I have been preoccupied by my baby's bottom.
Obviously because it is round and perfect and delightful, but it also has eczema and I have run out of ideas how to treat it. Friends, agony aunts, health visitors, dermatologists - over to you.
I am pretty sure it is eczema and not common or garden nappy rash because my usual tricks (airtime and Sudocrem) haven't worked. The rash is not spotty, either, but uniform patches of dry, red skin. I have tried pretty much every cream now: petroleum jelly, E45, something that looks and smells like Metanium Ointment but it's a South African brand and the instructions are in Afrikaans. (It might even be oil paint - who knows?) I have stopped using all Johnson's products as they make her go dry and flaky all over. I put olive oil in the bath: when she comes out I want to put her in the oven with onions and some garlic.
The only thing that seems to 'cure' it - it's only temporary - is sticking her in disposable nappies. I hate doing this. Disposable nappies are twice the price as they are back home, hideous for the environment wherever you are in the world but even more so in a country where rubbish is collected and then dumped somewhere convenient where little kids pick through it for anything they can use. Or eat. (She still uses a disposable at night, though - something's got to give.) I have looked all over Kampala in vain for non-bio detergent, in the belief that it's what I wash them in that's the problem. Then my friend told me yesterday that the bio/non-bio distinction is a bit of a con anyway.
Very reluctantly I have started using steroid cream to try and crack this thing. But in the long term I know it's a bad idea - thins the skin, discolouration, etc. I don't want to give up the nappies - they cost £270 and were barely used with E and G, and I want value for money.
Any suggestions? No remedy too wacky for consideration. To all the homeopaths, hippies and herbalists I've offended in the past, I apologise.
I'm all ears.
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13 comments:
Hi Gandalady,
Did you already try to give her a bath in rooibos-tea (that south african tea, I'm sure you can get it in Garden City Supermarket)? Or at least to put some very strong rooibos-tea (not hot!!) on her bottom (couple of times a day). It works perfectly for eczema on other parts of the body.
Good luck!
Petra J (former Medair worker, Rob will know me)
I was taught by a Cuban peadiatrician to make an infusion of guava leaves by boiling about half a dozen in water until it goes dark red, and then bathing the affected area a couple of times a day, in a similar way to Petra's suggestion for rooibus. It worked brilliantly on Sebastian who had some facial eczema as a baby. In the UK they gave me steroids which worked for a while only. After the guava leaves it never came back. Also useful for all other types of skin irritation.
BTW, both of mine used cloth nappies, and a disposable at night. Apart from a little nappy rash from time to time I have found them brilliant. My motives were the same as yours: environmental, financial and also the fact that we have to deal with all our own rubbish. Keep it up!
PLease please give these guys an email, they'll send you a free sample of this marvellous stuff:
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my boys both had eczema. I lathered them in unguentum 3 times a day and that did the trick. I used steroid only when it flared badly and the skin broke. My midwife suggested reducing the dairy in my diet when I was breastfeeding, but I didn't and have no idea if that would make a shred of difference. Obviously there were in disposables! Good luck x
My first thought is "How are you laundering the cloth"? If it's in a machine, try washing them on a really hot setting...60 or even 90 degrees. I knew of babies here in CH who had a similar problem until the cloth was washed in a hotter cycle. Some little ones just seem more sensitive to the difference. It might be a small enough thing to at least give it a try! That is if you aren't doing it already!
Thanks everyone! I will try the Guava leaves first as there is a tree about 100m from my place. I shall let you know how we get on.
Guava leaves rather difficult to locate in bradford. Bugger!
Oh Lizzie- I feel the itchy pain! Grace has suffered with patches of excema on her ankles, wrists, tummy, back. We have tried vaseline, E45, 0.5 and 1% steroids, cream that was like goose fat, something gloopy called Doublebase, sudacrem... Nothing seems to clear it up permanently- though her patches do seem to come and go. It also seems to flare up when teeth are coming.
All I can say is keep her nails short, and moisturise moisturise moisturise!!! And don't be afraid to try new creams / teas / leaves or whatever. What works for one definitely doesn't work for all.
Hope you are all well- lots of love Mrs B and co. xx (PS I am apparently emailing from Mr B's account. How strange.)
Hi! I found your blog from Ms Mac... Just wanted to suggest having your baby spend as much time as possible naked... and using Lavendar Essential Oil on her tush. Lavendar is about the only essential oil that is fine to put directly on the skin undiluted. It's almost magical stuff. I hope it works for you!
Tiffany
My dear friend from Africa uses Shea Butter for every skin rash under the sun. If you need help getting some she can help you locate some there in Africa as she buys hers directly from a women's collective.
The olive oil in her bath water is a good idea. At age 18(yrs) my sister had a very bad time with exzema. One of her treatments was to bath daily in a warm bath with alphakeri ( a pharmacuitical preparation) oil in it.
The rooibos and guava also sound good. Rooibos ointments and cremes may help.
Sis, fully grown up cannot use cortico steriods creams at all - developed allergy after arms and legs being smothered in it during childhood/teens. She has had recent joy with zinc based treatments. Exoerienced nursing staff insisted on zinc base cremes/ointments for my external skin and rear end following bowel surgery. Exposing the bum to the sun not so easy at 33
Sending huggles and hope
Hiya - the bio vs non-bio thing isn't a con as far as I'm concerned: I get terrible rashes when wearing clothes washed in bio, but no problems with non-bio.
As for eczma, I empathise: I get it on my feet. As somebody else here said, keep baby's bot uncovered as much as possible - fresh air is the best aid.
Jean-Yves (Marie & Rebecca's bro)
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