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 ;)
Saturday, 31 January 2009
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.
Welcome =]
I thought a blog may be the easiest way of recording little Jasmine’s journey as we stumble our way trying to relieve her suffering with eczema.
There’s a lot of catchup to do. Jasmine is already 11months young and I want to trace her steps to the present.
A little history:
Jasmine is our 1st. She popped out following a marathon labour on the 13th February 2008, a day early ;) She didn’t cry when she arrived, content to watch everything with the biggest blue eyes. She remains as natural as we can muster. Following a painstaking review of all the available material (for and against) we made the decision to avoid vaccines.
Her suffering with eczema began roughly two weeks into her little life, starting as ‘cradle cap’ and working its way down her face to her chest, arms and legs. Despite the infernal itch she remains amazingly tolerant. She scratches when her skin is exposed for changing, and tears at her head when she is tired and/or frustrated.
She has a beautiful smile and a gutsy chuckle, though it can take some goading to get it out of her!
I wish there was more we could do to take that itch away. I wish I could make her comfortable. So with this blog I plan to document the trials and tribulations we have faced and will face as we attempt to control her flare-ups and ultimately (hopefully) rid her of this ailment.
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