Part One 〰️ Our Eczema Journey

I’m Kloe, proud Mum to the most handsome little boy, George. George has pretty much suffered with severe eczema since he was born. I started Babieskin & Kind in September 2022, following the hardest period of my life. A period of my life that I will never come to terms with.

When George was eight weeks old, I noticed two very, very mild dry patches on his skin. It looked nothing like ‘typical’ eczema. I applied a pure 100% coconut product for a couple of weeks, but nothing changed. After casually speaking with a pharmacist, I used a cream specifically created for babies with eczema. I can remember this day so clearly as if it were yesterday. I often battle with myself over and over again, wondering how different our story may have been if I hadn’t followed that advice that day.

I naively applied the cream that night. The following morning, was just like any other morning. I breastfed George in his bedroom, in the dark (it was winter too) and then I brought him downstairs, still in his night suit and ran his bath. As I took off his nightwear, I noticed a rash. My heart began racing. The more I looked, the more I could see until I discovered he was totally smothered. The only rash-free area was his face and nappy area. 

I immediately took a video and sent it to my Mum for an urgent opinion. I called the doctors to make an urgent same day appointment. My first thought was some sort of infection. I checked his temperature and everything seemed okay, which was reassuring.

I continued to bath him, as my second thought turned to the cream ~ maybe he was having an allergic reaction? I thought if I washed him, it would remove any cream left on his skin.

I saw the GP and with one glance, George was diagnosed with eczema. Back then I felt relieved - “ah good, only eczema”, I thought to myself. Little did I know what was around the corner. I never knew how my little boy’s severe eczema was about to impact our lives from that day forward. I didn’t know how complex the treatment is, never mind considering the other issues such as Topical Steroid Addiction (TSA). 

George was prescribed a cream, and told to apply twice a day for two weeks. Now when I look back, I can’t believe how innocent and trusting I was. I genuinely thought it would work. I trusted everything the professionals advised me. Without question, I applied the cream once that night, and by the following morning, things went from back to worse. By 9am, I was so worried that I rushed George to a&e. It was a Saturday. Luckily we were seen quite quickly and the doctor spent a long time with us. Since I started Babieskin & Kind, I have sadly become very familiar with seeing skin just like Georges. Yet all the doctors I saw, were all as shocked. They hadn’t seen eczema this bad before. We were all confused. Was this eczema? Was this an allergic reaction? Is there something else going on? 

We were referred to the children’s ward and reviewed by a third doctor. Collectively they decided that it would be best to leave the skin open to dry (but covered in cotton clothing only) as it was weeping severely, and bandages could cause more irritation. We were given no creams, no steroids and went away with a second eczema diagnosis, this time with an added allergic reaction to the original cream I had applied. 

Over the following two weeks I didn’t bath George, with the aim of drying the skin. Things started to look better so I bathed my little boy. By the following morning his skin was weeping severely again. I had to peel off his clothing that were pretty much glued to him. His skin would come off with the clothing. This still breaks me today. The flashbacks are real. I can tell as I am writing this, that my heart rate is changing, I’m taking deeper breaths and my brain is in distress. I’m not sure I will ever get over seeing my newborn boy in this state. I was so helpless.

I went back to the hospital and we stayed over night. We were, for the third time diagnosed with eczema, and prescribed steroids and Hydromol. I knew it was eczema, and accepted the fact it was, but I was desperate for help. I couldn’t leave my son in this state and it led me to desperately keep returning to hospital. Surely there was something else going on? Surely someone else could help us? We were referred to a community nurse who specialises in eczema.

The steroids seemed to help but as soon as we would stop after the two weeks, the eczema was back just as bad as the last time. I discussed this with the GP and eczema specialist, and was told to use the steroids for longer and the two week rule was only recommended for more mild cases - so it was safe to use for longer. I have since learnt that this is a highly debated topic, and any steroid use can leave people in a far worse position when factoring in Topical Steroid Withdrawal (TSW). We were referred to a dermatologist and given the same instructions. I attempted to raise concerns over the continuous use of steroids, and was shut down time after time.

Part Two Coming Soon.

Note: Please consult with a medical professional if you are concerned about your child’s health in any way. This article is just sharing my experiences and is not intended to treat or diagnose your child. Always consult with your doctor before starting any treatments.

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