The growing Roza family: Rash

Lilah started daycare in the first week of May when I went back to work. That was an extremely hard time for us. We both really enjoyed the 4 and a half months I spent at home with Lilah, and we never wanted it to end! It was especially tough knowing that I had to leave my baby and go back to a job I don't even like. The first day we dropped Lilah off at daycare together. Boy was that hard! We both cried several times as we got her settled in and then said goodbye to her. I didn't even do a full day of work that first day back. I left around 2 pm so I could go home early to be with Lilah after being away from her for so long.
Lilah has done well in daycare these past 2 months, and her teachers tell us she's a very happy baby. I'm so glad she's adjusted well and enjoys her time in daycare. Unfortunately though, Lilah developed a terrible rash about 3 weeks after she started daycare. We didn't know what it was for quite awhile. We thought maybe the skin on her chin and neck was reacting to her excessive spittiness. But the rash started getting worse, and then it spread to her chest, arms and legs. We've seen her pediatrician several times over the past 2 months for this bad rash. It was first diagnosed as diaper rash and yeast infection. We were given creams to put on her rash and directed to try even harder to keep her dry. Change her bibs and outfits even more often than we already did to try and reduce the moisture on her skin. But yet the rash continued to plague her. There were times when her rash would be very dry and crack, and then it would bleed. Often it was uncomfortable for Lilah, tender sometimes, and also itchy. My poor baby!
More recently at Lilah's doctor appt, we saw a different pediatrician who suspected the rash was actually a really bad case of eczema. We were given yet another dose of creams to rub on Lilah's skin. We were also directed to try a non-milk based formula, and an antihistamine to reduce the swelling and itchiness. Well, the creams have been working pretty well so far. Along with a 4 day dose of 1% hydrocortizone cream, the Cetaphil cream seems to be doing a good job of keeping Lilah better moisturized. We also now have to use Cetaphil cleanser for Lilah's bath, which is a non-soap formula. Lilah's arms, legs and torso look sooooo much better now! She still has a bit of the rash on her chin and neck area, but that area might just continue to be a problem until she stops spitting up so much. I can tell that Lilah is happier and not uncomfortable from the itchiness anymore, and that makes me so glad!
Lilah was also tested for allergies recently. I had to take her to a lab to get blood drawn. That's not an easy thing...having your 6-month old sit in your lap and have a needle stuck in her arm. But Lilah was a trooper and she did very well. The test results came back normal. But the doctor had warned us that with babies, a normal test result isn't very accurate. So we'll see how Lilah continues to do in the next few months.