see lifeguards wear on their noses -- I use it for almost everything, having been a lifeguard ! (you can get it in almost any pharmacy, but it's sometimes hard to find, so just ask)

I have dealt with bouts of eczema and severe contact dermatitis ever since my first pregnancy. I have tried all the creams and special cleansers and prescriptions the doctors could come up with - all to no avail. The only thing I have found that works for me is Isotonix OPC-3 (my Aunt told me about it). It's this antioxidant purple powder stuff that I mix with a little water and drink - it kind of tastes like grape juice. I buy it by the 90 day supply from www.marketamerica.com/shopnonstop. It is safe to take while pregnant, but you can print out the label right from the website to show your doctor before you get any - I know how cautious I was while pregnant. He'll probably say "well, I doubt it will work, but I can't see how it would hurt" - at least that was the response I had from my own doctor when I did. Hopefully this helps you. I know OPC-3 has for me!

I have eczema and what helps me is evening primerose, I take it three times a day. Also I put flaxseeds into my yougurt, cereal, salads, etc. Good luck!

I'm so sorry you're suffering. I know as moms we all make sacrifices while we're pregnant, some more than others, so I offer my encouragement. Okay, the only experience I have with eczema is with my son, but the one and only thing that worked and the only time his eczema vanished completely was during the summer (warm weather) when he swam in the ocean. Now, I don't know the climate where you live, but if you are anywhere near the ocean, I suggest taking a dip. We live about an hour from the Jersey shore and we would only vacation there for a week, but just being in that water one week cleared his eczema until the cold, heat-ridden days of January caused it to flair up again. If we went to Florida in the winter, again, the salt water would clear it up until we got home. So, I know it's something to do with that salt water. I know this may be a suggestion in vain, since I don't know where you live, but I had to offer it just in case it's feasible for you and could offer you any kind of relief. As I write this, I'm thinking maybe as an alternative you could try a cool bath in salt water. I honestly think it has something to do with that salt water. Anyway, I'm sorry I don't have more to offer, but I had to try and praise to you for being careful of what you use while pregnant. All the best.

There was a study recently that found that adding a tiny amount of bleach to bath water seriously improved kid's eczema. http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/eczema/...

I never had eczema in my life until I had my son at 39. Then I started getting it on my hands. Quite by accident, I found that Farouk Silk Therapy (a hair product) relieved the eczema. It couldn't hurt and might be worth a try. I've also heard that olive oil helps, too. Good luck.

try avoiding milk. I did this with my son and it disappeared almost right away... and all did was cut out his milk on his cereal. we continued to give him cheese and ice cream etc. he just couldn't handle too much milk. now he grew out of it..
have no idea if that's your issue, but it's worth a try.
good luck.

I continuted to use my steroid cream like Jennifer K. My OB said it was ok too. My excema flair-ups are stress related, so elimating food hasn't worked for me, the only thing thst works for me is sunshine (UV rays) and the steroid cream my dermatologist perscribed.

My son started getting it when he was about 4 months old (he's 20 mos. now) and originally the Dr. gave me a 2.5% Hydrocotisone steroid cream to use which took the worst of it away but he was getting patches of it in various places. Used Aquaphor along with the medicine and all it didn't really help. Finally I begged the doc to give me something else and they prescribed Mometasone Furoate Cream USP (looking at the tube now - doesn't say if it's steroid or not, I think it might be) and after a day it cleared all up! I couldn't believe it. If only he would have had this stuff sooner. I'm not saying that's what will work for you, but it's worth asking for it your doc says it's okay. I continue to use the cream if I see a little flair up and it gets rid of it so fast!

Hey B.... :)
My hand and face excema has seriously cleared up after dropping dairy from my diet. My 20mo daughter's cleared up after dropping soy. Dairy and soy are the two highest allergens in our country, followed by wheat, sugar, nuts, shellfish and citrus (including tomatoe), and maybe a couple more. Way to be sensetive on what types of cleaners, soaps and lotions you are using... the steroid creams though, as I'm sure you know, are just a bandaid for the issue... stress and other outside sources can cause flare ups too. If it is mostly food related for you, and it doesn't seem that the p.b., sugar, and processed foods has made a difference, I would definitely try excluding dairy, and then soy, if need be. This is not easy, won't pretend that it was easy for us. But, it is do-able and it DID make a huge difference in our case(s). Best wishes!

First of all, call the dermatologist and explain how severe your outbreak is and that you are pregnant.

When my son was very young, the steroid creams never worked for him. One doctor gave him a cream that was natural and had TAR in it. It smelled like they were paving the road but it worked immediately and it did not have steroids in it. Ask him/her if they can prescribe something like that. The smell goes away in about 5 minutes. Good luck - I feel sorry for you after watching my son go through it.

Have you tried Aquafor? It is a heavy almost Vaseline type cream. It has helped with my severly dry/ excema patches in the past. You can buy it at any drug store and it is safe for pregnancy. Maybe it will help until you can get to your derm. Hang in there!

Hi B.,

Contact the Edgar Cayce Institute in Virginia Beach,
VA.

See if they have a remedy.

Good luck. D.

I asked my OB while I was pregnant. Not only did he say it was OK for me to continue using my steroid cream for my eczema - he wrote me a prescription for it.

hmm. not really the same story but I always have eczema. During my pregnancy I noticed my eczema is actually getting bit better. Now I just weaned 2 weeks ago and haven't notice any major change yet.

I have had eczema for as long as I can remember. It comes and it goes depending on the weather, clothes I wear, etc. I'm 10 weeks pregnant and have been having flare ups lately. I am on a non-steroidal cream (Epiceram). It is a prescription and I have to contact my dermatologist to ensure it is ok to use during a pregnancy. I have not used it for the current flare ups. Winter is always difficult so I make sure I moisturize but sometimes the moisturizes cause break outs. I will be calling her today and I'll let you know what she says. I also used to go to the chiropractor when I was younger. My mom took pictures of my arms (all red and nasty) before going and within a few weeks I had beautiful skin. I know it sounds weird but for a fairly inexpensive fix that will also make headaches go away, it's worth a try. It's something about how all the body systems work together and when one is out of whack it makes others malfunction. I also have to make a chiropractor appt today but haven't decided who to see.

Good luck and keep me posted on anything you find works.