Raw baby bottom -- poor thing!

BrachaVHatzlocha

Thu, Jan 12 2006, 11:07 pm

My baby is 4 weeks old. It's been 3 weeks since he has a little rash near his backside. It's red and raw. The first time I took him to the dr I was told put on cream. The 2nd time they said the same thing -- plus he has a fungus in the front area. So I'm putting the prescription stuff in the front and it's healing B"H. But I'm putting Calmoseptine in back and it's still red! (Ok, I admit that I wasn't religious about putting the cream on at first...but now I've been putting it on at every diaper change for several days)
The dr doesn't think it's from something I'm eating -- because he's gaining weight. Says it's just from loose stools. But why does he have it so long?
Anyone have experience with babies allergic to something YOU are eating? Or red botches on bottom that stay red?? thanks!

elisecohen

Fri, Jan 13 2006, 7:01 am

Oh, yes. With my last baby, the nurses at the hospital couldn't believe he had a raw tush before we even left the hospital (I wound up spending 6 months on the allergy diet--8 foods only--for him).

I can't tell you what food it is in your diet that irritates him, it's individual and could be anything. For several of my babies it was when I ate apples! I can tell you the best thing for it is to mix desitin and maalox--the desitin protects, the maalox neutralizes the acid that causes the irritation--and paint it on the irritation with cotton wool or q tips or tissues.

He*Sings*To*Me

Fri, Jan 13 2006, 9:58 am

Melaleuca products, as a previous poster mentioned are SUPERB! Melaleuca Oil is more commonly known as Tea Tree Oil.
It sounds to me like your baby has his first case of---don't laugh, ladies!---"jock itch". How do I know? My son, our #3 had it at about the same age...we changed diapers (the brand, that is!), wipes, tried every homeopathic remedy, then medicinal remedies, but ALL for "diaper rash"...it was fungal and wasn't going to budge unless an anti-fungal product was used on him. So, we used "jock itch" cream and it did the trick! My friend is my childrens' pediatrician, and this sounds bad, but we got a little bit of a chuckle out of it...
My "macho" Reuven, said in this pseudo-macho, extra-deep voice "That's my Boy!" as if surviving jock itch made him a little man at the tender age of one month...oy.

SMG

Fri, Jan 13 2006, 10:21 am

Re cause of rash, my son has always had a problem with citrus foods and fruit juices. They cause him to have sore, bleeding tush rash.
After trying many products, I found Palmer's Bottom Butter to work the best on him. Neosporin (triple anti-biotic ointment) is also effective for a wound-like rash and is a non-irritant.
Good luck!

chanala

Fri, Jan 13 2006, 10:53 am

In the off-chance it's not fungal, try equal parts of Aquaphor and Maalox mixed really really well together... hospital nurseries use this for diaper rash... Aquaphor is a heavy-duty ointment found with hand lotions, with Eucerin.

This is the only thing that cured my kids' absolute worst diaper rashes!

Good luck.... poor baby!! <<hugs>>

BrachaVHatzlocha

Fri, Jan 13 2006, 11:22 am

the front area definately is a fungal infection. the meds from the dr are helping. My older one had it 2-3 times his first year! (my luck!)
But the back area...sounds like it could be an allergy, though my dr won't say so! For those of you who had to go on diets due to your nursing baby's raw bottom....what is the most allergic type food? milk? Did you figure it out with a dr's help or your own? Did you baby gain weight okay before you went on the diet?
Thanks!
(I'm wondering if I should cut out milk...but I will miss my dairy products! Maybe I should do it for 2-3 days over Shabbos??)

He*Sings*To*Me

Fri, Jan 13 2006, 12:02 pm

What a great bunch of Mommies we are!
Could the lactic acid in dairy milk be a possible culprit? Being that some babies get really "gassy" when Mommy ingests soy products, try enriched rice milk in leiu of dairy milk.
If you keep cholov yisroel, do you have access to yogurt? The live cultures used in yogurt production regulate & balance the "flora"(good bacteria) in the colon, which might help his stool to be less acidic in the end (pun intended Wink

)...

elisecohen

Fri, Jan 13 2006, 12:11 pm

Talk to your doctor and the baby's. Cutting foods randomly out of your diet is generally not advised. If you're going to really try it, the first thing to do (with MDs' approval) is to cut out the most common allergens: milk, eggs, wheat, soy, nuts, peanuts, and fish (and some add citrus). If that clears up the problem, you add each one back in one by one and see if there's any reaction. If eliminating all of those allergens DOESN'T help the problem and the doctors are still fairly certain that it's food related, generally you need to do the allergy diet: eating only either chicken or turkey (depending on the doctor, some say one some say the other), lamb, potatoes, sweet potatoes, summer squash, pears, rice, and millet.

The whole time you are on either diet, your baby cannot take soy or dairy formula, of course, because either of those could be the culprit as well.

This isn't easy, but it can usually help. Most babies do outgrow multiple protein intolerances pretty quickly. Some do go on to IgE mediated allergies or cell-mediated allergic/autoimmune diseases, but this is rare. Of course, my kids just have to be the few, the proud, the allergic eosinophilic GI kids (wink).

Itta

Fri, Jan 13 2006, 12:13 pm

in re food allergies :

unfortunately 2-3 days off a particular food may not do the trick, since it could take that long for the offensive substance (so-to-speak) to leave the baby's body. if you really think its an allergy, get a scratch test or blood test done at an allergist's office.

though my personal experience with food allergies in general is that the younger the child the more obvious the reaction is. the young child allergic trademark, is usually the blotchy red, itchy, chapped (often bleeding) cheeks. as the child grows it moves to the outside of the elbows and knees, then to the insides of elbows and knees and finally to the hands.... (I may have missed one step, any doctors on board correct me, please)

an intolerance is different. the 'reaction' can range from a runny nose to upset stomak and diarrea... avoiding the bothersome food can help until the body 'calms down'. sometimes the food can be slowly re-introduced at a later date depending on the severity of the reaction.

how about this:
try the fungus cream for the back area as well it can't hurt (unless the cream specifically says "don not apply to broken skin"). I've smeared a fungus cream, desitin and topped it off with a zinc oxide fortified powder to 'seal it in'. (its my mother in law's idea. that way the cream doesn't stick to the diaper.) also, I've used A&D ointment to seal out the wetness, if I think the excretements are particularly acidic and irritating the area further. yes, the baby's tush ends up looking more like a cake with icing when I'm done LOL

g'luck!
(((hugs))) to you and your yummy little one.

BrachaVHatzlocha

Sun, Jan 15 2006, 5:21 pm

hi, again! Well, I haven't had dairy since Friday AM and his bottom MIGHT be improving. It's still red, but it's not raw. So maybe it's improving. I'll give it a few more days and see what happens. I asked my husband if he has a chance to pick up PARVE ice cream> (can't give that up too fast, can I??)

Elise, his dr does NOT think it's allergies cuz he's B"H gaining weight very well. So...I'm just guessing.
He got some pimples (red zits?) on his face but I read that it's normal due to a) mom's hormones b) immature glands. So I assume it's not related.

TzenaRena

Sun, Jan 15 2006, 7:32 pm

in my opinion, the rash in the back is fungal too. All those raw rashes that didn't clear up with desitin and balmex, did when I used Lotrimin. That doesn't have to be a contradiction to the question of allergy, or acid, because that is probably what causes the fungus to thrive.

I also found that the wipes exacerbated the problem. I cleaned with warm water, and patted dry.

Itta

Mon, Jan 16 2006, 1:45 pm

SaraYehudis wrote:

ditto

brachad, USE THE FUNGUS CREAM ON THE BACK, please just try it for a day or two....

and about the pimples, I wouldn't worry about them. your baby is not that old, and like you said, it's prob'ly just 'baby acne'.

when my 9 month old was an infant I called him 'geen-eyed pimple-face'. he looked almost as bad as my teen-age brother!

(my youngest brother rubbed/scratched his cheeks with his hand or bed sheet, starting at three months.... he sorta' "thrashed about" in his bed he always looked uncomfortable until we got him a special formula... thats my allergy experience... my mother is not online, but she would be the better one to talk to. besides the doctor of course Wink

proudmom

Mon, Jan 16 2006, 1:52 pm

Bracha two of my kids had that problem and the best thing to do is dont use wipes on your baby's bottom. If you use wipes your are taking off the layers that protect him from rashes. It will take a while for it to go away. Just use diaper rash cream with the highest level of zinc oxide. The higher the better. If you want after puting the cream take some baby powder and sprinkle it on him. But dont squeeze it because its not good for his lungs. If you want put some powder in your hands and then put it on him. You can also let him sit in a bath for a while it soothes it. When you give him a bath use specto gel in that area that is good for it too.

BrachaVHatzlocha

Mon, Jan 16 2006, 3:20 pm

proudmom wrote:

B Just use diaper rash cream with the highest level of zinc oxide. The higher the better.

I was actually told that Triple Paste and Calmoseptine are the best for diaper rashes. Calmoseptine only has 20% zinc oxide while Desitin has 40%...HMMMM

BrachaVHatzlocha

Thu, Jan 19 2006, 10:07 pm

I THINK it looks better today. Now -- is it because it's almost a week I'm without dairy, or is it just finally healing? or is it all my imagination? well, I'll wait until it (hopefully) completely heals and then I guess I'll try to eat dairy again...
Anyone on a non-dairy diet? do you have to eat anything special to make sure you get calcium? I've been drinking rice and soy milk which has...but no other dairy products, so I might not be having enough???