the worries

What is it about the innate power of parenting to make one worry so? I have the mommy worries all the time...there is always something new that emerges that makes we worry or get concerned about my baby. And of course it's usually nothing major, but enough to consume my thoughts, make me search endlessly on the Internet (which my husband wishes he could somehow ban) and call all my friends who are parents to get their opinions. This week it's Eddie's skin - major dry patches, which all the books distinguish as baby eczema, common to about 20% of infants. And of course everyone here in Chicago (did I mention it has been below zero temperatures for several days now?) has issues with dry skin in the winter and my side of the family all has eczema or some other sensitive skin ailment...but I am wondering if there is a way to tell if it is just related to genes and environment vs. a possible food allergy? I haven't found any info that helps distinguish between them. It's sort of like the whole colic thing...no one knows the true cause, there are just suggestions on how to improve or help it. So we apply lotion liberally (California Baby's Calming Botanical Cream) and of course use fragrance-free detergents and organic cotton clothing and bedding. The spots that have the most flare-ups are behind the knees, the elbows and upper arm area and there are a couple patches on his back/shoulder area. Eddie moves a lot in his crib - he is always in a different position than that which we put him down in - and so the placement of the patches of irritated skin do seem associated with areas of friction from movement. But then there is the whole association of eczema with allergies, and the most concerning for a foodie like me, is with food allergies, specifically to cow's milk. About 7% of infants are allergic to the protein in cow's milk. The protein is in the whey and/or the casein and so it's not as simple as just not drinking milk or eating cheese, yogurt and butter - whey and casein are also found in a lot of other foodstuffs and all baked goods. Since I am breastfeeding exclusively, the only way to determine if he has an allergy is by me eliminating cow's milk from my diet for 3 weeks just to see if it helps. And since these products are a major source of my current diet (I eat yogurt and cheese every day), I want to discuss with the doctor first to see what she suggests. He has all the symptoms associated with a cow's milk allergy, all but excessive vomiting/diarrhea, but maybe all of his little issues are all unrelated...maybe his dry skin is just dry skin, maybe his coughing is due to the fact that he is teething and drooling a lot and the drool goes down the back of his throat (this was described in one of my books) and maybe his colic was just simply colic, an unknown that lasts for 3 months and then is just gone. What can a parent do but worry?