Baby suffers from a painful skin rash until mother's intuition solves the mystery
Romford, UK - Never underestimate a mother's intuition. Doctors who were unable to diagnose a baby suffering from an excruciating skin condition learned that sometimes a mother does know best.
Charlotte Smallwood (25) from the British town of Romford gave birth to a healthy baby boy in April 2020 but noticed the next day that baby Arthur began developing an aggressive rash all over his body.
Doctors dismissed the symptoms, according to the new mother, claiming they were from swelling after his birth by C-section.
They also believed that Arthur was just an extremely fussy baby.
But Smallwood knew something wasn't right when her baby's condition intensified. For the first few months of his life, Arthur would cry, bleed, and vomit incessantly.
"Arthur would just scratch, cry and scream all night long. I had to wrap his arm up close to his body just so he would stop scratching for five minutes," Smallwood recounted in The Sun.
More doctors claimed that the blisters were due to acid-reflux, yet over-the-counter meds and antibiotic creams still didn't help.
Finally, a lightbulb went off in the distraught mother's head: she suspected that Arthur may have been allergic to milk.
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Baby Arthur gets diagnosis which has helped with his issues
The determined mother took her son to the emergency room, and sure enough, Arthur was diagnosed with severe eczema and an allergy to cow's milk.
After the infant received the medication and ointments he needed, his health began to improve significantly.
"Knowing there was nothing I could do to help my child was absolutely heartbreaking," the British mom revealed.
Yet, the family has still had stumbling blocks in managing their baby's pain and blemish-free skin when they tried weening him off the many creams.
Finally, Arthur saw a doctor at a specialized pediatric dermatology unit in London and was given a more streamlined skincare routine that, for the most part, has curbed his flair-ups for good.
Smallwood said that she has come across many doctors who don't fully believe that a baby's allergy to milk is real.
Thanks to his mother's perseverance, she says that “Arthur is now a happy, healthy 10-month-old who is thriving – he has come so far.”
He also steers clear of any dairy products.
Cover photo: 123RF/Yurii Hnidets