Wednesday, 15 April 2009
Sunday, 12 April 2009
hmmm fishy...
Well, the steroid trial continues, still one application a day (evening) until Monday. Then we'll chop it back to every other day for another week. Jasmine's skin seems to be doing ok at the moment. It's almost as if two applications a day were overloading her skin. The eczema is still visable, and areas of her skin seem rougher than others, but generally it doesn't seem as angry as in the last post.
One possible coincidence is that lack of fish in her diet in the last five or so days. We plan to trial a fish free couple of weeks just to see.
The little monkey is on the brink of toddling. She is standing unsupported more and more, and just hasn't work out what to do next before plonking down on her bottom. It's going to get interesting when she'll start running after Hazel :D
One possible coincidence is that lack of fish in her diet in the last five or so days. We plan to trial a fish free couple of weeks just to see.
The little monkey is on the brink of toddling. She is standing unsupported more and more, and just hasn't work out what to do next before plonking down on her bottom. It's going to get interesting when she'll start running after Hazel :D
Tuesday, 7 April 2009
A week in...
As the title suggests, we're one week into Jasmine's steroid use. The 1st three days went well, her itching gradually subsided to the extent that we thought any residual itching was almost more habitual. From the fourth day however it was apparent that our little monkey was indeed still itchy. The eczema was visable beneath her skin. Not in the usual rough skin, but a brooding, red layer, waiting to burst through.
Jasmine has a patch under her right eye, her cheeks are waiting to erupt and where the skin was smooth for the 1st three days is becoming rougher now we've reached the week mark. Her scalp is very itchy and tonight I noticed that where she had frantically scratched to the point of weeping an area on her scalp has formed a kind of cradle cap. :(
We are only using the steroid ointment once a day now. I think my biggest concern is that the Doctors will just recommend a stronger steroid - enter vicious cycle....
Well, we'll wean her off this batch of steroids gradually, and hopefully there will be no ill effects. Otherwise her routine is much the same. We tried the Cetraben emolient, though were not convinced. It seemed to make her itchier, though it was only a brief trial. Either way, we're back on Aveeno, with the usual homeopathic and flower remedy suppliments. She's bathed every other day, alternating between using Aveeno bath lotion and Himalayan rock salt.
Jasmine has a patch under her right eye, her cheeks are waiting to erupt and where the skin was smooth for the 1st three days is becoming rougher now we've reached the week mark. Her scalp is very itchy and tonight I noticed that where she had frantically scratched to the point of weeping an area on her scalp has formed a kind of cradle cap. :(
We are only using the steroid ointment once a day now. I think my biggest concern is that the Doctors will just recommend a stronger steroid - enter vicious cycle....
Well, we'll wean her off this batch of steroids gradually, and hopefully there will be no ill effects. Otherwise her routine is much the same. We tried the Cetraben emolient, though were not convinced. It seemed to make her itchier, though it was only a brief trial. Either way, we're back on Aveeno, with the usual homeopathic and flower remedy suppliments. She's bathed every other day, alternating between using Aveeno bath lotion and Himalayan rock salt.
Tuesday, 31 March 2009
astounded...
We went to bed at 10pm last night, some 3 hours after Jasmine. The little monkey woke up at 11.30pm, but I was convinced it was much much later than that. I gave her a quick squeeze and plonked back into her cot with her muslins and teddy and ambled back to bed myself, fully expecting to be up again in an hours time at most.
The alarm went at 6.30am
We had either crashed out and ignored any cries that Jasmine had made, or she had gone through without any more stirs.
SHE SLEPT THROUGH!
Steph popped in to be greeted by a wide eyed, cheery little baby. It's so refreshing! Steph changed her nappy while Jasmine amused herself with a book. ...A BOOK! ...not tearing at her skin!
What a difference for only one application of the ointment.
I'm still concerned about using steroids, but I'm incredibly thankful for a night off.
The alarm went at 6.30am
We had either crashed out and ignored any cries that Jasmine had made, or she had gone through without any more stirs.
SHE SLEPT THROUGH!
Steph popped in to be greeted by a wide eyed, cheery little baby. It's so refreshing! Steph changed her nappy while Jasmine amused herself with a book. ...A BOOK! ...not tearing at her skin!
What a difference for only one application of the ointment.
I'm still concerned about using steroids, but I'm incredibly thankful for a night off.
Monday, 30 March 2009
some tests at last...
Well, it's been a little while since the last post and today has included enough new stuff to warrant an update. Over the last week or so Jasmine's skin has been bothering her greatly. It always coincides with her teething, but none the less, when she's not distracted (ie trying to sleep) she's miserably itchy.
Despite this she puts on a brave face and had a great time at Hatton Country Park over the weekend.
She Particularly loved the tractors, though the birds of prey brought lots of pointing and exclamations of "Sa!" and "Eo!" All before she eventually passed out and gave Mummy and Daddy a couple of minutes respite! :D
Her general development is going well. She isn't yet walking alone, but is growing ever more confident in her cruising abilities. Things within reaching distance are fair game as far as Jasmine is concerned, normally associated with a good deal of babbling and pie-eyed expressions of innocence! ;)
Today's excursion involved a trip to a new paediatrician. After summing up Jasmine's history to date and tackling the usual unvaccinated status we started to assess where to head with Jasmine's treatment.
Despite our dedication to being as natural as possible it is clear that currently Jasmine is just too uncomfortable to sustain this wishful thinking. In light of this we have reluctantly decided it is best to return to steroids, at least for a short while. The paediatrian recommended a 1% hydrocortisone ointment (a little more greasy than a cream), combined with a new emolient: Cetraben. We've not done a whole lot of research into Cetraben, though at the moment I think we're all approaching our wits end and will try practically anything, if only to get a couple of nights unadulterated sleep!
We also went through the traumatic experience of have some blood tests done for Jasmine. The nurses were astounded at how strong she was, causing them to fail taking the bloods from one arm and needing to call in support to pin her down. It took four adults in the end to stop her spontaniously combusting!! Not pleasant. Still, the tests should hopefully confirm her calcium levels are ok (in light of her rice milk diet), bone component levels (indicating potential vitamin D issues), and test for coeliac disease.
We've also been given a couple of dinky little tubes to spoon in a couple of stool samples. Yummy! We have just one hour to get the samples to the lab before they spoil ...who would have thought that poo could spoil! The stools will be tested for malabsorption and faecal elastase. Hopefully this will confirm our suspicions of issues with her gut.
So tonight was the 1st night of the new regime. We don't get the new emolient until tomorrow, but used Aveeno instead. She seemed to accept the new steroid at least, though she could equally be relaxed as she had a nice bath beforehand.
Hopefully all will go according to plan, hopefully we'll get a few uninterupted hours of sleep!!
Despite this she puts on a brave face and had a great time at Hatton Country Park over the weekend.
She Particularly loved the tractors, though the birds of prey brought lots of pointing and exclamations of "Sa!" and "Eo!" All before she eventually passed out and gave Mummy and Daddy a couple of minutes respite! :D
Her general development is going well. She isn't yet walking alone, but is growing ever more confident in her cruising abilities. Things within reaching distance are fair game as far as Jasmine is concerned, normally associated with a good deal of babbling and pie-eyed expressions of innocence! ;)
Today's excursion involved a trip to a new paediatrician. After summing up Jasmine's history to date and tackling the usual unvaccinated status we started to assess where to head with Jasmine's treatment.
Despite our dedication to being as natural as possible it is clear that currently Jasmine is just too uncomfortable to sustain this wishful thinking. In light of this we have reluctantly decided it is best to return to steroids, at least for a short while. The paediatrian recommended a 1% hydrocortisone ointment (a little more greasy than a cream), combined with a new emolient: Cetraben. We've not done a whole lot of research into Cetraben, though at the moment I think we're all approaching our wits end and will try practically anything, if only to get a couple of nights unadulterated sleep!
We also went through the traumatic experience of have some blood tests done for Jasmine. The nurses were astounded at how strong she was, causing them to fail taking the bloods from one arm and needing to call in support to pin her down. It took four adults in the end to stop her spontaniously combusting!! Not pleasant. Still, the tests should hopefully confirm her calcium levels are ok (in light of her rice milk diet), bone component levels (indicating potential vitamin D issues), and test for coeliac disease.
We've also been given a couple of dinky little tubes to spoon in a couple of stool samples. Yummy! We have just one hour to get the samples to the lab before they spoil ...who would have thought that poo could spoil! The stools will be tested for malabsorption and faecal elastase. Hopefully this will confirm our suspicions of issues with her gut.
So tonight was the 1st night of the new regime. We don't get the new emolient until tomorrow, but used Aveeno instead. She seemed to accept the new steroid at least, though she could equally be relaxed as she had a nice bath beforehand.
Hopefully all will go according to plan, hopefully we'll get a few uninterupted hours of sleep!!
Monday, 23 March 2009
Happy Baby =]
We spent the weekend with Jasmine's Grandma. The weather was great so we naturally had to exploit it and get Jasmine off to the park :D
She loves the swings and slides, though she's not too sure of the roundabout.
Who'd have thought a empty packet of organic raisins could be so amusing :D
I couldn't resist showing Jasmine Sporting her 'bed-hair' look at some ridiculously early hour on Sunday morning :D
Jasmine loves her new trike. Though truth be told I think Daddy is rather fond of it too!
She loves the swings and slides, though she's not too sure of the roundabout.
Who'd have thought a empty packet of organic raisins could be so amusing :D
I couldn't resist showing Jasmine Sporting her 'bed-hair' look at some ridiculously early hour on Sunday morning :D
Jasmine loves her new trike. Though truth be told I think Daddy is rather fond of it too!
Thursday, 19 March 2009
guinnea pig
Jasmine has, at least in principle, been accepted on a trial. The trial is to assess whether the use of softened water would have any impact on her eczema.
Softened Water Eczema Trial
It's early days yet and we have yet to have Jasmine checked to see if her eczema is 'moderate to severe'. We also need to have an engineer out to see if they can even fit the softener. Either way, it's an avenue to follow. I must admit though, I am a little concerned as to the risks of the salinated water effect. More research required methinks.
On another note, we've received the latest batch of supplements from the kinesiologist, all aimed at tackling the candida and leaky gut and strengthening Jasmine's tummy.
We'll still be taking the flower remedy - Daffodil formula FF14 (one pill, morning and night). We'll also keep the New Vistas Microflora homeopathic drops (x4 drops morning and night) and the BioCare Acidophilus Plus (1/4 teaspoon with her evening milk). The new additions are New Vistas Baby Thrush homeopathic drops (x4 drops morning and night) and New Vistas Digestive Enzyme Liquescence homeopathic formula (1/4 teaspoon before her evening milk).
We'll see how all this pans out! Fingers crossed :D
Softened Water Eczema Trial
It's early days yet and we have yet to have Jasmine checked to see if her eczema is 'moderate to severe'. We also need to have an engineer out to see if they can even fit the softener. Either way, it's an avenue to follow. I must admit though, I am a little concerned as to the risks of the salinated water effect. More research required methinks.
On another note, we've received the latest batch of supplements from the kinesiologist, all aimed at tackling the candida and leaky gut and strengthening Jasmine's tummy.
We'll still be taking the flower remedy - Daffodil formula FF14 (one pill, morning and night). We'll also keep the New Vistas Microflora homeopathic drops (x4 drops morning and night) and the BioCare Acidophilus Plus (1/4 teaspoon with her evening milk). The new additions are New Vistas Baby Thrush homeopathic drops (x4 drops morning and night) and New Vistas Digestive Enzyme Liquescence homeopathic formula (1/4 teaspoon before her evening milk).
We'll see how all this pans out! Fingers crossed :D
Hope
Last weekend we decided to treat Jasmine with a trip into Stratford to see a butterfly farm. The environment was possibly not the best for her skin! Really, really muggy! But that asside, she had a great time, pointing at everything, fascinated as the butterfly's landed on her and flitted away again. She loved the little quail aswell that were running around on the floor. She'll probably get more out of trips like these as she gets older, but it was great to see her engaged.
We invested in a new pair of shoes. The others were her only pair and they were getting a little smelly from constant use. Jasmine puts her shoes to good use and her 'walking' is coming along nicely, still not solo, but she's a deft hand with the stroller.
All in all things seem to be improving. Her skin does seem to be gradually getting better. She is still rough across the shoulders and in various places around her trunk. Her itchiness peeks when she is tired/frustrated. Baths are less of a headache, though the changing routine in the morning and before bed is still a traumatic experience.
As soon as she is dressed/ready for bed though, she perks up and it's as if nothing had happened! She still is up a number of times in the night. Last night was for a feed though, so it could be that the rice milk needs a little bulking out. We have plans to see Grandma over the weekend and we've just bought her a trike! (with a parent control thingy). Looking forward to getting her on that and down to the lakes. Let's hope the weather holds!!!
We invested in a new pair of shoes. The others were her only pair and they were getting a little smelly from constant use. Jasmine puts her shoes to good use and her 'walking' is coming along nicely, still not solo, but she's a deft hand with the stroller.
All in all things seem to be improving. Her skin does seem to be gradually getting better. She is still rough across the shoulders and in various places around her trunk. Her itchiness peeks when she is tired/frustrated. Baths are less of a headache, though the changing routine in the morning and before bed is still a traumatic experience.
As soon as she is dressed/ready for bed though, she perks up and it's as if nothing had happened! She still is up a number of times in the night. Last night was for a feed though, so it could be that the rice milk needs a little bulking out. We have plans to see Grandma over the weekend and we've just bought her a trike! (with a parent control thingy). Looking forward to getting her on that and down to the lakes. Let's hope the weather holds!!!
Sunday, 15 March 2009
More Flare
Jasmine is flaring again :(
We suspect it's massively linked to teething but I figured I would document her circumstances for this particular flare in case we can ever find any common ground.
So...
Teething heavily. (2-4 coming through)
No dairy/egg/soy.
Rice Milk.
Home cooked meals. (Salmon & Veg, Beans & Mash)
Suspicious of too many carbohydrates.
Suspicious of tomatos.
Suspicious of Hazel. (dog)
Very thirsty to start with.
Feeling very very hot. (Fever)
Body creaming in Aloe Vera.
Face washed with salt water (Himalayan) and creamed with Calendula.
Just starting to recover from tummy bug.
We suspect it's massively linked to teething but I figured I would document her circumstances for this particular flare in case we can ever find any common ground.
So...
Teething heavily. (2-4 coming through)
No dairy/egg/soy.
Rice Milk.
Home cooked meals. (Salmon & Veg, Beans & Mash)
Suspicious of too many carbohydrates.
Suspicious of tomatos.
Suspicious of Hazel. (dog)
Very thirsty to start with.
Feeling very very hot. (Fever)
Body creaming in Aloe Vera.
Face washed with salt water (Himalayan) and creamed with Calendula.
Just starting to recover from tummy bug.
Saturday, 14 March 2009
The tour
Well it's only been a few days since the last real post but it feels soooooo much longer, the last post really sums it up.
We had another meeting with the dietician where we let them know that we had stopped all dairy (including the hydrolysed formula). Our mission with the dietician was to address whether this would provide the sufficient nutrients for Jasmine (alongside her already varied and healthy diet). We were asking because Jasmine seems to fit into clothes where the labels suggest they're suited more for a 6-9 month old. I know Dairy is the major contributer to the nations 'tubby' babies and clearly being dairy free will have an impact on her weight, but we felt we have to check.
Is essence, Jasmine's varied diet doesn't ring any alarm bells for the dietician, and despite not having any dairy derivatives she is not concerned.
We wanted to pursue some tests aswell as so far much of our approach to tackle Jasmine's eczema through diet seems involve alot of 'guesswork.' The tests we had in mind were for Leaky Gut, any mal-absorption issues and possibly for Candida.
Apparently this is beyond the scope of the dietician though... >.<
Immediately following our wonderfully productive meeting with the dietician we had another appointement with our local GP. We had a number of issues we wanted to bring to his attention; Jasmine's weight, her walking style, a rattly chest she's had for a little while now, and following the dietician's ineptitude, advice on tests. The Doctor is the joint owner of the practice and his attitude to us has usually been acceptable. This time he was merely arrogant.
We weighed Jasmine on the Doctor's scales (normal adult ones) and gained a not-overly-accurate 8kg reading, placing Jasmine on the 2nd centile. ....ie tiny. The Doctor didn't think it unusual. <frustration> Jasmine had gone all afternoon so far without a nap, it was almost her dinner time, she's teething like a crazy thing, she's still sickly and it was very hot in the Doctor's office. Asking to see Jasmine's chest to assess any rattle seems harmless enough, but exposing Jasmine's skin = itchy. exposing her skin with the prevailing list of angry baby points = fervently itcy!!!
Jasmine was soon raking her sides, chest and back with her nails whilst the Doctor tried to listen with his stethoscope. Naturally Jasmine was screaming in annoyance aswell. With Jasmine getting more and more worked up the Doctor at least says that her chest is clear and there is nothing to worry about there.
He then has the audacity to throw in his opinion regarding Jasmine's vaccine status, as if that has anything to do with our visit or Jasmine's condition <frustration>. Following a brief discourse where it is quite clear we are at opposite ends of the spectrum regarding vaccines we agree to disagree.
Jasmine is too upset by this time to even attempt to walk so showing how she tends to point out her left foot as she steps is impossible. The Doctor briefly examines Jasmine's ankles, knees and hips and just presumes this will correct itself if it was even anyhing to have worried about in the 1st place <frustration>.
We enqured about a referral to the Homeopathic Hospital in London. He denied our request. We asked why as it was NHS. He responded 'Is it?' <frustration> His Ignorance was shining through, we pressed for a referral and left is at "I'll get my staff to research the option." <frustration> He was prepared to refer us on to another pediatricitian (or anyone else - read 'official').
We then mentioned that we would like to pursue some tests and get a blank faced response. We pressed on high-lighting leakygut and mal-absorption. He stated that that could be something that the Homeopathic Hospital could organise... <frustration>
The Doctor brought up vaccines twice more before we left <frustration> I wish he would just respect our decision, whatever his own opinions.
Yay for the UK's medical system... Indoctrination and propaganda! ...it's a wonderful thing.
We had another meeting with the dietician where we let them know that we had stopped all dairy (including the hydrolysed formula). Our mission with the dietician was to address whether this would provide the sufficient nutrients for Jasmine (alongside her already varied and healthy diet). We were asking because Jasmine seems to fit into clothes where the labels suggest they're suited more for a 6-9 month old. I know Dairy is the major contributer to the nations 'tubby' babies and clearly being dairy free will have an impact on her weight, but we felt we have to check.
Is essence, Jasmine's varied diet doesn't ring any alarm bells for the dietician, and despite not having any dairy derivatives she is not concerned.
We wanted to pursue some tests aswell as so far much of our approach to tackle Jasmine's eczema through diet seems involve alot of 'guesswork.' The tests we had in mind were for Leaky Gut, any mal-absorption issues and possibly for Candida.
Apparently this is beyond the scope of the dietician though... >.<
Immediately following our wonderfully productive meeting with the dietician we had another appointement with our local GP. We had a number of issues we wanted to bring to his attention; Jasmine's weight, her walking style, a rattly chest she's had for a little while now, and following the dietician's ineptitude, advice on tests. The Doctor is the joint owner of the practice and his attitude to us has usually been acceptable. This time he was merely arrogant.
We weighed Jasmine on the Doctor's scales (normal adult ones) and gained a not-overly-accurate 8kg reading, placing Jasmine on the 2nd centile. ....ie tiny. The Doctor didn't think it unusual. <frustration> Jasmine had gone all afternoon so far without a nap, it was almost her dinner time, she's teething like a crazy thing, she's still sickly and it was very hot in the Doctor's office. Asking to see Jasmine's chest to assess any rattle seems harmless enough, but exposing Jasmine's skin = itchy. exposing her skin with the prevailing list of angry baby points = fervently itcy!!!
Jasmine was soon raking her sides, chest and back with her nails whilst the Doctor tried to listen with his stethoscope. Naturally Jasmine was screaming in annoyance aswell. With Jasmine getting more and more worked up the Doctor at least says that her chest is clear and there is nothing to worry about there.
He then has the audacity to throw in his opinion regarding Jasmine's vaccine status, as if that has anything to do with our visit or Jasmine's condition <frustration>. Following a brief discourse where it is quite clear we are at opposite ends of the spectrum regarding vaccines we agree to disagree.
Jasmine is too upset by this time to even attempt to walk so showing how she tends to point out her left foot as she steps is impossible. The Doctor briefly examines Jasmine's ankles, knees and hips and just presumes this will correct itself if it was even anyhing to have worried about in the 1st place <frustration>.
We enqured about a referral to the Homeopathic Hospital in London. He denied our request. We asked why as it was NHS. He responded 'Is it?' <frustration> His Ignorance was shining through, we pressed for a referral and left is at "I'll get my staff to research the option." <frustration> He was prepared to refer us on to another pediatricitian (or anyone else - read 'official').
We then mentioned that we would like to pursue some tests and get a blank faced response. We pressed on high-lighting leakygut and mal-absorption. He stated that that could be something that the Homeopathic Hospital could organise... <frustration>
The Doctor brought up vaccines twice more before we left <frustration> I wish he would just respect our decision, whatever his own opinions.
Yay for the UK's medical system... Indoctrination and propaganda! ...it's a wonderful thing.
Wednesday, 11 March 2009
Humph
Emotionally shattered, physically exhausted, spiritually desperate.
I'll post the dietician/doc story another time.
Monday, 9 March 2009
Bah
Jasmine is not a happy bunny :( The child minder informs us that she has barely played and barely smiled today. She's still itchy, sleepy, thirsty and generally unsettled I can only hope it's part of Jasmine's dietary adjustment and her body passing through a healing/detox phase.
We've a visit with the dietician tomorrow where we'll hopefully get Jasmine on some suppliments to go with the rice milk and discuss how gaunt she looks at the moment. Following the dietician we've an appointment with another doctor to inform them of Jasmine's egg intolerance, discuss her possible walking issues (our little penguin), to check her blood circulation (little blue feet) and generally update them on Jasmine's condition.
I hope she feels better soon.
We've a visit with the dietician tomorrow where we'll hopefully get Jasmine on some suppliments to go with the rice milk and discuss how gaunt she looks at the moment. Following the dietician we've an appointment with another doctor to inform them of Jasmine's egg intolerance, discuss her possible walking issues (our little penguin), to check her blood circulation (little blue feet) and generally update them on Jasmine's condition.
I hope she feels better soon.
Sunday, 8 March 2009
We're getting there...
Jasmine's skin is definately going through changes! It has been roughly a week since we completely removed Dairy from her diet, sacking off the hydrolysed milk in favour of rice milk.
Following a spell of sickness (I think unrelated) and a sleepy recovery Jasmine's skin entered a super dry phase and was flaking profusely. Her face looked as if it had been sunburnt and was going through the process of shedding a layer or two.
This effect was happening all over her body, and we've noticed that after a day or so of flaking that area became so smooth! literally baby soft! ...something we're almost afraid to believe. When the skin is flaking Jasmine is initially very itcy, once the softness of skin has returned however the itch massively subsides.
The difference is staggering, I can hardly bring myself to think that it is anything more than a blip in case we wake up tomorrow and things have deteriorated again. Tonight was the 1st time in about 9 months that we've managed to have a bath where Jasmine isn't scrating herself to pieces and working herself up into a lather.
She even managed a little smile whilst playing with the boats. She used to love baths, so that's nice to see again!
Her appetite seems to have picked up again, and despite not finishing her dinner or bottle she managed considerably more than the previous two nights. To top everything off she also managed to pop another tooth out, finally! So it's been a tough week on our little monkey, super sicky, super sleepy, super itchy and a brand new tooth!
I wonder if next week will be as exciting :D
Saturday, 7 March 2009
Zzzz
Jasmine is still very sleepy :(
Runny bum tastic with lots of nappy related emergencies! >.< At least she had a little milk before bed. I just hope she has a decent nights sleep, it's probably the best thing for her at the moment.
Runny bum tastic with lots of nappy related emergencies! >.< At least she had a little milk before bed. I just hope she has a decent nights sleep, it's probably the best thing for her at the moment.
Friday, 6 March 2009
:(
awww we have a sickly little bunny today :(
She woke early, joined us in our bed and had a little milk. She threw the milk back up half an hour later and hasn't been quite right since; A three hour nap in the morning, barely 3 spoonfuls of lunch, a runny bum and more general sleepyness.
She's gone to bed early with no protesting and no milk.
I wish we could plug her in to some electrical diagnosis machine that just knew what the problems were.
She woke early, joined us in our bed and had a little milk. She threw the milk back up half an hour later and hasn't been quite right since; A three hour nap in the morning, barely 3 spoonfuls of lunch, a runny bum and more general sleepyness.
She's gone to bed early with no protesting and no milk.
I wish we could plug her in to some electrical diagnosis machine that just knew what the problems were.
Tuesday, 3 March 2009
The regime...
In light of the test results and the apparent reactions to some of the 'positive' products tested, Jasmine's daily regime is as follows:
Bottle feeds: Morning - Rice Milk, Evening - Rice Milk with 1/4 teaspoon of pro-biotic powder.
Breakfast: Weetabix/Ready Brek - made with either rice milk or water.
Main Meals: Steph's home made goodness, organic where possible - generally yummy. Avoiding dairy, eggs and soy of course.
Drinks: Generally we only give Jasmine water, though rice milk could be an option.
Creaming:
Organic Massage Oil (Base oil 250ml- sunflower, almond, wheatgerm, Drops x20 lavender, 10x Chamomile 10 x Sweet Marjoram)
- used for her chest, back, arms and legs.
Jason's Best Organic Calendula Cream
- used for her face.
The child minder has instructions to also use the Calendula cream on Jasmine's body throughout the day as she sees fit.
General:
We keep Jasmine's nails trimmed very short. She hates having them filed! But i would rather that than have her wear mittens as I feel this could restrict her development. When she is strapped in a car seat or pram for example we'll tuck her trousers into her socks to stop her clawing her legs. She is not so fussed when she's 'free' as she's too busy charging about :D
At night we have her in a long sleeve body suit over which she wears a long sleeve pyjama top and all enclosed pyjama bottoms (with feet on). Over her bottoms we've taken to putting on a pair of knickers as Jasmine tries to 'double up' her legs to scratch the back of her knees and calves with her own toenails. ....and its a job to file down her toenails as she is far too ticklish and squirmy :D
Bottle feeds: Morning - Rice Milk, Evening - Rice Milk with 1/4 teaspoon of pro-biotic powder.
Breakfast: Weetabix/Ready Brek - made with either rice milk or water.
Main Meals: Steph's home made goodness, organic where possible - generally yummy. Avoiding dairy, eggs and soy of course.
Drinks: Generally we only give Jasmine water, though rice milk could be an option.
Creaming:
Organic Massage Oil (Base oil 250ml- sunflower, almond, wheatgerm, Drops x20 lavender, 10x Chamomile 10 x Sweet Marjoram)
- used for her chest, back, arms and legs.
Jason's Best Organic Calendula Cream
- used for her face.
The child minder has instructions to also use the Calendula cream on Jasmine's body throughout the day as she sees fit.
General:
We keep Jasmine's nails trimmed very short. She hates having them filed! But i would rather that than have her wear mittens as I feel this could restrict her development. When she is strapped in a car seat or pram for example we'll tuck her trousers into her socks to stop her clawing her legs. She is not so fussed when she's 'free' as she's too busy charging about :D
At night we have her in a long sleeve body suit over which she wears a long sleeve pyjama top and all enclosed pyjama bottoms (with feet on). Over her bottoms we've taken to putting on a pair of knickers as Jasmine tries to 'double up' her legs to scratch the back of her knees and calves with her own toenails. ....and its a job to file down her toenails as she is far too ticklish and squirmy :D
Results...
Below are the results of the Kinesiology tests for the various products we took along.
Positive Vital Force
Cold Pressed Evening Primrose Oil- (+) Vital Force
Silver Shield Gel- (+) Vital Force
Neutral Vital Force
Organic Massage Oil (Base oil 250ml- sunflower, almond, wheatgerm, Drops x20 lavender, 10x Chamomile 10 x Sweet Marjoram) - Neutral Vital Force
Rice Milk Provamel Purple- Neutral Vital Force
Rice Milk- Rice Dream- Neutral Vital Force
Aveeno Bath Oil- Neutral Vital Force
Waitrose Bottom Butter- Neutral Vital Force
Pampers Baby Dry Nappies- Neutral Vital Force (?) - possibly need to re-test
Jason's Best Organic Calendula Cream- Neutral Vital Force
Bonjela Teething gel- Neutral Vital Force
Olbas oil- Neutral Vital Force
Lavender Essential Oil- Neutral Vital Force
Baby Wipes- Johnson's Extra protection- Neutral Vital Force
Negative Vital Force
Jason's Best Aloe Vera Lotion- (-) Vital Force
Aloe Vera Juice H2O Gillian Mkeith- (-) Vital Force
Diprobase Cream- (-) Vital Force
Aveeno Cream- (-) Vital Force
Epaderm emollient- (-) Vital Force
Fruit Pot- Peaches in Grape juice- (-) Vital Force
E45 Cream- (-) Vital Force
Unlocks Muscle- Very Negative Vital Force
Hydrolysed Milk- Nutramigen 2- Unlocks Muscle (very negative)
Uguentum M Cream- Unlocks Muscle (very negative)
Waitrose Coconut Oil (solid) Unlocks Muscle (very negative)
Vicks Vapour Rub- Unlocks Muscle (very negative)
Positive Vital Force
Cold Pressed Evening Primrose Oil- (+) Vital Force
Silver Shield Gel- (+) Vital Force
Neutral Vital Force
Organic Massage Oil (Base oil 250ml- sunflower, almond, wheatgerm, Drops x20 lavender, 10x Chamomile 10 x Sweet Marjoram) - Neutral Vital Force
Rice Milk Provamel Purple- Neutral Vital Force
Rice Milk- Rice Dream- Neutral Vital Force
Aveeno Bath Oil- Neutral Vital Force
Waitrose Bottom Butter- Neutral Vital Force
Pampers Baby Dry Nappies- Neutral Vital Force (?) - possibly need to re-test
Jason's Best Organic Calendula Cream- Neutral Vital Force
Bonjela Teething gel- Neutral Vital Force
Olbas oil- Neutral Vital Force
Lavender Essential Oil- Neutral Vital Force
Baby Wipes- Johnson's Extra protection- Neutral Vital Force
Negative Vital Force
Jason's Best Aloe Vera Lotion- (-) Vital Force
Aloe Vera Juice H2O Gillian Mkeith- (-) Vital Force
Diprobase Cream- (-) Vital Force
Aveeno Cream- (-) Vital Force
Epaderm emollient- (-) Vital Force
Fruit Pot- Peaches in Grape juice- (-) Vital Force
E45 Cream- (-) Vital Force
Unlocks Muscle- Very Negative Vital Force
Hydrolysed Milk- Nutramigen 2- Unlocks Muscle (very negative)
Uguentum M Cream- Unlocks Muscle (very negative)
Waitrose Coconut Oil (solid) Unlocks Muscle (very negative)
Vicks Vapour Rub- Unlocks Muscle (very negative)
Monday, 2 March 2009
Ooops
Our experiences seem to be shooting some holes in the Kinesiology theory. The evening primrose oil seemed to exacerbate Jasmine's itchiness in contrast to expectations, and creams supposedly negative towards her appear to have no outwardly ill-effect. ...then we have egg, a substance that Jasmine apparently had no adverse effect to...
We had gone for the weekly shop and mum and dad, having missed breakfast, sauntered on over to the cafe to satiate our hungry bellies. Seeing as we had sat down to eat, Jasmine naturally expected to eat aswell, and not content with her measly rice cake she beckoned pointedly towards our plates. Having confirmed with the chef that there was no dairy and things had only been cooked in oil we gave Jasmine a few mouthfuls. She munched away happily and we dutifully cleaned our plates and continued on with the shopping. Steph noticed a little flaring on Jasmine's face, but we thought that may have been a reaction to the cream coupled with the heat of the cafe.
Jasmine fussed throughout the shop, scratching away, she was in no way content to sit in the trolley. As the shop drew on the itching got worse and Steph had to take her outside to try and calm her as I was paying up. She fussed all the way home. At 1pm it was a little later than her usual lunch time and she could have been hungry. We tried feeding and she had just a spoonful before it was clear something else was amiss.
Her body was covered in hives. They started out as individual lumps, but were soon merging together to form a large expansive swollen layer. Unlike the earlier episode where Jasmine's face was more affected, this swelling seemed to concentrate more across her body, with only a mild swelling around her face. Thankfully there was no major swelling around her throat and mouth and her breathing remained as normal as you might expect.
We gave her a dose of Apis Mel (30c) and we cooled her off by bathing her in tepid water, followed by coating her in calomine lotion. She was still fussing, though less so, as we put her into a sleep suit and had calmed down massively by the time we had gone back downstairs (at roughly 2pm). She snuggled into my shoulder with barely any scratching and was soon fast asleep. I lay down on the sofa and let her sleep on me as Steph nipped into town to replenish the supplies of creams we knew Jasmine could cope with. I managed to get the travel cot made up downstairs with her still asleep on my shoulder and lay her down wrapped snuggly in a blanket and clutching her muslin.
She was so sleepy and a little emaciated with bloodless lips comparative to having awoken suddenly in the night. She would stir if I sat her up, but would protest and was clearly not herself. She drank well when offered (just water) and thankfully her breathing remained strong and steady.
She was still very sleepy come 5pm and following another dose of Apis Mel we called NHS direct just to get some advice. An on-call doctor called back shortly after and having run through Jasmine's symptons and history confirmed that sleep was probably the best thing for her, so long as the swelling didn't interrupt her breathing and her condition didn't deteriorate. The doctor advised keeping some Piriton syrup in the house should we encounter a similar flare in future.
Jasmine was showing a little more of her usual exuberance by 7pm and we gave her her rice milk and some pear slices before putting her to sleep in the travelcot downstairs. Despite sleeping most of the afternoon, she soon settled and was curled up against the side of the cot, reassuring us with her rhythmic breathing. We transplanted her upstairs a couple of hours later when we went to bed and she only stirred a couple of times in the night, and had to join us in the morning, sleeping on me from 5 till 6.
Other than a little remaining swelling she seems to be pretty much back to normality.
We won't be trying egg again for a little while!
We had gone for the weekly shop and mum and dad, having missed breakfast, sauntered on over to the cafe to satiate our hungry bellies. Seeing as we had sat down to eat, Jasmine naturally expected to eat aswell, and not content with her measly rice cake she beckoned pointedly towards our plates. Having confirmed with the chef that there was no dairy and things had only been cooked in oil we gave Jasmine a few mouthfuls. She munched away happily and we dutifully cleaned our plates and continued on with the shopping. Steph noticed a little flaring on Jasmine's face, but we thought that may have been a reaction to the cream coupled with the heat of the cafe.
Jasmine fussed throughout the shop, scratching away, she was in no way content to sit in the trolley. As the shop drew on the itching got worse and Steph had to take her outside to try and calm her as I was paying up. She fussed all the way home. At 1pm it was a little later than her usual lunch time and she could have been hungry. We tried feeding and she had just a spoonful before it was clear something else was amiss.
Her body was covered in hives. They started out as individual lumps, but were soon merging together to form a large expansive swollen layer. Unlike the earlier episode where Jasmine's face was more affected, this swelling seemed to concentrate more across her body, with only a mild swelling around her face. Thankfully there was no major swelling around her throat and mouth and her breathing remained as normal as you might expect.
We gave her a dose of Apis Mel (30c) and we cooled her off by bathing her in tepid water, followed by coating her in calomine lotion. She was still fussing, though less so, as we put her into a sleep suit and had calmed down massively by the time we had gone back downstairs (at roughly 2pm). She snuggled into my shoulder with barely any scratching and was soon fast asleep. I lay down on the sofa and let her sleep on me as Steph nipped into town to replenish the supplies of creams we knew Jasmine could cope with. I managed to get the travel cot made up downstairs with her still asleep on my shoulder and lay her down wrapped snuggly in a blanket and clutching her muslin.
She was so sleepy and a little emaciated with bloodless lips comparative to having awoken suddenly in the night. She would stir if I sat her up, but would protest and was clearly not herself. She drank well when offered (just water) and thankfully her breathing remained strong and steady.
She was still very sleepy come 5pm and following another dose of Apis Mel we called NHS direct just to get some advice. An on-call doctor called back shortly after and having run through Jasmine's symptons and history confirmed that sleep was probably the best thing for her, so long as the swelling didn't interrupt her breathing and her condition didn't deteriorate. The doctor advised keeping some Piriton syrup in the house should we encounter a similar flare in future.
Jasmine was showing a little more of her usual exuberance by 7pm and we gave her her rice milk and some pear slices before putting her to sleep in the travelcot downstairs. Despite sleeping most of the afternoon, she soon settled and was curled up against the side of the cot, reassuring us with her rhythmic breathing. We transplanted her upstairs a couple of hours later when we went to bed and she only stirred a couple of times in the night, and had to join us in the morning, sleeping on me from 5 till 6.
Other than a little remaining swelling she seems to be pretty much back to normality.
We won't be trying egg again for a little while!
Tests
We had another meeting with the Kinesiologist on Saturday, armed with a crate full of lotions, potions and various other things to test Jasmine's resilience to. The main things we wanted testing were the hydrolysed milk and a couple of the creams we use daily.
We'd had suspicions that the milk was still proving a problem. I know the idea of being hydrolised is to break down the relevant dairy nasties within the milk to a level at which the immune system doesn't detect it as dairy, thereby not causing an antigen response. However, Jasmine was still getting very bloated which made for very uncomfortable intestinal areas where she would squirm for a lot of the night trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in.
I'll post the full results later, but there were some interesting observations, namely the hydroliyed milk wasn't good for her, and neither was the cream we've been using. There were a few other neutral and positive results but it isn't quite as simple as that...
Armed with our newfound knowledge of Jasmine's weakspots we approached her routine that evening a little differently. Evening primrose oil had shown itself to act in a positive manner towards Jasmine and accordingly we used this to rub into her legs, arms, chest, back and face. We also opted to immediately cease the hydrolised milk and start a course of rice milk (tested neutral). The worry with the rice milk is that it is defiecient in many of the nutrients that you would typically find in formula milk/cows milk, but this should not pose too much of an issue for a 2 weeks trial, especially considering Steph is cooking evey one of her meals from good healthy organic produce.
Jasmine went down fairly awkwardly, though we attributed this to a late night, an hour later than usual. 3 hours later she was still itching furiously and complaining heavily. This was not her normal itchiness throughout the night, she seemed in a lot of discomfort. Despite the 'positive' effect evening primrose oil is supposed to have on her I believe that this was the cause of her discomfort. We decided to give her a late night bath and a full scrub down, change all her bed clothes and start again with Aveeno and herb oil as we had the previous few nights. She was much, much calmer! We had also used a new 'gel' on the nape of her neck; Silver Shield Gel. Steph has her suspicions about this aswell and like the evening primrose oil, this was given a positive for Jasmine in the muscle testing.
Now I know to make the disctinction between what may be good for Jasmine internally, and what may react negatively on her skin. By the morning she was her normal chirpy self. The rice milk seemed to have no ill effect (she's had rice milk many times in the past with no suspicious behaviour, though the times we've used evening primrose oil on her face I've noticed excessive rubbing of her face afterwards, though previously I put this down to her being tired and the eczema on her face).
We'd had suspicions that the milk was still proving a problem. I know the idea of being hydrolised is to break down the relevant dairy nasties within the milk to a level at which the immune system doesn't detect it as dairy, thereby not causing an antigen response. However, Jasmine was still getting very bloated which made for very uncomfortable intestinal areas where she would squirm for a lot of the night trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in.
I'll post the full results later, but there were some interesting observations, namely the hydroliyed milk wasn't good for her, and neither was the cream we've been using. There were a few other neutral and positive results but it isn't quite as simple as that...
Armed with our newfound knowledge of Jasmine's weakspots we approached her routine that evening a little differently. Evening primrose oil had shown itself to act in a positive manner towards Jasmine and accordingly we used this to rub into her legs, arms, chest, back and face. We also opted to immediately cease the hydrolised milk and start a course of rice milk (tested neutral). The worry with the rice milk is that it is defiecient in many of the nutrients that you would typically find in formula milk/cows milk, but this should not pose too much of an issue for a 2 weeks trial, especially considering Steph is cooking evey one of her meals from good healthy organic produce.
Jasmine went down fairly awkwardly, though we attributed this to a late night, an hour later than usual. 3 hours later she was still itching furiously and complaining heavily. This was not her normal itchiness throughout the night, she seemed in a lot of discomfort. Despite the 'positive' effect evening primrose oil is supposed to have on her I believe that this was the cause of her discomfort. We decided to give her a late night bath and a full scrub down, change all her bed clothes and start again with Aveeno and herb oil as we had the previous few nights. She was much, much calmer! We had also used a new 'gel' on the nape of her neck; Silver Shield Gel. Steph has her suspicions about this aswell and like the evening primrose oil, this was given a positive for Jasmine in the muscle testing.
Now I know to make the disctinction between what may be good for Jasmine internally, and what may react negatively on her skin. By the morning she was her normal chirpy self. The rice milk seemed to have no ill effect (she's had rice milk many times in the past with no suspicious behaviour, though the times we've used evening primrose oil on her face I've noticed excessive rubbing of her face afterwards, though previously I put this down to her being tired and the eczema on her face).
Wednesday, 25 February 2009
Yummy
-Pancake tastic! Jasmine likes pancakes, given half a chance she would have had them off of our plates aswell! Steph whipped them up in a typically dairy-free fashion, using rice milk as the substitute. They didn't taste half bad, naturally sweet as you might expect.
All was going fine until halfway through her night bottle. We'd stopped for a quick burp and Jasmine was coughing with some phlegmy gunk in her throat ...within the blink of an eye she had up-ended the contents of her stomach and her dinner was staring up at us from the floor. A few more heaves later and she was completely empty.
Always good fun when you'd thought she was just about ready for bed. Let the cleaning commence >.<
We're still not sure whether it was the coughing, something in her salmon dinner, or being too indulgent with the pancakes. Either way, she was happy as larry afterwards, and it's worth noting her skin looked amazing following the 'release.' The skin improvement didn't hang around too long however, come the morning she was more flarey again, and her cheeks a little weepy.
She's due to have the salmon for lunch/dinner again today, so we'll keep a keen eye on events
All was going fine until halfway through her night bottle. We'd stopped for a quick burp and Jasmine was coughing with some phlegmy gunk in her throat ...within the blink of an eye she had up-ended the contents of her stomach and her dinner was staring up at us from the floor. A few more heaves later and she was completely empty.
Always good fun when you'd thought she was just about ready for bed. Let the cleaning commence >.<
We're still not sure whether it was the coughing, something in her salmon dinner, or being too indulgent with the pancakes. Either way, she was happy as larry afterwards, and it's worth noting her skin looked amazing following the 'release.' The skin improvement didn't hang around too long however, come the morning she was more flarey again, and her cheeks a little weepy.
She's due to have the salmon for lunch/dinner again today, so we'll keep a keen eye on events
Sunday, 22 February 2009
Teeth, Grrrrr....
Since Jasmine's party we believe that there are a couple of cheeky little teeth that are determined to cause a little trouble. This, combined with the fact that it appears to also have caused/coincided with a moderate flare-up naturally results in maaaaaany sleepless nights. So we have a very itchy and grumpy little monkey who's in an unreasonable amount of pain >.< *joy* ....though looking at the pic above, you wouldn't believe it ;) That being said, and despite her parents being exhausted, when we're not trying to get her to nap/sleep she's in a fine mood. whizzing around the place like a crazy thing, soon she'll be chasing the dog!
She has also started to 'cruise' :D Tentatively at first, but with the fearlessness of a just-over-a-one-year-old she soon picked up pace. Grandma's walker is now showing it's true colours as she happily waddles across the living room, expertly guiding it in an 'almost' straight line. She'll get to one end of the room and bash the walker against whatever she has run into until someone spins her around! hehe.
Now she can't help but pull herself up on practically everything, usually choosing something that is most unstable, has the sharpest edges or otherwise scares the wits out of her tired but proud parents. She particularly enjoys flirting with the TV :D
Last night was the worst yet for her teething escapades. She decided to wake herself up a few hours after being put to bed, choking on the gunk that is currently rattling away in her chest. She was all hoarse and was unsettled enough for us to bring her back downstairs for a bit of comfort. naturally within seconds she had perked up to her usual monkeyish self, I think she enjoyed being in the 'big bed' downstairs!
I couldn't help but put this pic in. Jasmine in her pyjamas sporting her groovy 'keep my trousers up and stop me getting my legs in the other leg' knickers. It seems to be working a treat as we've not had Jasmine lacerating the back of one leg with the toenails of the other ...and who knows, she may start a new fashion trend!
Tuesday, 17 February 2009
Party!
Saturday...
After a fairly good night we got her up (read: she got us up) early in a bid to get her as relaxed as we could to prevent any flares. We were determined to get some un-flarey pictures of her for a change! :D We were letting her romp around in a sleepsuit until just before the party kicked off in an effort to keep her kit as clean as possible :D From the time she got up at about 6am we were buzzing around the house, stuffing the car full of party goodness and trying to finish off all the other preparations. Steph had arranged to use Leamington's spiritualist church as the venue in return for a small donation which worked out perfectly as it comes with kitchens, tables, chairs, toilets, space etc... All in all a great venue.
We arrived at the church at 10:30am and following a key related emergency had to take a detour to a friends to grab a new key (new doors on the church). At 11am we got in, slightly stressed and a little bit flappy. Grandma turned up shortly after and was promptly put to a feeding Jasmine her lunch, allowing us to do a whirlwind decoration and food layout. Down went the ballpool, up went the tent, out spread some toys and for the piece de resistance... out flopped the bouncy castle.
It was only a small gathering of Jasmine's cousins, Grandma, Uncle Sam and Claire with her two daughters, but that was plenty for us! :D I think most of the balls left the ballpool in every which direction within the 1st 5 minutes to a chorus of excited squeaks and shrieks. Males were definitely out-numbered! With platefuls of food in hand we soon got the bouncy castle inflated and the older girls quickly took full advantage leaving Jasmine and Eloise to amuse themselves without getting squashed!! After a short while we had a little baby time on the bouncy castle and that went down a storm! Jasmine adored it and falling flat on her face only seemed to add to her amusement hehe.
After a few more trips to the food tables by everyone uncle Sam was on DJ duty for pass-the-parcel (the parcel painstakingly wrapped by yours truly). Sam was new to this and had to have the theory behind the masterpiece that is pass-the-parcel explained and how to tactfully stop the music so each monkey got their relevant present! All to a pre-conceived plan of course ...I had NO idea how much work it was as a kid!
Following the parcel shenanigans we quickly moved onto the bringing out the cake to a hearty round of Happy Birthday. Jasmine, sat on the floor, looked poised to join in and was quite excited at the whole event. She soon splatted her hand into the cake ...heartily encouraged by myself naturally! :D I always thought that your 1st birthday cake should be eaten off your fingers!! :D
The party came to a close, and the party bags (very professionally composed by mummy) were handed out and well received. Following a whirlwind tidy-up everyone made their way back to their respective houses, Grandma coming to ours for some babysitting hi jinx ;) We had waiting until we got back home before opening Jasmine's loot :D and as we had hoped, she had received a massive array of new outfits, a good haul indeed!
And there we have it. Her 1st birthday complete, and a roaring success may I add!
Happy Birthday!
Happy Valentines!
Happy Anniversary!
A good day!
After a fairly good night we got her up (read: she got us up) early in a bid to get her as relaxed as we could to prevent any flares. We were determined to get some un-flarey pictures of her for a change! :D We were letting her romp around in a sleepsuit until just before the party kicked off in an effort to keep her kit as clean as possible :D From the time she got up at about 6am we were buzzing around the house, stuffing the car full of party goodness and trying to finish off all the other preparations. Steph had arranged to use Leamington's spiritualist church as the venue in return for a small donation which worked out perfectly as it comes with kitchens, tables, chairs, toilets, space etc... All in all a great venue.
We arrived at the church at 10:30am and following a key related emergency had to take a detour to a friends to grab a new key (new doors on the church). At 11am we got in, slightly stressed and a little bit flappy. Grandma turned up shortly after and was promptly put to a feeding Jasmine her lunch, allowing us to do a whirlwind decoration and food layout. Down went the ballpool, up went the tent, out spread some toys and for the piece de resistance... out flopped the bouncy castle.
It was only a small gathering of Jasmine's cousins, Grandma, Uncle Sam and Claire with her two daughters, but that was plenty for us! :D I think most of the balls left the ballpool in every which direction within the 1st 5 minutes to a chorus of excited squeaks and shrieks. Males were definitely out-numbered! With platefuls of food in hand we soon got the bouncy castle inflated and the older girls quickly took full advantage leaving Jasmine and Eloise to amuse themselves without getting squashed!! After a short while we had a little baby time on the bouncy castle and that went down a storm! Jasmine adored it and falling flat on her face only seemed to add to her amusement hehe.
After a few more trips to the food tables by everyone uncle Sam was on DJ duty for pass-the-parcel (the parcel painstakingly wrapped by yours truly). Sam was new to this and had to have the theory behind the masterpiece that is pass-the-parcel explained and how to tactfully stop the music so each monkey got their relevant present! All to a pre-conceived plan of course ...I had NO idea how much work it was as a kid!
Following the parcel shenanigans we quickly moved onto the bringing out the cake to a hearty round of Happy Birthday. Jasmine, sat on the floor, looked poised to join in and was quite excited at the whole event. She soon splatted her hand into the cake ...heartily encouraged by myself naturally! :D I always thought that your 1st birthday cake should be eaten off your fingers!! :D
The party came to a close, and the party bags (very professionally composed by mummy) were handed out and well received. Following a whirlwind tidy-up everyone made their way back to their respective houses, Grandma coming to ours for some babysitting hi jinx ;) We had waiting until we got back home before opening Jasmine's loot :D and as we had hoped, she had received a massive array of new outfits, a good haul indeed!
And there we have it. Her 1st birthday complete, and a roaring success may I add!
Happy Birthday!
Happy Valentines!
Happy Anniversary!
A good day!
Happy Birthday!
Well, It's been some time since I've last done a brain dump. Quite a lot has happened so this could be a fairly sizable post hehe :D
I was away on business for most of last week so Steph had to cope solo with our itchy bundle of fuzz. Tiring to say the least, but more so because of her broken sleeping pattern, never helped by the fact that she had started to teethe again. Steph pulled it all off brilliantly despite trying to pull off the conservatory door requiring my brother to come to the rescue in my absence ;)
Friday the 13th! Jasmine's 1st birthday! Naturally Jasmine couldn't give 2 hoots, but she did enjoy a few new things to play with, namely some plastic pots and pans (£1!!!), and some great wooden stackers and shakers from her Brasilian Granddad.
She loved her mini pram, and immediately demanded to help her walk about with it ... we soon had to hide it though to avoid the tantrums when we tried to get her to open more pressies instead. We also bought her a little bubblecar garage, but she had already reached newtoy overload by this point and it barely got a look-in!
Her birthday adventure was to go to Jam-Jam Boomerang, a soft play facility for kiddies. It was amazing, a little chilly to start with (particularly as Jasmine napped in the car on the way), but she soon got into the swing of things: Bouncing on the rocker; racing circuits in the big bubble cars; splahing around in the ball pool; chasing mummy and daddy around the assault course on the upper level and wooshing with mummy down the slide. I think mum and dad enjoyed it as much! ;)
After an hour or so she was beginning to slow down and we head home for her birthday dinner, a yummy mince and mash followed by her 1st ever cupcake! ..sporting a candle of course! Jasmine was fascinated with the flame but didn't quite get the idea of blowing it out. so we hid the candle and gave her a little cake ...she then dutifully stuffed the rest in as quickly as possible! ...we have successfully taught her how to eat cakes properly! :D
Steph spent the next 5 or so hours baking her little heart out in preparation for the party on the Saturday. More cupcakes and a great marble cake decorated with Steph's creative genius to the design of a friendly lion.
Naturally all this yumminess was made dairy and soy free. I should add that my contribution was to make the butter icing ...and then lick the bowl (after Steph iced the cake of course!) :D
I was away on business for most of last week so Steph had to cope solo with our itchy bundle of fuzz. Tiring to say the least, but more so because of her broken sleeping pattern, never helped by the fact that she had started to teethe again. Steph pulled it all off brilliantly despite trying to pull off the conservatory door requiring my brother to come to the rescue in my absence ;)
Friday the 13th! Jasmine's 1st birthday! Naturally Jasmine couldn't give 2 hoots, but she did enjoy a few new things to play with, namely some plastic pots and pans (£1!!!), and some great wooden stackers and shakers from her Brasilian Granddad.
She loved her mini pram, and immediately demanded to help her walk about with it ... we soon had to hide it though to avoid the tantrums when we tried to get her to open more pressies instead. We also bought her a little bubblecar garage, but she had already reached newtoy overload by this point and it barely got a look-in!
Her birthday adventure was to go to Jam-Jam Boomerang, a soft play facility for kiddies. It was amazing, a little chilly to start with (particularly as Jasmine napped in the car on the way), but she soon got into the swing of things: Bouncing on the rocker; racing circuits in the big bubble cars; splahing around in the ball pool; chasing mummy and daddy around the assault course on the upper level and wooshing with mummy down the slide. I think mum and dad enjoyed it as much! ;)
After an hour or so she was beginning to slow down and we head home for her birthday dinner, a yummy mince and mash followed by her 1st ever cupcake! ..sporting a candle of course! Jasmine was fascinated with the flame but didn't quite get the idea of blowing it out. so we hid the candle and gave her a little cake ...she then dutifully stuffed the rest in as quickly as possible! ...we have successfully taught her how to eat cakes properly! :D
Steph spent the next 5 or so hours baking her little heart out in preparation for the party on the Saturday. More cupcakes and a great marble cake decorated with Steph's creative genius to the design of a friendly lion.
Naturally all this yumminess was made dairy and soy free. I should add that my contribution was to make the butter icing ...and then lick the bowl (after Steph iced the cake of course!) :D
Saturday, 7 February 2009
So Itchy
I wish we could take the infernal itch away!! The poor little mite just can't help but scratch :(
Her skin is a little like a yoyo at the moment, flaring with the heat from being indoors and massively calming from the cool open air. We're noticing more and more that her flares and overly itchy episodes coincide with eating or having just finished a meal. I don't think this necessarily indicates that there is a nasty in the food she has eaten exactly, more that her tummy has an issue and reacts inappropiately :(
Short of trying to appease her symptons we're convinced that diet is the key. On that note we're trying to follow the best diet in accordance with Candida. We've yet to have the diagnosis confirmed by an allopathic doctor but i'm not sure what difference that would make, unless we can get some wonderfully toxic uberdrug on prescription or something.
The '2 rusks in her milk' thing is an ongoing experiment. If we can get any wind out as soon as possible after her last feed then there's a good chance she'll give us time enough to grab dinner and take a brief time out. ...If however she gets a bubble stuck, then it's pretty much game over for the evening until she is that tired she just zonks out, normally some 4 hours later.
Tonight we seem to be on a bubble free ride :D ....
Her skin is a little like a yoyo at the moment, flaring with the heat from being indoors and massively calming from the cool open air. We're noticing more and more that her flares and overly itchy episodes coincide with eating or having just finished a meal. I don't think this necessarily indicates that there is a nasty in the food she has eaten exactly, more that her tummy has an issue and reacts inappropiately :(
Short of trying to appease her symptons we're convinced that diet is the key. On that note we're trying to follow the best diet in accordance with Candida. We've yet to have the diagnosis confirmed by an allopathic doctor but i'm not sure what difference that would make, unless we can get some wonderfully toxic uberdrug on prescription or something.
The '2 rusks in her milk' thing is an ongoing experiment. If we can get any wind out as soon as possible after her last feed then there's a good chance she'll give us time enough to grab dinner and take a brief time out. ...If however she gets a bubble stuck, then it's pretty much game over for the evening until she is that tired she just zonks out, normally some 4 hours later.
Tonight we seem to be on a bubble free ride :D ....
Thursday, 5 February 2009
Snowed in!
Jasmine's 1st week at the child minders was cut short today as snow got the better of us. But we put the time to good use by donning our snow gear making a snowman and going for a nice country jaunt :D It seems ages since we've had snow that's good enough to play with, and we have more forecast for tonight giving us an excuse to add more snowmen to the garden!
It's always nice to get out and about with the family and we've started naming the walks around the local countryside. Today's jaunt featured the 'Bog Walk' and we narrowly missed losing our wellies!!
I think Hazel enjoyed running around in the snow like a crazy thing, even if she didn't quite get the concept of catching a snowball in her mouth.
As always, Jasmine's skin soon improved by being outside. It has been a little flarey for the last few mornings. We suspect teething as this could also account for her temptestuous nights at the moment. We've taken to add rusks into her last feed to see if that will stodge her up enough to go more than a few hours into the night. ...We only added 1 in last night and there was no great change, so tonight's bottle had 2. ...here's hoping!!!
Monday, 2 February 2009
A good start...
Well Jasmine's 1st day with the childminder seemed to go without any major hiccups. She was dropped off at 8am in a flurry of snow, and was soon in Lisa's arms. A call at lunchtime confirmed everything was ok, that she's had a 45 minute nap in the morning and had just polished off her lunch.
I left work earlier than usual under the threat of being snowed out and arrived at the childminders just before 5pm. Jasmine still hadn't had her dinner (we're used to feeding her at 4pm), but despite this she appeared in a great mood. Babbling away and generally being very nosy at all the comings and goings, with all the other parents collecting their little monkeys.
Her skin looked great, much better than any of the times I had collected her from nursery There was little to no redness to her cheeks, and although it was still apparent where the rougher patches were, her skin looked relatively beautiful.
Hopefully this is a sign of things to come. Maybe nursery wasn't as attentive as a single childminder, who knows? It's early days, but we remain optimistic!
I left work earlier than usual under the threat of being snowed out and arrived at the childminders just before 5pm. Jasmine still hadn't had her dinner (we're used to feeding her at 4pm), but despite this she appeared in a great mood. Babbling away and generally being very nosy at all the comings and goings, with all the other parents collecting their little monkeys.
Her skin looked great, much better than any of the times I had collected her from nursery There was little to no redness to her cheeks, and although it was still apparent where the rougher patches were, her skin looked relatively beautiful.
Hopefully this is a sign of things to come. Maybe nursery wasn't as attentive as a single childminder, who knows? It's early days, but we remain optimistic!
Saturday, 31 January 2009
0 to 60 in a week and a bit....
I had to try a video :D
This is my 1st attempt, it was only 38mb but I'm not sure if that is massive for a blog ;)
This is my 1st attempt, it was only 38mb but I'm not sure if that is massive for a blog ;)
Speedy
We figured it was time to take Jasmine off to the shops to her first pair of shoes! :D She dutifully crawled around the shop like a little mechanical monkey as we waited. She behaved very well when the lady went about measuring those teeny little feet. Her right foot is a massive size 1 and half, width f and her left is almost size 2, width e. She officially has tiny feet :D
Her 1st shoes are a lovely pair of crawlers! With a soft rubber sole that stretches up above her toes to give maximum traction! :D
Jasmine seems happy with her upgrade and soon put them to good use buzzing around the place. We're a little concerned that she seems to be dragging her left foot when crawling, with the toes facing outwards (right foot toes facing inwards). I think we'll get it checked out just to be on the safe side.
One interesting point to mention is Jasmine's reaction to the carpet of the store. As she crawled along testing a number of shoes she had to have her trouser legs rolled up. Within 10-15 minutes her legs had begun to flare. We've not come across this before, but it could be a little contact dertmatitis with whatever the carpet was made up of. Something to mention to the kinesiologist next time to see if they can confirm anything.
Her 1st shoes are a lovely pair of crawlers! With a soft rubber sole that stretches up above her toes to give maximum traction! :D
Jasmine seems happy with her upgrade and soon put them to good use buzzing around the place. We're a little concerned that she seems to be dragging her left foot when crawling, with the toes facing outwards (right foot toes facing inwards). I think we'll get it checked out just to be on the safe side.
One interesting point to mention is Jasmine's reaction to the carpet of the store. As she crawled along testing a number of shoes she had to have her trouser legs rolled up. Within 10-15 minutes her legs had begun to flare. We've not come across this before, but it could be a little contact dertmatitis with whatever the carpet was made up of. Something to mention to the kinesiologist next time to see if they can confirm anything.
Friday, 30 January 2009
New starts
It was Jasmine's last day at nursery yesterday. She obviously wasn't aware, but it was sad to see her scramble across the floor for the last time. Her crawling ability has come on leaps and bounds and I believe it has done wonders for her confidence, allowing her independence to shine through. Despite our suspicions of whether or not the nursery adhered to Jasmine's dietary regime as strictly as we did it has been an invaluable experience for her and we were reluctant to take that from her.
Jasmine starts afresh with a child minder come Monday and went for a 'taster' session this morning. It appears she got on ok, eating most of her lunch and even gracing everyone with an hour nap!! ;) ...no flare-ups, no screaming fits, it's all very positive, but then it has only been half a day.
We plan to continue making up her meals at home and the minder generously agreed to reduce her costs in light of this. I am hoping that this, combined with the minder's intention to get more fresh air and increased attention for creaming will allow Jasmine's skin to improve. I think we could count Jasmine's trip's outside of the nursery on 1 hand since she started at 6 months, some 5 months ago! ...now that's a lot of time to stay cooped up in one room.
Jasmine starts afresh with a child minder come Monday and went for a 'taster' session this morning. It appears she got on ok, eating most of her lunch and even gracing everyone with an hour nap!! ;) ...no flare-ups, no screaming fits, it's all very positive, but then it has only been half a day.
We plan to continue making up her meals at home and the minder generously agreed to reduce her costs in light of this. I am hoping that this, combined with the minder's intention to get more fresh air and increased attention for creaming will allow Jasmine's skin to improve. I think we could count Jasmine's trip's outside of the nursery on 1 hand since she started at 6 months, some 5 months ago! ...now that's a lot of time to stay cooped up in one room.
Her skins seems to have remained stable ever since her face swelled up like a balloon. Excuse the slightly blurry pic, we've not been too happy with our camera for a while. We'll get a decent one sooner or later. ...probably later ;) Hopefully her skin will continue to improve!
Friday, 23 January 2009
mmmm mouldy
Just a little insight into one of the materials that Jasmine has an issue with, namely Sporobolomyces.
It's interesting that this particular mould/fungi thrives in high humidity, conditions found generally throughout our house! In the winter months there is little we can do about it though :( The humidifier we had has just given up the ghost and our 'double' glazing ....is a lie! hehe
Roll on spring so we can get some windows open! Initially we were worried about exposing her to heat/high temperatures but assuming she is sufficiently moisturised inside and out her skin should be better off.
It's interesting that this particular mould/fungi thrives in high humidity, conditions found generally throughout our house! In the winter months there is little we can do about it though :( The humidifier we had has just given up the ghost and our 'double' glazing ....is a lie! hehe
Roll on spring so we can get some windows open! Initially we were worried about exposing her to heat/high temperatures but assuming she is sufficiently moisturised inside and out her skin should be better off.
Thursday, 22 January 2009
Bah!
Last night sucked! Our efforts to calm her with lavender et al. failed miserably. She drank her body weight in milk, but refused to want to sleep >.<
She had a 9oz before bed, a 6oz 2 hours later and 5oz directly after that. Then she was ready to play. ....*sob*
The good news is that her skin is looking pretty good at the moment. She is still incredibly itchy though, particularly when being changed/getting ready for bed and when frustrated/sleepy. It's getting really hard work.
The other good news is that she has started to crawl!!!! woooooooooooooooooooot
Hopefully she can alleviate some frustration by actually being mobile now!
She had a 9oz before bed, a 6oz 2 hours later and 5oz directly after that. Then she was ready to play. ....*sob*
The good news is that her skin is looking pretty good at the moment. She is still incredibly itchy though, particularly when being changed/getting ready for bed and when frustrated/sleepy. It's getting really hard work.
The other good news is that she has started to crawl!!!! woooooooooooooooooooot
Hopefully she can alleviate some frustration by actually being mobile now!
Wednesday, 21 January 2009
Calm again...
Thankfully Jasmine's face and extremities seem to be back to normal, she still had little fat lips and slightly puffy under-eyes yesterday, but today is much better with just a little residual itching.
Her uber probiotics arrived today and were dutifully added to her bedtime feed, which she downed! *yay* They contain a couple more 'good' bacterium compared with the infant probiotic we had previously so hopefully they'll balance out the flora in her gut.
We put some lavender drops on a tissue in her room last night and she almost went through. So I've repeated that again tonight in the hope she'll have a wonderfully loooooong sleep. :D
Her uber probiotics arrived today and were dutifully added to her bedtime feed, which she downed! *yay* They contain a couple more 'good' bacterium compared with the infant probiotic we had previously so hopefully they'll balance out the flora in her gut.
We put some lavender drops on a tissue in her room last night and she almost went through. So I've repeated that again tonight in the hope she'll have a wonderfully loooooong sleep. :D
Monday, 19 January 2009
eeeek
Well, day 2 of the flower remedy regime didn't go quite according to plan. Jasmine was up and off to nursery without hitch, even giggling when I dropped her off as she grabbed a play pram and went about amusing herself.
Everything was grand. Until 4.10pm. My phone rang, buzzing across the desk, displaying 'Nursery' ...always an ominous sign. I was dutifully informed that Jasmine had had a reaction and her face was very swollen. 10 minutes later I'm at nursery and barely recognise her. She looked like she'd gone 10 rounds with Tyson.
Despite her looks she was quite happy munching on banana slices, babbling away as if nothing were wrong. I was informed that as her face swelled she had started scratching frantically causing the gorging skin to weep and bleed. They had applied cold compresses to take the edge off. Her face was taut, as if all the skin had absorbed every bit of moisture it possibly could, It just didn't sound right that this massively swollen baby was happily chirping away.
This picture was taken 45minutes after the reaction had started, and thankfully the swelling had already started to abate. It doesn't quite do justice to just how swollen her face was, but you get the idea.
She had calmed a little more by the time we were home, and she managed another 9oz bottle of milk before bed. She seemed to go down ok, but stirred frequently due to itchiness, particularly across her shoulders and the top of her chest. It's kind of a vicious circle because the more she stirs, the more tired she gets, the more frustrated she becomes, the more the itch is exacerbated... Poor little soul. I'm just hoping she'll manage to pass out and get some rest.
We have decided to hold off the flower remedy for the time being. All accounts say this kind of reaction is rare, but we just cannot account for it anywhere else. We'll bolster her immune system with some probiotics and push on from there I think.
Everything was grand. Until 4.10pm. My phone rang, buzzing across the desk, displaying 'Nursery' ...always an ominous sign. I was dutifully informed that Jasmine had had a reaction and her face was very swollen. 10 minutes later I'm at nursery and barely recognise her. She looked like she'd gone 10 rounds with Tyson.
Despite her looks she was quite happy munching on banana slices, babbling away as if nothing were wrong. I was informed that as her face swelled she had started scratching frantically causing the gorging skin to weep and bleed. They had applied cold compresses to take the edge off. Her face was taut, as if all the skin had absorbed every bit of moisture it possibly could, It just didn't sound right that this massively swollen baby was happily chirping away.
This picture was taken 45minutes after the reaction had started, and thankfully the swelling had already started to abate. It doesn't quite do justice to just how swollen her face was, but you get the idea.
She had calmed a little more by the time we were home, and she managed another 9oz bottle of milk before bed. She seemed to go down ok, but stirred frequently due to itchiness, particularly across her shoulders and the top of her chest. It's kind of a vicious circle because the more she stirs, the more tired she gets, the more frustrated she becomes, the more the itch is exacerbated... Poor little soul. I'm just hoping she'll manage to pass out and get some rest.
We have decided to hold off the flower remedy for the time being. All accounts say this kind of reaction is rare, but we just cannot account for it anywhere else. We'll bolster her immune system with some probiotics and push on from there I think.
Sunday, 18 January 2009
Early days...
I know it's only been a day or so, but we've been avoiding sugar in Jasmine's food (she stopped her fruit pots a little earlier anyway) and I skin 'feels' nicer. We also started her flower remedy today, but she only had 2 of the 5. It'll be up to nursery tomorrow to be a little more vigilant. She still had a flare-up, but I think that was more to do with being tired and stressed than anything else.
We went out for a nice family walk around our village this afternoon. Jasmine loves being outside and was giggling away at the new ram on our 'poo-alley walk.' She really enjoys feeling the breeze in her face, and I think her skin is better for some fresh air and sunlight.
She took her milk very well before bed. All 9oz! I can't even remember the last time she had that much, especially with minimal fuss and next to no bloating. That being said, she has stirred a few times throughout the evening and Steph managed to get another 3oz down her. She remains very itchy, but hopefully full enough to take her through the night.
We went out for a nice family walk around our village this afternoon. Jasmine loves being outside and was giggling away at the new ram on our 'poo-alley walk.' She really enjoys feeling the breeze in her face, and I think her skin is better for some fresh air and sunlight.
She took her milk very well before bed. All 9oz! I can't even remember the last time she had that much, especially with minimal fuss and next to no bloating. That being said, she has stirred a few times throughout the evening and Steph managed to get another 3oz down her. She remains very itchy, but hopefully full enough to take her through the night.
Saturday, 17 January 2009
Kinesiology
Today's experience was Kinesiology, a practice which tests the body's muscle response to questions asked of the subconscious. Our Kinesiologist, Pauline Dalley, soon had some potential food types and elements that oppose Jasmine, including Soya, Goat's Milk! Cow's Milk, Whey, Lentils, Sporoboromyces (mould) and Silver Birch pollen. The potential list was quite extensive, but those were the big guns.
After listening to Jasmine's history Pauline strongly believed that one of the roots of Jasmine's issues is over-zealous candida albicans, particularly because steph (mum) was on 2 antibiotics for a week whilst still breast feeding.
So, in essence we need to reduce/remove it's presence, re-introduce some heathy gut flora and mend any leaky gut which may have resulted from the overgrowth.
The plan of action: Avoid sugar! All forms - white, brown, molasses, syrups, glucose, maltose, dextrose, fructose, honey and any foods with these ingredients. ....should be interesting! >.<>
After listening to Jasmine's history Pauline strongly believed that one of the roots of Jasmine's issues is over-zealous candida albicans, particularly because steph (mum) was on 2 antibiotics for a week whilst still breast feeding.
So, in essence we need to reduce/remove it's presence, re-introduce some heathy gut flora and mend any leaky gut which may have resulted from the overgrowth.
The plan of action: Avoid sugar! All forms - white, brown, molasses, syrups, glucose, maltose, dextrose, fructose, honey and any foods with these ingredients. ....should be interesting! >.<>
Friday, 16 January 2009
Nasty waves
Food for thought
We have so often associated Jasmines eczema with roughly the time she started formula, and in doing so, with the formula milk.
Recently though notion that the water from the tap may have had an impact has been niggling away in my mind. ...then we stumbled across:
"Water softener eczema relief hope" from the BBC
Certainly food for thought. We've asked if there is a chance we can take part in the trial but have yet to receive any response :(
Recently though notion that the water from the tap may have had an impact has been niggling away in my mind. ...then we stumbled across:
"Water softener eczema relief hope" from the BBC
Certainly food for thought. We've asked if there is a chance we can take part in the trial but have yet to receive any response :(
Summary
I think it's going to be fairly long-winded to account for every detail 11 months down the line, but I shall try to summarise the more important aspects and noteworthy events.
Jasmine had a long, but fairly uncomplicated birth. She popped out at 3.39pm on Wednesday 13th February weighing in at a healthy 8lb 1.5oz. Along-side our pre-planned decision to not vaccinate we also declined the hospitals push to give a vitamin K jab. Her APGAR test was nigh on perfect with the only issue being slightly sticky eyes, for which the paediatrician immediately claimed Chlorophenicol should be administered just as a precaution.
Jasmine had a long, but fairly uncomplicated birth. She popped out at 3.39pm on Wednesday 13th February weighing in at a healthy 8lb 1.5oz. Along-side our pre-planned decision to not vaccinate we also declined the hospitals push to give a vitamin K jab. Her APGAR test was nigh on perfect with the only issue being slightly sticky eyes, for which the paediatrician immediately claimed Chlorophenicol should be administered just as a precaution.
Jasmine never lost weight following her birth as most newborns do, gaining 4oz in the following week, and a further 7.5 oz by the end of that week. *chubber* :D
I (Dad) returned to work on the 25th, some 11 days after she arrived. Jasmine started developing symptoms of eczema around two weeks of age. This coincided with the introduction of formula milk along-side breast milk. The initial formula was Aptamil and she took to it fairly well to start with.
She was diagnosed with Seborrheic Dermatitis on March 18th (6 weeks old) and the doctor prescribed Daktacort, a steroid cream. We were always hesitant to use steroids but followed the doctors advice for a week. We started using cradlecap shampoo (Dentinox) at 7.5 weeks, and the doctor claimed Jasmine was at the tail end of a viral infection (spotty chest) at 8 weeks. From 8 weeks Jasmine was exclusively formula fed.
We started taking Jasmine to a homeopath at 12.5 weeks and she started hypoallergenic formula at 13 weeks (Nutramigen), following sickiness with Aptamil.
She gave her 1st giggle at roughly 16 weeks! :D at 17 weeks she tried her 1st meal of apple and pear pudding. We started Jasmine on Nanny Care goats milk at 18 weeks. Her skin seemed to improve a little with the goats milk though her weight gain slowed.
At 22 weeks we met another paediatrician who helpfully informed us Jasmine had eczema. >.< class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">dietician was at 43 weeks where we were advised to start a dairy and egg free diet. We met the dietician again 6 weeks later (11 months old) with no great trend of improvement, though we are not convinced that nursery was sticking to the diet regime as rigidly as we were.
That pretty much brings us up to the present. We're continuing with the dairy and egg free regime, avoiding steroids, hoping homeopathy will help and applying creams with the least amount of chemicals in.
Generally her skin as gradually deteriorated over the weeks with waves of flare-ups and calm periods.
I (Dad) returned to work on the 25th, some 11 days after she arrived. Jasmine started developing symptoms of eczema around two weeks of age. This coincided with the introduction of formula milk along-side breast milk. The initial formula was Aptamil and she took to it fairly well to start with.
She was diagnosed with Seborrheic Dermatitis on March 18th (6 weeks old) and the doctor prescribed Daktacort, a steroid cream. We were always hesitant to use steroids but followed the doctors advice for a week. We started using cradlecap shampoo (Dentinox) at 7.5 weeks, and the doctor claimed Jasmine was at the tail end of a viral infection (spotty chest) at 8 weeks. From 8 weeks Jasmine was exclusively formula fed.
We started taking Jasmine to a homeopath at 12.5 weeks and she started hypoallergenic formula at 13 weeks (Nutramigen), following sickiness with Aptamil.
She gave her 1st giggle at roughly 16 weeks! :D at 17 weeks she tried her 1st meal of apple and pear pudding. We started Jasmine on Nanny Care goats milk at 18 weeks. Her skin seemed to improve a little with the goats milk though her weight gain slowed.
At 22 weeks we met another paediatrician who helpfully informed us Jasmine had eczema. >.< class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">dietician was at 43 weeks where we were advised to start a dairy and egg free diet. We met the dietician again 6 weeks later (11 months old) with no great trend of improvement, though we are not convinced that nursery was sticking to the diet regime as rigidly as we were.
That pretty much brings us up to the present. We're continuing with the dairy and egg free regime, avoiding steroids, hoping homeopathy will help and applying creams with the least amount of chemicals in.
Generally her skin as gradually deteriorated over the weeks with waves of flare-ups and calm periods.
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