Eczema in baby 15 weeks - now trying Elecare

[charvins]

Has anybody switched their baby from breastmilk to Elecare and had bubs eczema clear up? How long did this take?

My doctor prescribed elecare after I tried an elimination diet to no success and bub had a reaction to Nan HA.

I am pretty upset about ceasing b/feeding and am still pumping to maintain supply incase the Elecare is no good.

Thanks for your replies (this is my first post!)

[RourkesMumma]

Our DS was having anaphylactic reactions to my breastmilk and elimination diet didn't help :( little did I know that his severe eczema was also a symptom!! I stopped BF and it got worse! I tried all the HA formulas as well as 2 prescription ones- elicare and something else, something 'junior' in a pink tin?? Over a couple of months. It got worse and worse so I swapped it all for cows milk when he was 9mo and hey presto! Skin cleared in under a fortnight.

Our DS is allergic to wheat, rye, barley and eggs and I was assured by our specialist and the manufacturer that they were safe but obviously there's something in them that isn't very low-allergenic.

I figured that cows milk was better than being sick and itchy and in hospital, just for the sake of 'they need formula or breast milk'. I had to work hard to give him enough iron in his diet but am very happy to have made the swap.

[RourkesMumma]

Has anybody switched their baby from breastmilk to Elecare and had bubs eczema clear up? How long did this take?

My doctor prescribed elecare after I tried an elimination diet to no success and bub had a reaction to Nan HA.

I am pretty upset about ceasing b/feeding and am still pumping to maintain supply incase the Elecare is no good.

Thanks for your replies (this is my first post!)

15 wks is too early for allergy testing, but eggs was our main eczema causer! Apparently it's pretty high on the list of triggers! Also it can take 14 days to clear from your system (and not be in your breastmilk anymore) so it can take ages to see an improvement from an elimination diet on your part.

Keep on pumping too, wish I could have picked it up again when we discovered allergens! But id left it too long and after a week of trying again and lots of stress I gave in to defeat :(

[charvins]

Thanks for that reply. Wow it can be so confusing can't it. This is my 3rd baby but 1st with eczema/allergies.

We did have skinprick testing for eggs, dairy and something else (can't even remember) but the doc also said it prob to early to get reliable results.

Bub came out in hives after Nan HA so doctor said he prob is allergic to Cows Milk Protein and maybe other things.

Just wondering - how long did you persist with the Elecare before you realised it was getting worse and was your doctor surprised about the reaction?? Mine told me it was almost impossible to make eczema worse but now I am a bit worried.

I already don't like giving it to him - especially as the box says "synthetic medical food".

[bellarina1]

DD had allergies and only came up in her allergy test at six months old.
She broke in eczema at four months old. She was on nan ha. She has been on Neocate since 7months old...
Now she is 19 months and growing out of her allergies (dairy, egg and almonds)...


Sent from my iPhone using Bub Hub

[charvins]

Hi Bellarina1
Did the Neocate seem to help with the eczema or was it always still there?

[cub]

My DS had severe eczema from about 3wks old. Weeping, needed anti-biotics, steroids, just awful.
I was b/feeding until 6mths old (it took that long to see a decent paed who could actually help). He had allergy testing (blood RAST test) done at 6mths old and it came back that DS was highly allergic to cows milk, soy milk, egg and nuts.
He was switched to pepti jnr (I don't know what elecare is, I presume its a similar prescription formula) and we noticed a difference in days. After 2 weeks, the eczema was completely gone!
He grew out of the cows milk and soy milk allergy by 2yrs old and is fine with it now.
You will know pretty quickly if its going to work. I too was sad to stop b/feeding (and I am so lucky I got to b/feed DD for a lot longer) but it was the BEST thing I could have done, he was just a completely different baby without the stomach aches, eczema etc.

[RourkesMumma]

Thanks for that reply. Wow it can be so confusing can't it. This is my 3rd baby but 1st with eczema/allergies.

We did have skinprick testing for eggs, dairy and something else (can't even remember) but the doc also said it prob to early to get reliable results.

Bub came out in hives after Nan HA so doctor said he prob is allergic to Cows Milk Protein and maybe other things.

Just wondering - how long did you persist with the Elecare before you realised it was getting worse and was your doctor surprised about the reaction?? Mine told me it was almost impossible to make eczema worse but now I am a bit worried.

I already don't like giving it to him - especially as the box says "synthetic medical food".

Our specialist said to me "if he's allergic to these then there's nothing he isn't allergic to *scoffing at me*". I have never really agreed with any of his 'opinions' tho so I brushed this comment off!

I stuck with the elicare for about 4 weeks and then I tried the other prescription one for another 3 or so weeks with no improvement.

I spent lots of time stressing about it and everyone was giving me their opinions but one day it occured to me- I make all his food by hand, without additives and completely from scratch, why am I feeding him this 'stuff' that no one can tell me what is actually in it and has about 50+ ingredients on it that sound as though they're from a chemistry lesson!!!???!? It's the only variable in his life (as I'd already spent months eliminating foods from his solids diet, got rid of our dog, stopped all chemicals and cleaners and fragrances and EVERYTHING else with no improvement..). It just seemed like junkfood when I thought about it and decided id take the plunge and give him, although not a recommended option, a 'natural' substitute; cows milk! We saw an improvement in his complexion and sleeping habits within 2 days, then his skin started to repair within a week and just continued to improve.

I've commented on a few threads about eczema but u need to help bubs skin from the outside too (if u haven't been already, I can't remember if u have tried other things) and Moisturise several times a day! Use a natural product like vegesorb (not petrochemical or paraffin). I was told our skin is like brickwork- people with eczema don't have enough mortar to stop nasties getting in. We need to help it by keeping it hydrated- aside from DSs diet this has been the best treatment!

Sorry to rant. Just want to help ppl in the same situation :)

Ps. I was told skin pricks before 8mo can give untrue results as the skin is so sensitive. And also, u can get 'negatives' before a positive as the body hasn't yet built up enough antibodies to show up on the test. For example DS ate eggs three times (scrambled and in cooking) before needing hospitalization from a bite f a boiled egg! Each test showed up more allergies and we are finally on top of them *touch wood*.

[RourkesMumma]

Oh, and I never told specialist about stopping the formula (naughty me!). But I'm sure he would insist that he knows best and that being allergic to a prescription formula is preposterous! Or something similar :) haha.

I listened and followed his recommendations for 6 months with NO results. Took matters in to my own hands once we got all the test results!

[RourkesMumma]

My DS had severe eczema from about 3wks old. Weeping, needed anti-biotics, steroids, just awful.
I was b/feeding until 6mths old (it took that long to see a decent paed who could actually help). He had allergy testing (blood RAST test) done at 6mths old and it came back that DS was highly allergic to cows milk, soy milk, egg and nuts.
He was switched to pepti jnr (I don't know what elecare is, I presume its a similar prescription formula) and we noticed a difference in days. After 2 weeks, the eczema was completely gone!
He grew out of the cows milk and soy milk allergy by 2yrs old and is fine with it now.
You will know pretty quickly if its going to work. I too was sad to stop b/feeding (and I am so lucky I got to b/feed DD for a lot longer) but it was the BEST thing I could have done, he was just a completely different baby without the stomach aches, eczema etc.

Pepti junior!! That was the other one we tried...