Mum-of-seven's despair as baby born 'with skin like a snake' - and eczema treatments only made swelling worse

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

A mum-of-seven was left feeling 'helpless' after her baby was born with skin 'like a snake' - which only swelled more after using prescribed eczema cream.

Rachel Mullins, 34, a stay-at-home mum, said medics first thought her son Caleb’s sore, scaly and flaky skin was due to being eight days late but when the dryness did not clear up, she started using creams prescribed by her GP to treat the issue.

Unsure if his peeling condition was due to eczema or an allergy to milk, Rachel found that the creams she tried irritated his skin and left him with sleepless nights due to flare-ups. Try MEN Premium for FREE by clicking here for no ads, fun puzzles and brilliant new features. Plagued with open sores and peeling skin, Rachel said she felt “helpless” as she watched her little boy struggle with constant pain and discomfort – which also caused anxiety for his sibling Levi, 11, watching on.

Then she found a high street product that became his saviour. Rachel, who lives with her partner Adrian, 44, a carer, their children, Kelsey, nine, Kian, five, Jenson, three, and Caleb, now 11 weeks old, and Rachel’s children from a previous relationship, Brooke, 13, Riley, 12, and Levi, 11, said: “His skin was so scaly when he was newborn that he looked like a snake but it wasn’t until he was three weeks old that we seriously became concerned. “Nothing was clearing his skin up and over the weeks, it got worse and worse." Rachel gave birth to Caleb when he was eight days late in May this year, and said his skin problems began from the moment he was born.