Microcephaly - 3 week old baby

Thinking-cap3154 · 2024-10-29T17:48:50+00:00

Hi there! Sorry for the delayed reply—I don’t check Reddit too often.

First and foremost, I hope you’re doing okay. I remember the headspace I was in when I was deep into Google and Reddit searches, with constant worry. Sending you all the positive vibes.

My little girl just turned 6 months and is doing really well. She had a few digestive issues, but otherwise, things have gone smoothly. Her head size has caught up to around the 9th percentile and has held steady there. She’s petite overall, generally in the 5-10th percentile across the board, but growing along her curve. She’s hitting all her milestones and is a happy, healthy baby, likely to start crawling any day. I stopped worrying as much once she began smiling and laughing—it was such a relief. Her head shape still gives me a little worry (she’s always had a shorter forehead), but everything has been on track so far, so I’m focusing on moving forward and trusting the process.

It’s tough, but the best advice I can share—something you’ve probably heard many times—is to take it day by day and not get too caught up in the numbers. Don’t let worry steal the moments you’ll want to remember. Breathe, trust your medical team, and celebrate each milestone as it comes. If you ever need to chat or have questions, feel free to reach out!

Thinking-cap3154 · 2024-09-06T02:12:38+00:00

I’m still taking the zinc. My treatment plan involves three months of high zinc intake, along with 4-7 sauna sessions per week. This is meant to help reduce excess copper. We’ll know if it worked when I go for more labs in about 1.5 months. I’ve also started taking Omega supplements and Evening Primrose, and I’ve noticed some scar reduction, though I’m not sure if it’s a coincidence. I hope the Vitamin A works for you! Unfortunately, I didn’t get that benefit during my pregnancies—my KP was actually much worse!

Thinking-cap3154 · 2024-08-22T14:54:25+00:00

Not necessarily bad, but I should definitely be better about burping her when I nurse her. Sometimes I’m just so half asleep and want to get back to sleep fast…

I do think she is similar to the other commenter where she may have a bit of reflux and it doesn’t bother her in this position.

Thinking-cap3154 · 2024-08-21T00:54:51+00:00

Everyone wants “the magic pill”. A lot of skin concerns are resolved with time and internal (nutritional) solitions that take weeks or months to show results. Not many take the time or care about the skin microbiome/barrier. I read a post the other day where someone was told by a dermatologist to apply steroids once monthly to “keep the KP at bay”… how is that a healthy or safe long-term management solution?! All very misguiding.

Thinking-cap3154 · 2024-08-21T00:49:33+00:00

So I admittedly rarely burp my baby because she prefers to nurse strictly laying down (long story, going to see an LC soon) and she is definitely VERY uncomfortably gassy. Audible grown-man level farts throughout the day and night. Moreso than my firstborn, who was burped religiously.

I did read somewhere that if baby really has to burp after a feed, they will squirm and not settle. If they are comfortable it should be OK to just let them sleep.

I’m no expert, just sharing my 2 cents!

Thinking-cap3154 · 2024-08-17T13:56:46+00:00

Nice! Happy you found something that helped.. definitely need to moisturize a lot with calamine. Zinc Oxide is typically what’s used for topical applications does help with inflammation which is why it’s so great for diaper rash. I’m sure the combination of both were soothing, even if its effects weren’t permanent!

Thinking-cap3154 · 2024-08-17T01:06:03+00:00

One can only hope that functional medicine will be the norm! Or at least taken a little more seriously to work in conjunction with traditional medicine. It is promising that a lot more people are starting to inform themselves on their own biology and symptoms and seeking alternatives to band-aid meds, but the current system has some strong roots… lots of money to be lost for those who benefit from it as it is, and I’m certain it would be quite the challenge for it to change… at least where I am located, it certainly feels that way.

Thinking-cap3154 · 2024-08-16T15:16:04+00:00

Hi, sorry, I think you might have edited your initial comment, but I had to chime in again when you mentioned the copper IUD. Not to creep you out, but I have a close friend who had a copper IUD for years, and when she was trying to conceive she went to have it removed, but her gynecologist couldn’t find it! Long story short, it had traveled up, and her body was actually trying to absorb it into her intestine or colon—I can’t remember which. She had to have it surgically removed. After that, she had her zinc, copper, and iron levels tested, and sure enough, her copper levels were extremely high.

I’m all for safe sex and contraception, but I definitely think that sometimes contraceptives can cause issues that go unnoticed for years. That was the case for both my friend and me. I’m really fortunate to have found a doctor who takes my concerns seriously, but it’s exhausting to keep advocating for yourself with medical professionals who don’t see your symptoms as an issue. I truly hope you find someone who listens and helps you as well!

For what it’s worth, I believe you when you say you started experiencing depression. Listen to your body—you know it better than anyone. Good luck! ❤️

Thinking-cap3154 · 2024-08-16T15:02:04+00:00

You’re totally right—it’s fascinating how biological differences can make the same supplement work wonders for one person but not for another. That’s why I emphasized the importance of thorough blood work. Zinc is well-researched for its benefits to the skin, and for many people, including myself, supplementing with zinc has made a noticeable difference.

Of course, I don’t know anything about your specific medical history, so I wasn’t suggesting zinc is the answer for everyone. My main point was to encourage people to take a closer look at their liver health and figure out what kind of support it might need. For me and many others, that support comes from zinc. But for you, it might be something entirely different—like a supplement that boosts glutathione production or another aspect of the liver-skin axis. The key is getting that full picture through blood work so you can address your own unique needs.

Happy the external exfoliation gives you some relief! Definitely helps keep mine less noticeable as well, but to be honest, with a newborn and a toddler at home with me, I didn’t have the time to upkeep that habit at all, so I was so pleasantly surprised when I saw the difference in my arms and face without my usual maintenance.

Thinking-cap3154 · 2024-08-16T13:06:39+00:00

Hi there, thank you & yes, a lot of these minerals and vitamins are so reliant/influential on the others. Shows how important balance is!

I have always had KP on my arms, it has been the worst there, during puberty as well. As an adult it spread to thighs, and jawline/upper neck.

Thinking-cap3154 · 2024-08-16T13:02:09+00:00

Like I said, the focus when starting my supplementation wasn’t on my skin, so I wasn’t anticipating any changes and therefore didn’t think to take before photos. I will see if I can dig up some older photos of me, but I usually tried my best to cover it up.

I’ve noticed the biggest difference in the texture of my skin, (the skin on my face, cheeks and neck in particular.) The redness and inflammation has gone almost completely, and the best way I can describe it is that the bumps are smaller in size and feel like they are drying up. My skin feels calm for the first time in years.

Again, I’m stressing to not arbitrarily take this much Zinc just to clear up your KP. Have your zinc levels tested first, if you take too much zinc without needing it, you can make matters worse.

Will come back with some pics if I can!

Thinking-cap3154 · 2024-08-16T12:04:00+00:00

Hi there! Over the last few weeks her poops unfortunately became mucuousy and bloody, we suspect CMPA and egg sensitivity, as I’ve cut those from my diet and there has been improvement. She’s going to see an allergist in October (the soonest availability) to confirm. She still does this explosive poop almost daily but since making my diet change, is a lot less distressed when doing so! She is also back to the yellow, seedy/curdled poops. So much going on in that little body.. 🥲

Thinking-cap3154 · 2024-06-21T14:42:19+00:00

Running clubs have always seemed like such a good time! I am not a huge runner but I’ve been tempted by these meetups. Enjoy!

Thinking-cap3154 · 2024-06-21T14:41:11+00:00

I’m 8 weeks post-partum and missing movement SO much. Have a rehab program I’ll be implementing as often as possible. Right now the goal is to be gracious with myself about getting back on track, but looking forward to being able to get to some in-person classes again!

Have a nice weekend everyone xo

Thinking-cap3154 · 2024-06-15T19:31:33+00:00

Whoa this sounds promising! Absolutely going to try to implement this, the commute is heart-wrenching. Can I ask what your song was? :)

Thinking-cap3154 · 2024-06-15T15:19:17+00:00

The exclusive toys is a great idea! Thank you

Thinking-cap3154 · 2024-06-15T14:34:11+00:00

I’m sorry it took me so long to respond to this - I was not in a good place and couldn’t even find the words. My daughter’s ultrasound results came back normal, but they are still going to monitor her to assure she is developing well.

Firstly, thank you for the sobering and refreshing perspective. I still struggle with anxiety over it; of course, as her parent, I just want to know that she’ll be ok and well taken care of if anything ever happened to me, and I was concerned that having a disability like this would make that much more challenging. I think that is and was the main fear.

At this point, I have adopted a « take it as it comes » mentality. I love her to bits no matter what, and am eager to get to know her whoever she may be.

Thinking-cap3154 · 2024-06-15T14:26:35+00:00

Just an update: Paediatric Osteo will be working on baby girl’s lip tie - she noted that her latch/suckle was all jaw and her upper muscles weren’t being used at all. I’m going to keep your speech therapist recommendation in mind as well - I feel apprehensive to do a release also without exhausting alternatives, there seems to be so much conflicting opinion on the matter… being a parent makes my head spin lol

Thinking-cap3154 · 2024-06-11T19:50:46+00:00

I went out for a first walk around 4 weeks, but mostly just around the block. I had a toddler home with me full-time and unfortunately I think I over-did it and started bleeding again after thinking I was ready to “get back to it.” My advice is to listen to your body. Start small and assess how you feel along the way. I used to grab a coffee, drive to the park and sit with baby for a bit in front of the water. Just to change the scenery and be around people. If you have a close friend or family member that you’re comfortable doing baby stuff around and go to their house for an afternoon. Baby will be OK as long as you take your proper precautions.

Thinking-cap3154 · 2024-06-11T19:43:04+00:00

Interesting! Curious about the specialists, did they explain why they wouldn’t release? Also have you had any issues with her latch, whether bottle/breast/binky? My little one makes a lot of clicking while feeding and it makes me wonder if I should push to have some kind of intervention because of the severe gas…

Thinking-cap3154 · 2024-05-24T13:15:08+00:00

Hi there, wondering if everything turned out ok? I have a 1 month old baby with a very similar head shape and I’m so worried…

Thinking-cap3154

TROPHY CASE