Rough Patch

Disclosure: this product was provided in order to review it Today I have the pleasure of introducing Yery, Malachi's and Ali's Mami, to the 'Hood. Here she tells us about a rough patch with her son and what she's been doing to help. Look for Yery (pronounced YEAR-IE because I know you are wondering) to be hanging out in the 'Hood with us in the coming months. Let me know if we should keep her, will you? ;-). 

Holding my son for the first time I gazed into his eyes, taking him all in. My journey to him was finally over.  I’d been waiting what seems like my whole life for that moment. As I looked at him I noticed he’s got my complexion. In the back of my mind I thought, “I hope he didn't also inherit mommy’s eczema”. I quickly pushed the thought aside.  I mean, He was, after all, brand spanking new. Why worry? I was embarking on the perfect parenting journey, or so I thought.

As the love affair between my son and I grew we also had our share of problems. Cradle Cap, hair loss and those little finger nails that feel like daggers and easily scratch newborn skin but are next to impossible to clip (especially when you are afraid to catch skin) and so on. It seems as soon as I got one issue under control, another popped up within days. After finally getting the Cradle Cap under control, as I dreaded, his skin started showing signs of eczema. It was dry, flaky, red and I was finding really ugly scratches on his face and scalp. I think he was scratching himself because he was itchy.

His chest became bright red with bumps all over. It quickly moved to his back, parts of his arms and legs and even his wrists. I purchased almost every natural baby product recommended to me hoping I would get my baby’s skin like the skin of those babies on the commercials. Isn’t baby skin supposed to be smooth and beautiful? After listening to and reading 800 opinions on what to do. We tried some and saw no change so we decided to take him to his Pediatrician. She prescribed something for yeast. It did nothing.

We went back a few weeks later. She prescribed a steroid cream. That seemed to help but discolored his skin severely so, instead of red/dry patches he had patches of lighter skin all over (still does). The steroid cream cleared up the rough skin but at what cost? The research I did indicated that the reason it works is it thins out the skin. I quickly altered how I use the cream and how often.

Still looking for a solution that isn't as harsh on his skin I was talking to a close friend who is also a mom of an Eczematic (yeah I made it up). She recommended Aveeno Eczema Therapy. I was excited to try it in hopes of getting away from the steroid. When I first started using Aveeno’s Eczema Therapy, I was skeptical and was still using the steroid cream he was prescribed, but within days I decided to try it without. It worked like a charm. Turns out this is all I have to use on his skin. SCORE!!!!!!!!!!!

It’s been 2 weeks since we started using Aveeno’s Eczema Therapy and my baby’s skin is as smooth and soft as the day we first met. The kit comes with an oatmeal soak and a moisturizer. They work together to gently cleanse the skin, and then lock in the moisture. We went from having to put lotion on him every single time we changed his diaper to once in the morning and once at bedtime. I wish I had known about this product sooner, I might not have needed the steroid for as long as I did or at all.

Disclosure: this product was provided in order to write a review. It came at the right time and all of the thoughts and opinions shared here are my own.