Eileen,
I too have dry and sometimes cracking skin on my knuckles. I have tried using those cleansers that exfoliate to get the dry skin off, then moisturize as often as possible, it helps as long as I keep up the moisturizing, but as soon as I slack off, it returns. As far as it being better when you were pregnant, it could have been the vitamins you were taking when you were pregnant. Good luck
Eileen:
Your good questions probably have no answers. Dryness of the knuckles is probably just that, dryness, rather than eczema. Why it should be localized to the knuckles and why pregnany should affect it one way or another is impossible to say. Did your doctors have an opinion?
You might try a urea-containing moisturizer like Carmol 20 (OTC).
Best.
Dr. Rockoff