New Parent Lesson = Dry the bum

As new parents, we took all the classes that we could.  We took the child birthing class, the new parents class, the breastfeeding class and my husband even took the new dad 101 class.   I read the books, a few that I would highly recommend and will have another post about later.   We talked to other parents to try to and learn as much as possible and be as prepared as we could be.


We heard it all:

• horror stories about never sleeping again until the child is 18
• possible issues with latch and supply while trying to breastfeed
• gassy baby problems
• no bath-time until the umbilical cord dries up and falls off 
• wash your hands
• have guests wash their hands
• Sanitize, sanitize, sanitize

We prepared the house and nursery.  Ready with newborn and 3 month clothes.  Two diaper/changing stations set up, one on each floor.  Bassinet set up in the master bedroom.

In our classes, we practiced swaddling and changing diapers.   We got to see all the different colors and textures that healthy baby poop can be.   My husband was scared of the first poop, the meconium.  From what we saw and heard this was going to be like tar.  Hard to get off and very sticky.   He planned to bring a cash bribe to the hospital to offer to the first nurse who would help with it.   It wasn't as bad as he expected.

The first two weeks home were a blur. We had family visiting.  Baby had her nights and days mixed up and we focused on getting that turned around.   We tracked everything in an app. We used Sprout, also a likely future blog post.  Every diaper change, every feed, every sleep.   We knew that we couldn't give her a bath until after the umbilical cord fell off.  We also knew that babies skin are very sensitive.   When we changed her diaper, we focused on getting it really clean every time.  We used multiple wipes to make sure she was spotless before we put her in a fresh, clean diaper.  We fed every two hours, and at every feeding she had a wet diaper.  In every diaper she had little fart poops. We didn't want to use any butt creams yet because we didn't know how she would react.   Her butt was a little red, but we just kept making sure it was clean. By the time we started using butt paste, it was too late.  Because we were focused on getting her clean, but not focused on getting her dry, she had a yeast infection.

We tried using a combination of butt paste and lotrimin, as recommended by the doctor for two weeks.  When that didn't work, we got a prescription.  We use no wipes, only cotton towels and water.  We have a lot of laundry.  Now we use the prescription four times a day, every other time we are using the combined paste.  Every night she is getting a butt soak in baking soda warm water, and we try to give her naked butt time at least twice a day for 30 minutes or more.

Side Note:  That little water bottle that the hospital gives you to bring home after childbirth, makes for an easy water source next to the changing table.  We keep ours filled with water to help wet the washcloth when we need it. 

There have been a few days where we thought we were almost cured, and then the angry red bumps rise again.    We are calling the doctor again, but we think we probably need to try a different brand of diapers to see if that helps.

I wish we had known how much we needed to dry her butt with every change.   It seems like common sense now, but as a new parent we were focused on other things.

When we do get this rash cured, and we can hopefully use wipes again, we will keep all the cotton wash cloths near by to help dry, dry, dry the bum!