Saturday we had a birthday party to attend for my nephew, who was turning 16. He got a car! I never got a car but that is another story. I like Wiggle to be the cutest on there so we tried on about 12 outfits before making our final selection which was super cute. She was the life of the party (like always!) and everyone loved her outfit and tiny Nike tennis shoes (thanks mom!). OK, back to the topic at hand (or butt!).
All day she was her happy self. She got a little plastic slinky that she decided was a chew toy and spit sling (everyone was covered in spit but since it was Wiggle spit, they though it was cute). I kept an eye on her to make sure she did not get it all the way in her mouth. She drank bottles like normal and when we got home had her usual Organic Sweet Potatoes and Apples.
I noticed that all day Saturday her output (both #1 and #2) was very low. She is usually pretty regular but did not have a BM (bowel movement) all day. She had one Saturday evening and it was more formed than usual and just one "lump". Sunday she had a couple more lump type BMs. I thought it was odd, especially since she is breastfed and everything I read said that breastfed babies rarely get constipated. Sunday she ate organic carrots and a Sweet potato apple mix for lunch and had her normal bottles of breast milk. By Sunday evening she was getting very upset with the hard BM.
About 7:00 I was changing her and while wiping her a drop or two of bloody liquid came out. This totally freaked me out (I admit I am a first time mom and still freak out about everything). I immediately put a call into the on call advise nurse. I told her all that was going on and she said to just watch her and if there was more blood call back and to go to the Dr. if it got worse or she seemed to be in pain.
She appeared fine except for when she was having a movement. She would tense up and get fussy and they were a little smellier than usual. I put some diaper cream on her since she was getting a little red, we like the Boudreaux's Butt Paste since it seems to bother her the least. We tried another brand once before and she literally screamed until I wiped it off.
She does not usually have BM overnight but during our middle of the night feeding, she was a little gassy. I normally do not change her during the night but decided to since she was already more awake that usual and I wanted to keep on top of the problem. There was no BM, but there was a strange jelly/mucus type substance in the diaper and it was mixed with a little blood. There was also a really bad odor. Now, I do not claim to have a baby whose poop smells like roses but this was beyond anything I have smelled from her before. So at 3:00 AM, I decided that I was taking her to the Dr. in the morning even if it was nothing. That is my right as a parent!
She got up for the day at 6:30. I was changing her diaper every 15 minutes because she would have a BM and she did not like them in there. The poor thing cried every time she had to push and cried even more when I would clean her up. These were not small lumps, I would say they were about an inch across and long . Being that small, it must have hurt pushing that out. I did not put any Butt Paste on so that the Dr. could see how it looked.
I called the same day service and they said I could bring her in at 8:00 when they opened. I was right there waiting for them at 8:00 because I wanted my happy baby back. It breaks my heart to see her cry (I know, I have a lot of heartbreak coming over the next 20+ years). We could not see our regular pediatrician but the same day service Dr. was very nice. Albeit a little aggressive in treatment but I was OK with that. He was pretty sure it was just constipation but the blood bothered him a little and he wanted to rule out a intussusception so off we went for X-rays.
For anyone that has not had X-Rays done on their baby, it look painful and did not make Wiggle Bean happy. First they kicked my husband out of the room stating that only one of us could be in there at a time. They they strapped her in this contraption called a Pigg-O-Stat Pediatric Immobilizer and Positioner.
This thing looked so painful and the seat was like a tiny hard plastic bicycle seat. It squeezed her shoulders and pinned her arms over her head (which they made me hold so that it stretch her chest up). Then they wanted me to make her cry harder so that she would take a deep breath in for a better X-Ray picture. What are they trying to do, make me cry!
Now I know that these devices must be necessary, so you have to take fewer X-Rays and limit the radiation exposure but can someone invent something that is less like a torture device and more baby friendly.
Mean while my husband is in the hallway waiting. The X-Rays come up on a screen for the tech to see and he tells my husband that he is not allowed to look at the images (that were clearly visible to him in the hall) until the Dr. can look at them and present them to us. After being kicked out of the room, this made my husband furious but he remained calm.
Then came laying down X-Rays. This made Wiggle Bean less mad but the tech had my husband come back in so that he could assist in holding her still. Not sure why it was OK for both of us to be in the room now but what ever! The X-Rays were clear and we were scheduled for an abdominal ultrasound later in the day.
We took Wiggle Bean home and my husband had to get to work. She was so exhausted that she went to sleep mid feeding. She napped from 10:30 to 1:00 when I had to get her up to go for the ultrasound. This was a much better experience than the X-Rays and she was happy and playful with the tech. Ultrasound was clear so we were sent home with instructions for Glycerin Suppositories (FUN!!!).
I wanted to try an alternative before going the suppository route so I talked to my mom and sister who suggested Karo syrup in water. We tried a little bottle of this and she crank it up. By the evening things were more of a thick past rather than lumps. So it must be working. My only concern now is how do I help her little butt heal. Around the hole is so red and raw that she won't let me near it to wipe her. It was suggested to use a warm water spritzer to rinse then pat dry with a soft cloth. This is working pretty well but I am still unsure what to put on for healing. One person says powder and no diaper cream and the next says absolutely no powder but use cream.
What is a new mom to do?
So here I am asking for advise from more experienced moms that might have a trick or two up their sleeves.
Please help! My Wiggle's Butt is raw and I do not know what to do.
5 comments:
That does look like a torture machine, I've never seen one of those before!
From what I've heard you do not want to "seal" off the rash from the air with diaper cream, but if you put a little bit on the diaper itself it will keep from the diaper rubbing her raw. I've also heard to stop using baby wipes and use warm wash clothes. Also, you may want to try letting her air out without a diaper. And even letting her soak in a warm bathtub with 2 tbsp of baking soda. Most importantly is to change her often and make sure the area is completely dry before replacing diaper.
Poor baby!
Personally, lots of soaking in an oatmeal bath, letting he run around nekked for awhile and I always had the best luck with original Desitin on extreme rashes.
Also avoid baby wipes and use a washcloth.
Good luck, it will pass...but it's so hard to see them hurting.
My only idea for the rash is the same as above- let her soak in a warm bath with baking soda and keep the area really dry.
For the poop- my daughter has suffered from problems with constipation. It started when she started eating more regular food- even though I was still breastfeeding her at the time. She takes Miralax or else she gets terribly constipated. Miralax is so safe it is used in newborns. So I would ask the pediatrician about using that to get her BMs regular again.
Cream on the nappy and on the butt.
OR if you are sure that there is no egg allergy in the family and with Wiggle then whip the white of an egg up until it is fluffy and then spread this on her butt.
I did this with Baby Boy when he was bleeding from the sores and it cleared up by the nighttime.
I have read your stories but this is my first time to comment, i adore your work
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