The Journey of Mia's Cheeks

Friday morning I sat Mia at the table for breakfast and just about cried when I realized that I couldn't deny any longer that her face looked terrible.  Not in a vain way necessarily (though I do want her to have her pretty baby face), but in a painful, sore, cracked, dry way.  I'd tried every product on her sweet face that you could dream up and nothing was helping.  For weeks the words of one of Natalee's allergists had been chanting in the back of my mind and I'd been ignoring them but I couldn't any longer.  All eczema this severe is rooted in a food allergy/intolerance.

 

Her cheeks were so dry they were almost bloody.

The above were taken 2/27/15.

The below were taken the couple weeks before.

I even turned this one black and white because her cheeks were so flushed - but you can still see the difference in tone..

In desperation I decided right then and there that I was done treating the symptoms without reaching the cause of the problem.  I got out my little massive herbal book and started reading.  I decided to start a few gentle supplements for her tummy and skin (vitamin D, C and Omegas 3-6-9) and was convicted about her diet even further after the book told me to be cautious of certain foods.  In a moment of certainty I told Mia no more eggs, wheat/gluten and dairy for her for awhile.  I texted Mike and had him bring home almond milk as she'd been drinking whole milk in her cup and one bottle a day.  Changing Mia's diet is easy because we already feed her mostly meat, fruits and veggies and what I thought was minimal gluten (though she does love a bit of toast and was probably getting more than I realized!).  She is also still nursing but I didn't change my diet - I think that's important to note.

I really thought that if I was on the right track I wouldn't see results for a week or better.  Imagine my joy when I started seeing them within 24 hours!

Saturday ^

Sunday ^

I ground rolled oats into oat flour and made her an egg free, flour free pancake with almond milk for Sunday supper - she loved it.

Monday ^

Beautiful, clear, smooth skin.  

Prior to this weekend I was oiling and slathering thick creams on her cheeks at least every diaper change, sometimes hourly.  Today I moisturized her cheeks this morning with sweet almond oil - that's it.  

Her legs and feet were as dry as her face but not as red because I could cover them after I moisturized them.  However, they are healing also and her body is becoming "baby smooth" again.  

I do think she has sensitive skin overall - today I have on a fleece sweatshirt and after she snuggled against me her cheeks were pink - but nothing like the flaming dry hot scaliness we'd been dealing with.  I usually wear cotton and all our bedding and her clothes are cotton so that makes a big difference. 

I just keep kissing her sweet, smooth cheeks.

After another few days I'll reintroduce the foods we cut, one at a time, with space between to see which one is the "poison."  Overall I'm SO excited that she cleared up so quickly and trying not to be bummed I didn't do this sooner.  I love to see her precious baby cheeks back!