Unfiltered

I was recently made aware of negative comments surrounding videos and photos I share of Luca. So bear with me, while I go on a bit of a rant to set the record straight.

As you all well know, my sweet little 9-month old Luca suffers from severe atopic dermatitis aka a chronic autoimmune form of eczema. I wrote a whole blog post about it, so if you want to brush up on his condition, you can do that here.

Luca’s sweet cheeks are always rosy, but sometimes more so than others. In fact, within a day, his skin can fluctuate from weepy, red and inflamed, to calm, clear and pink. I’ve learned to just roll with the punches and help him cope with it the best we can. Because we are really doing everything in our power to manage it. In fact, it’s consuming at times.

If you’re reading this, you likely know that I share the highlights of my days on Instagram stories. Luca and all his giggles, rolls, and scrunchie smiles are always making an appearance. You also may have noticed that sometimes his skin looks much better than other times. Perhaps you’ve also picked up on the fact that sometimes I use a filter on him (and on myself- ok a lot of the time on myself :).

I was told of comments criticizing my use of filters on baby Luca. And mama didn’t like that. So let me break it down for anyone who may feel that way.

We have struggled immensely with Luca’s skin. The discomfort he experiences has brought on feelings of depression and anxiety. What we don’t need added to that is judgement.

There have been times when Luca’s skin is looking relatively under control in person. Then I pull out my phone to capture a moment and it seems to me that the camera amplifies or highlights the redness. This is one of those circumstances where I might be inclined to make use of a filter. That’s what they are there for, isn’t it?

On bad days, a filter may give us a glimpse of what Luca would look like if he wasn’t suffering from this condition. Let us have that.

When approaching this subject from a empathetic standpoint, it’s likely that any of us would appreciate the use of a filter to smooth out raw and open sores on our face, ya?

We all want to put our best face forward, and I can only assume, especially if he’s anything like his mama ;), that Luca would want to do the same.

Luca is not always filtered but if he is, know that it’s not because we are trying to hide anything or because we are embarrassed of anything. And respect that. In fact, sometimes I think that Luca is just too cute and perfect in every way that he was dealt eczema because it’s just not fair for a baby to be so darling :D

So babes, let’s focus on lifting each other up and supporting one another. You do you girl. And I’ll do me (and I’ll do it with a filter, if I want).

Nothing but love for you,

Xo Kk