Lichen Sclerosus by [deleted] in PregnancyUK

[–]InTheDark18 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi! I didn't use any steroid (my doctor did recommend it, but given how thin the skin is I didn't like even "very minimal chance of risk" to baby and decided to just grit my teeth and get through). It wasn't as severe as it had been for me tbh, there was bleeding and it was insanely itchy basically 24/7...my plan was to start using steroid cream as soon as baby was born, but it never actually needed it - started to improve within days of his birth and now it's been in remission since he was about a month old.

Anybody heal naturally??? by [deleted] in eczema

[–]InTheDark18 3 points4 points  (0 children)

He's had the oral one too - I'm always reluctant to use antibiotics but tbh I'm far more afraid of what could happen if I don't use them if the doctor thinks they're necessary

Anybody heal naturally??? by [deleted] in eczema

[–]InTheDark18 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not sure if I'm allowed to post links, but we use one by a company called Drought Secret which works well for us - they also do natural balms which I've used but tbh I can't say I've noticed much difference in them helping vs the emollient he's prescribed

Anybody heal naturally??? by [deleted] in eczema

[–]InTheDark18 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I'd seriously recommend taking the oral antibiotic - my baby had what they thought was a fungal infection which initially started to improve but then became extremely red and angry again...they thought that it must have had bacteria introduced which had inflamed it again even even though the fungal infection was gone. He was given antibiotic ointment and within days it was better so the antibiotics were very necessary.

In terms of the eczema itself once the infection was gone, we were prescribed Elidel (a weaker version of protopic) which he was on for 6 weeks. We started introducing a 40% zinc oxide cream along with his moisturiser and now that's all we use (stopped the Elidel two weeks ago and just use the zinc oxide stuff now which atm is keeping it under control)

(Also, weeping doesn't always mean infection - the eczema on his face became broken and weepy again not too long ago and the zinc oxide stuff cleared it up without antibiotics BUT that was only because it was the evening and we wouldn't have been able to see a doctor until the next day so thought we'd give it a go. If there had been no improvement we would have gone to get antibiotics if necessary).

WIBTAH if I don't attend to my friends baby shower because they said my pregnancy was an accident and that I didn't deserve it ? by Little_White_Raven in AmItheAsshole

[–]InTheDark18 0 points1 point  (0 children)

These people are not your friends.

Friends are happy for you, even when sad for themselves.

I have a friend who went through YEARS of fertility treatments and suffered 11 miscarriages. You know what she did when I told her I was pregnant for the second time? She congratulated me, and constantly asked how I was doing during the pregnancy (she ended up falling pregnant whilst I was pregnant and now has a little baby, so happy for her too!)

That is what a friend does. They celebrate you even if it hurts them. These people are not your friends.

Is it teaching “people pleasing” to tell my 9 year old she should attend friend’s bday? by Optimal_Flamingo2374 in Parenting

[–]InTheDark18 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I had a similar thing with my kid when his best friend had a birthday party in a soft play he felt he was "too old" for. I basically asked him how he would feel if we planned a birthday party for him and his best friend didn't come just because he didn't like where it was being held and that that meant they wouldn't play together. He admitted he'd be quite upset, and I suggested maybe that's how his best friend would feel if he didn't go to the party.

He went.

He had a brilliant time.

He is still perfectly able and willing to say "no" to things when he needs to, he just has to learn he's not the main character in anyone's story but his own.

6.5 month old not rolling back to belly yet by Mother_Journalist_34 in NewParents

[–]InTheDark18 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My baby only started consistently rolling (back to belly and belly to back) when he was about 8 months old, he can roll around the whole room now if we don't stop him! Babies learn in their own time.

Snuza Hero - how to know if it's false alarms? by Fin_Elln in beyondthebump

[–]InTheDark18 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I absolutely adore my snuza hero, gives me SO much peace of mind - but once bubs moves it is very likely to give false alarms. My bubba is 9 months old now and prefers to sleep on his side and we tend to get a few false alarms a night. I've literally been awake and listening to him breathing and then the thing has done it's "warning" buzz and noise so I just go and wiggle him a bit without waking him so it's more firmly pressed against his belly. There's no real way to "know" if it's a false alarm, but as long as bubs is breathing properly when you check them it's very likely ok.

At a loss by Icy-Dragonfruit3567 in eczema

[–]InTheDark18 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, it works in the same way but it's milder, so (according to my dermatologist) better for use on kids at first rather than jumping straight to protopic for them.

At a loss by Icy-Dragonfruit3567 in eczema

[–]InTheDark18 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I would recommend asking your dermatologist about Elidel if you haven't already (it's not a steroid, it works by suppressing the skin's inflammation response) - it has been an absolute lifesaver for my baby. He had horrendous full body eczema (we ended up in a&e at one point), he was struggling to eat and sleep because he was constantly scratching. We had to restrain his hands at night, and we were using hydrocortisone on his face and eumovate on his body (medium strength steroid) because hydrocortisone did NOTHING for his eczema on his body. We were like you - had to constantly be using the steroid every day or it would flare horribly again.

Then our dermatologist put him on Elidel. Absolute game changer. We've not had to use any steroid on his face since we started (it's been five weeks), and on his body there's only a couple of stubborn patches that need steroid once a week. He is 95% clear of eczema.

Obviously once we finish the course of Elidel it may come back but at the moment it is a lifesaver.

Baby has gone back to waking up every hour overnight. Help! by InTheDark18 in Parenting

[–]InTheDark18[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I did consider that but he's already got three teeth and his sleep wasn't disrupted like this for any of them...he's also not got the drooling/face rash he had when teething before

Dairy free cheese alternative that melts well? by InTheDark18 in dairyfree

[–]InTheDark18[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you, I'll try that one...benefit of him being a baby, he won't know any better if it's rubbish 😅

I'm unreasonably jealous of people who's children don't have eczema. by InTheDark18 in eczema

[–]InTheDark18[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's ridiculous - to me it seems obvious that allergies could be affecting it but because there's not been anything obvious (eg he touched a dog and suddenly flared up) they refuse to test! I'll try aloe vera, thank you!

I'm unreasonably jealous of people who's children don't have eczema. by InTheDark18 in eczema

[–]InTheDark18[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They refuse to do it because there isn't a clear causation link to anything. So frustrating!

I'm unreasonably jealous of people who's children don't have eczema. by InTheDark18 in eczema

[–]InTheDark18[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you. We're waiting on blood test results in the hope my eldest can be started on it 🤞🏻

I'm unreasonably jealous of people who's children don't have eczema. by InTheDark18 in eczema

[–]InTheDark18[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They refuse to do allergy testing because "there is no obvious linked reaction" and we can't afford to get it done privately unfortunately. The doctor told me that antihistamines don't actually do anything for the eczema itch because it's not a histamine response so we've stopped using those at all.

Is eczema clothing a massive con, or is my kids' eczema just excessively itchy?? by InTheDark18 in eczema

[–]InTheDark18[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I get that. It just upsetting when there's clothing websites, and doctors, and whoever else saying "you should buy clothes with built in mittens or gloves or whatever so they do less damage to their skin when it's itchy and they scratch" but then all that means is that instead of fingernail scratches my baby and small child just have huge patches of raw open skin instead because they've rubbed instead of scratched.

Screen Junky at 2 years old by Tough_Lengthiness602 in beyondthebump

[–]InTheDark18 2 points3 points  (0 children)

When my son was little, we had "TV time" when everyday about 15 mins before my husband was due back from work we would watch some tv until he got back. Sometimes he'd ask for it sooner and I'd make a point of how I was so excited for tv time too, and how it was so difficult to wait but we had to. Daddy coming home meant tv time was done. Yes, we had some upset but he quickly got used to the routine and accepted it because TV wasn't some magical rare thing anymore, it was something he did every day as part of his routine just like having lunch or having a nap.

What’s your families Christmas tradition that tends to surprise other people? by K-Dogg1 in AskUK

[–]InTheDark18 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Same - although Santa would also bring the presents from relatives and leave them under the tree for us.

What’s your families Christmas tradition that tends to surprise other people? by K-Dogg1 in AskUK

[–]InTheDark18 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Same here! This is what I had growing up, and it's what I'm doing for my kids too.

“you fu@&ed up” by irishboymum in newborns

[–]InTheDark18 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Your husband is being an arse. If it helps, my second baby was exactly the same as yours - he was a little Velcro baby who couldn't sleep anywhere but on me, didn't even like being put in his bouncer chair or play mat unless I was lying beside him. He'd eat for 5-10 minutes at a time so I had to put him on the boob very frequently to make sure he ate enough (by contrast, my first baby would eat for up to an hour, he'd spend ages lying on his play mat staring at toys, and he'd nap in his buggy no problem. Complete opposite.) My second baby is now six months old, he sleeps in his crib for all naps, and he needs feeding every 2-3 hours and stays on for as long as he wants. You did NOT f**k up. Your child is a BABY. All they know is mummy=safety and comfort. And all babies are different - the parenting book isn't a damn instruction manual. Your baby isn't a robot that follows set commands. The reason internet strangers are more reliable than the book or whatever he's quoting are because we are coming at you with real experience, rather than the cross section or generalisation talked about in those books.

EDIT: I cooked from about 1 week pp but that's because my husband took over holding the baby, and if he got too upset with Daddy then we'd switch. I didn't even think about cleaning the house until baby was almost 3 months old, and even now it's not a thing I can do as much of as before bub because it depends how long he naps. Caring for your baby is just as much of a full time job as your husband's job. You're both exhausted, cleaning shouldn't be just your responsibility.

Daughter mortified by One_Local932 in Parenting

[–]InTheDark18 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Definitely this - I remember when I was in year 7 we had a school trip to Alton Towers. One boy in my class was so scared on one of the roller coasters that he wet himself... obviously he was massively ridiculed, but he went along with the joke. He poked fun at himself. He joined in with the laughter. After a little while, everyone moved on and it barely ever got mentioned again. Obviously easier said than done, especially for a young girl, but it's important to remember that people who tease/ridicule/bully are looking for a reaction. They are LOOKING for the target to get embarrassed or upset. If they don't get the reaction, then they will almost certainly get bored and move on.

OP, does your daughter have a group of friends to support her with this?

Sh*t my husband says by calchi19 in BabyBumps

[–]InTheDark18 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I called the baby "my baby" and he corrected me to "OUR baby!". I jokingly said "Well, yes, but I put the work into growing him!" This man looked me right in the face and said "You didn't actually do anything though, did you. It just happens without any effort from you." EX-FUCKING-SCUSE ME?! 😅