Back in January, Baby Bookieboo developed an extreme case of eczema.This was the beginning of a new challenge in my life. Studies show that children with extreme eczema have a similar quality of life as children with kidney disease. It’s difficult to say the least. God has given me lots of challenges in the last seven years: losing over 100 lbs, having a Autistic son, combating an eating disorder, sore nipples and constant infections when breastfeeding, caring for a dying parent, etc. But nothing had prepared me for this.
It started with swelling that made his face so puffy, he looked like he had been in a fight. Then it worked it’s way throughout his entire body, burned the skin and seeped with fluids, then exposed raw skin. He was uncontrollably itchy, but when he itched he would break the skin which caused a cycle of constant agony. It was horrifying and I felt completely helpless. Doctors weren’t very helpful. They strung me along for weeks then finally sent me to an Allergist where we got a blood test and my life changed forever.
Noooooooooooooooo!……
Results: “Your son is allergic to almonds and all other tree nuts, peanuts, eggs, milk, wheat, soy, seafood, & shellfish” …and later we added flaxseed. Imagine not being able to ever eat any of these foods. Well, I had to because I was breastfeeding him and it was passing through my breast milk and causing him agony. He was barely on solids, so he wasn’t eating those foods yet. I was. Taking those foods away helped him a little bit, but his skin condition never went away. After months, I finally gave into the doctor and switched him to a special Amino Acid formula from England (because in Europe the formula is not genetically modified unlike the US.) Immediately he started to get better, but then got worse again. His condition never really went away. Today he is about 16 months old, in the 10th percentile for weight, happy as can be, but still very itchy. He has good days and bad days. To say we’ve been through hell is an understatement.
During the time I was devastated over having to stop breastfeeding, Playtex Baby got a hold of me and offered to send me ALL the supplies I needed to bottle feed the baby.
Um…YEAH! Thank you.
It’s nice when brands pay attention to real people. Then before I accepted anything, I started to familiarize myself with plastics and which were safe. I was happy to discover that Playtex Baby products do not contain BPA or phthalates. And really, that was the last thing I needed to worry about. After learning about the dangers of plastics, I threw away about 90% of the plastics we ate on in our home because they simply were not safe. (Come back very soon and I’m creating a piece about what I found out and what you can do to protect your family today.) I even got rid of all the plastic cutlery used for picnic occasions and replaced them with greener alternatives not containing BPA. Playtex Baby was the catalyst I needed to make these changes.
Then about their products. I received most of their line to try out and I created this one minute video in appreciation.
My favorite products were their Nurser with Drop-ins because they never leaked, the Diaper Genie because I needed a new one, the Insulator Straw Cup because it’s perfect for special prebiotic/probiotic smoothies, and their bottle brush that I use for cleaning everything. I’m planning some additional posts on these products.
Then they called me and asked me to be in a commercial with Tia & Tamera. *Come again? Wow…me?* I was happy to do it because Playtex Baby made me feel like I had someone looking out for me. Even thought I can be controversial with my stances at times 😉
You can also save $2 on any Playtex bottle by clicking the coupon inside the Youtube video above. I’m totally FOR breastfeeding as the most perfect food for your baby, but for moms who struggle like I did, I’m glad there are safe alternatives.
And if you stick around below you can win some Playtex Baby products.
Giveaway
Playtex Diaper Genie Smart Caddy (one winner)
Playtex Nurser with Drop-Ins Liner Gift Set (one winner)
Playtex VentAire bottle gift set (one winner)
Lil Gripper 2 pack (one winner)
First Sipster (one winner)
Insulator Straw Cup 2 pack (1 winner)
How to Enter:
Please follow the instructions in the rafflecoper below
Backyard Chickens Are Easy
I am glad that everything is working out for you!
Bless his heart! We went through almost the same thing until they discovered his allergies. Until then though I felt so helpless trying to make him feel better.
Poor little guy- glad to see he’s getting better. I’m hoping my little one doesn’t develop my food allergies…
My son is allergic to dairy and after we figured it out I had to give it up as well while breastfeeding. It was so hard – there’s dairy in absolutely everything!!
Being able to read your journey helps out other women unsure of where togo
I, too have had children with severe cases of eczema. My daughter’s feet are always covered in scabs and people ask what happened to her. She was on Nutramigen formula which didn’t help. My older daughter had a patch of skin that seeped and was bright red, almost like an open wound for the first 18 months of her life. We haven’t found a cure, just creams, lotions and home remedies to ease the itching. Luckily my oldest grew out of it and is eczema free at age five. I love Playtex products. Thanks for this great giveaway!
Thankfully we don’t have any allergies to deal with that I know of yet. We are currently breastfeeding, but soon I will be bottle feeding due to other issues.
You’re a strong woman to have dealt with all of that. I tip my cap to you! My wife and I are expecting an crossing our fingers for good health.
I was this baby so I can relate totally. My mother had to breastfeed until I was 3 because there wasn’t really anything substantial I could eat. Really feel your pain. I can’t say that it gets better quickly. I grew out of most of the bad ones. I can have domesticated meat, eggs and wheat now. Corn, shellfish, dairy, tree nuts, chicken etc are still off the table. You learn to adapt. Just watch those crazy people who think it’s ok to give the baby a taste of something. That little thing sent me to the hospital for weeks as a child and my mother just stopped taking me out. Thanks for this giveaway and information. I’ve done the research as well and really trust Playtex!
My daughter was allergic to Mr. Bubble.
I had a lot of problems with allergies when i was younger. I would love to win for my nephew on the way!
We had an allergy issue with whole milk with our oldest. He had to be switched to soy. I couldn’t breast feed, which sucked but formula was ok. As long as he was and is healthy! Our oldest was also super colicky and dealt with lots of constipation. It was horrible 🙁 I went through several different bottles and found that the Playtex Ventaire was the only bottle that helped his colickyness. He was a totally different baby with those bottles!
My son became allergic to cow milk in the later part of his first year. It was very difficult for him and we had to switch his diet and I had to learn so much about other alternatives. One thing is for sure. You can never be prepared for the unexpected allergies that pop up in your children. You learn and adapt.
I haven’t had to deal with 1 so far. My youngest has them bad and had to go to Cleveland Clinic, she went through a battery of tests and found to be allergic to so many different things. So I have to really watch what she eats with, what she eats and her environment.
What is she allergic to?
My daughter was allergic to my breast milk also, It is still so crazy to me that they can be.
When I found out that a baby COULD be allergic to breastmilk I was like WTF? How is that possible? Then my mom told me the story of my grandma who was allergic to breastmilk AND cowsmilk. She almost died until one of the workers on the farm suggested that they milk the horse…and she survived on horse milk until she was able to tolerate cows milk. That was 1920…crazy, huh?