A mum whose daughter was born with Down’s syndrome and had emergency surgery at just one day old due to a blocked bowel is over the moon after finding a miracle cream to ease her baby’s painful eczema.
Amie Yates, 33, was delighted when she fell pregnant with her third child, but when baby Gweni was born in May 2022 and diagnosed with duodenal atresia, which causes a blockage in the bowel, the family were terrified. Rushed for emergency surgery at one day old, Gweni recovered quickly and returned home just three weeks later.
But in November 2022, at just six months old, she developed painful eczema on her face and torso that only worsened during the cold winter months. At a loss for how to ease her baby’s discomfort, Amie reached out to friends at a local Down’s syndrome support group she had found on Facebook and was advised to try MooGoo Soothing Baby Moisturiser cream. Costing £13.50, the cream eased Gweni’s discomfort and now the nine-month-old is back to perfect health.
“There were lots of surprises when Gweni was born,” she said. “She’s such a happy baby, but I could definitely see the eczema was causing her a lot of discomfort. Now she’s back to her happy self.”
Amie, who is also mum to Ollie, 12 and Edie, three, and lives with her husband, Lee, 43, gave birth to Gweni in May 2022, but the family were surprised when Gweni was diagnosed with Down’s syndrome and rare condition duodenal atresia just hours after she was born. Affecting the bowel, duodenal atresia is where the small intestine is closed off rather than being a tube, stopping food and fluid from passing from the stomach to the intestines.
“It was a whirlwind,” explained Amie. “There was a blockage in Gweni’s bowel. The bowel had formed like a solid tube. They told us she would need emergency surgery to correct the blockage.
“She was such a tiny baby as well, she only weighed 6lb 5oz. It was scary thinking about her being so small in surgery.”
Needing emergency surgery the family were rushed 67 miles away to Leeds Children’s Hospital for Gweni to have a lifesaving operation to remove the blockage.
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“It was different than we had expected,” explained Amie. “We had packed for one night in hospital and we ended up spending three weeks in hospital. It was nerve-racking. Gweni went into surgery the day after she was born, the doctors joined the part of the bowel before and after the blockage so they bypassed the bit that wasn’t open.”
Gweni recovered quickly from her surgery and was able to return home at three weeks old.
“We spent two and a half weeks in Leeds hospital and then returned to Scarborough General Hospital for another three days,” said Amie. “She did so well.”
However, at six months old Amie was concerned when Gweni’s cheeks and torso became red with eczema.
“She started to get red, bumpy skin on her cheeks. I felt bad for her and wanted to help as it looked quite sore,” said Amie. “I had been warned that people with Down’s syndrome are more susceptible to dry skin conditions and things like that.
“It coincided with the beginning of winter, so the change in temperature really affected her skin. She always had quite sensitive dry skin, but I think the temperature just amplified it.”
And as the winter months continued Gweni’s eczema only worsened, leaving her with bright red and sore cheeks.
“I just felt so bad for her,” said Amie. “It got worse when we had been outside, it would look more red and dry. As the weather got colder, the more irritated her skin became.
“She’s never been a baby that cried a lot, but I could tell she was very uncomfortable. She would start to rub her cheeks in her sleep, which caused further irritation and redness.”
So when Amie mentioned Gweni’s eczema in a Down’s syndrome support group she was overjoyed when a mum revealed a miracle cream she’d used before.
“I found the support group on Facebook,” she explained. “We had previously tried a few over-the-counter creams but nothing seemed to calm it down. I really wasn’t sure what to do next.
“The support group has a WhatsApp group, in the playgroup we only see babies the same age as ours but on the WhatsApp group are all different parents with children of all different ages. I messaged in this group and an older kid’s mum said she uses a cream called MooGoo and that it was really good.”
Purchasing MooGoo Soothing Baby Moisturiser cream in December 2022, Amie was amazed when Gweni’s eczema quickly cleared up.
“I just thought I would give it a go,” she said. “I was surprised when after a matter of days her cheeks and torso started to get better. It really helped her. I started to see a difference within two days and by three weeks it had almost completely cleared up.”
Now Amie, a pharmacy technician from Scarborough, is making the most of her maternity leave and Gweni is back to perfect health.
“She’s doing really well now,” she said. “Now I’m just planning on chilling out and enjoying the rest of my maternity leave with Gweni. She’s brilliant, she has an amazing laugh and such beautiful little cheeks.
“She’s the easiest baby ever, she barely cries. She is so happy and chilled out.”
