Jessa Duggar Gives “Big” Health Update on Baby Boy Edward
19 Kids and Counting alum Jessa Duggar shared that she has given up dairy after noticing an itchy rash on her and husband’s 4-month-old baby Edward.
Jessa Duggar isn’t skimming over this update.
The 19 Kids and Counting star shared that she had to make a major change to her own diet after she noticed a rash on her and husband Ben Seewald’s 4-month-old son Edward.
“Big update on Edward. He has had this rash,” Jessa said in a video posted to YouTube Nov. 10. “It looks like cradle cap, but it’s not cradle cap.”
The 33-year-old explained that cradle cap—which is characterized by “crusty or oily scaly patches on a baby’s scalp” according to the Mayo Clinic—isn’t supposed to be itchy, while Edward’s rashes were.
So Jessa—who also shares kids Spurgeon, 9, Henry, 8, Ivy, 6, Fern, 4, and George, 22 months, with Ben—made the decision to go off dairy in the hopes that changing what she eats would help Edward while he breastfeeds.
“Henry had the same rash on his head—eczema—under his arms and all of his creases,” she recalled. “And when I went dairy-free when he was about 4 months old, all of his stuff cleared up. I’m hoping it’s just the same issue for Edward. So, I’m giving it a try.”
And the reality star is already seeing positive results, noting that the infant’s skin was “looking a lot clearer” after just one week.
“He still has some rash on his torso, but his head is looking so much better,” she added. “I really think that dairy might be the key, but that is not fun.”
Jessa Duggar/InstagramIn fact, Jessa lamented the lack of dairy, saying that it feels “kind of depressing” since her 33rd birthday was on Nov. 4 and she couldn’t celebrate with ice cream or a cup of coffee.
“I’ve actually given up coffee because whenever I went off of dairy with Henry I tried the substitutes, and I just didn’t prefer them,” she explained. “It just wasn’t the same experience as drinking my regular coffee with whole milk.”
But despite missing her daily cup of joe, Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar’s daughter shared it was probably a good idea to take a break from the caffeinated beverage, confessing, “It’s good to have that reset every now and then anyway.”
Jessa Duggar/InstagramOf course, dairy was slightly harder to avoid, as Jessa—who celebrated her 11th wedding anniversary with Ben earlier this month—explained it makes going out to eat more difficult.
“I’m always thinking, ‘Oh, is this really dairy-free? Did they put butter on this? Did they forget?’” she mused. “I don’t have anything severe like celiac or something like that where it’s gonna be the biggest deal ever. But I would say like your baby breaking out with a rash is kind of a big deal.”
