# Yeast infection diaper rash- please help!



## lisabc311 (May 18, 2003)

My newborn has what I think is a yeast infection diaper rash. He has had it for 3 weeks and I have tried everything...Desitin, all-natural ointments, Boudreaux's Butt Paste, cornstarch powder, naked dry-air time...even sposies! (the sposies made it significantly worse, BTW!).

Two days ago I tried making a paste from some powdered probiotics. It seemed to clear it up a bit but didn't go away. I called the ped. and talked with a nurse. She said to try alternating hydrocortisone cream + ointment with Gynelotrimin. I tried that...ONCE...and the rash became much worse!









I have an appointment for my little guy tomorrow. It breaks my heart to see his bum so red and raw. My older DS never had a rash that lasted longer than one day. I am so upset that I can't fix this!

Anyone else been there? What was the solution? What about the dipes? Could they have yeast in them? Does my DS need oral probiotics too?

Help.


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## grnmtnmama (Jun 14, 2004)

take him to the doc and see what they had to say. we had a nasty bout with a yeast rash and nystatin cream was what worked for us - cleared it up right away, but we had to keep treating it for 2-4 weeks to keep it away.

it didn't matter if we used cloth or sposies - so it's not in the diapers though others will say differently. it's in the body. some people also recommend eating lots of yogurt, we did that and didn't make any difference in our case. just make sure it doesn't get infected, which can happen if you don't treat it appropriately. don't ask me how I know, I don't want to talk about that.


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## ~*~MamaJava~*~ (Mar 7, 2004)

The dr. will probably prescribe a cream (I had one with Monistat in it and hydrocortisone) that should work really well. Use it with a barrier cream over top.
I would wash the diapers with vinegar just to be sure they're not yeasty.


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## Golden (Mar 15, 2002)

BTBT. No fun, that is for sure!
I had a persistant yeast infection (my 2nd ever in my life), and my ds had been taking a low dose of antibioticsfor about a month or so for a kidney issue. Luckily I didn't end up with it on my nipples.

I think what caused it initially for us was buildup in the diapers. Caused a regular diaper rash that got worse and then turned yeasty.

What worked for us? Let's see....
After a thousand extra rinses for dipes (trying to get rid of the buildup), I finally gave in and added a little bleach to kill the yeast in the dipes. Luckily I had mostly prefolds and some JB hemp inserts so it wasn't such a big deal. Rinsed a bunch of times after that.

Then....with each diaper change, I swabbed him down with a solution of GSE and distilled water.

Airtime once a day. Changing him every hour while awake. Sposies at night.

I took Jarro probiotics 2 capsules (6 billion) twice a day. I gave my ds 1/8 tsp of baby jarro (1.5 billion) dissolved in breastmilk, once a day.

I used vinegar douches twice a day. Got better then when I stopped, it came back. Did yogurt douches. That did the trick. I knew I had to get rid of it in both of us or we would just pass it back and forth.

The combo of all of this, we did for maybe a week or so(except the douches. That was like a month. Each day it was a little better. I didn't put any creams (hydrocortisone, diaper creams, etc.) on him. Seemed to make it worse. Defintely avoid the cornstarch. Cornstarch is sugar for the yeasties.

Good luck, feel better!


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## lisabc311 (May 18, 2003)

Thanks for the feedback.

So a few more questions...

If DS has a yeast rash, where is it coming from? His body? And how does a one week old baby get yeast in his system?!

I had a partial dose of antibiotics in labor for GBS+. I didn't even get the full dose in because I had such a fast labor. I do NOT have a yeast infection currently...although I did have one for most of my pregnancy (which I finally cleared up with Terazol about a week or so before my DS was born).

Any thoughts on that?


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## Golden (Mar 15, 2002)

I don't have much time to reply, but my first gut (pardon the pun) reaction to you saying you had a yeast infection a week before your babe was born, is that the abx you took took away most of it, wiped out all the good bacteria in your body, then you took a partial dose for GBS, babe was born, and the stress of birth and postpartum bloomed it again. I have read that you can have thrush on your nipples without symptoms, thus possibly passing it to your son. I don't know. Who knows how my guy got it, and why I never got the flamming nipples.

Who knows. I guess my point it, treat yourself aggressively with some probiotics, and your babe too. Not just topically, but by mouth. Between the abx you took for the yeast infection, and then the dose you got during labor, you've working from a deficit here. You say you only got a partial dose. A full dose only takes about a half hour to drain that little bag. Was it less than that? Labor abx are notorious for causing yeast issues in mom and baby.

You can also take GSE by mouth. I forgot to say in my previous post, that I also took it orally, 10 drops maybe in OJ (it's extremely bitter). Treat his dipes (boil or bleach) if you CD, swab him down with GSE/water. I've heard of some people using a vinegar/water solution too.

Do all of this quick BEFORE you start showing symptoms on your nipples.


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## lisabc311 (May 18, 2003)

GSE? What is that?

Thanks...we're both on the probiotics now.


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## Ravin (Mar 19, 2002)

I wouldn't give a newborn anything like that orally!

GSE is grapefruit seed extract. You can get it in capsules, too.

For the rash, gentian violet can work. It can also be used in the mouth. It's a stain and old-fashioned home remedy type thing. You can get it at a pharmacy, it's OTC but you'll probably have to ask the pharmacist for it. It worked like a charm clearing up the thrush in my DD's mouth...though I let the GSE and probiotics go when we got a stomach bug...and she's on abx for pinkeye and ear infection now and the thrush has come back because again I let the probiotics go... time to get aggressive with them again!

Anyway, if you use gentian violet on the diaper area, use a diaper you don't mind getting stained bright purple!


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## saharasky (Dec 20, 2002)

My dd got a yeast rash within 1 week of her birth. To my knowledge I didn't have a yeast infection at the time but there are all sorts of yeasty things that we consume that baby may get thorugh your breast milk ... put that together with the right environment ...and VOILA yeasty beasties!

DD was in disposables at the time







: and I wasn't drying off her bottom after wiping it down with those horrid chemical wipes ...so I was leaving her wet ...the doctor I took her too said simply that yeasty beasties like to grow in dark wet places and that it was pretty common (I'm thinking it must be pretty common in sposies that don't breathe cause it wasn't 'common' after I switched her back to cloth.

The cream he perscribed was canestin hydrocortisone ...and it worked sort of ...but the rash re-curred for the next 18 months ... GSE (grapefruit seed extract) worked sometimes to clear it up ... and other times monistat (the stuff we use for our yeast infections) worked better.

I also resorted to bleach a couple of times early on (pre-folds) ... but the sun seemed to work equally well to disinfect the diapers and that was better once I was using fitteds as I didn't want to kill the elastic.


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## memiles (Feb 23, 2005)

Some great info on yeast and cloth here. http://granolagoddess.tripod.com/yea...dclothdiapers/

We have battled this one hard, I know how painful it can be.


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## mommasuz (Jun 19, 2003)

DD just had a mild one while taking abx for an ear infection. I used the leftover Nysatin I had from thrush and it cleared it right up. Hope it gets better soon.


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## darwinphish (Feb 13, 2005)

You can make a wipe solution with GSE in it - just make sure it's well diluted. Also second the use of gentian violet. Getting some sunlight on his bum and the dipes, if possible, could work wonders!

Also treat his mouth and your nipples after every feeding - if his system has the yeast it'll continuously re-infect.

Good luck - the yeasty beasts are hard to beat but it CAN be done.


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## littlest birds (Jul 18, 2004)

FWIW the only time we ever have had yeast issues is _my_ diet (as the source of breastmilk) is off-- especially with too much sugar. Almost always disappears when I quit munching on sweets. When I have had children with yeast I have put acidophilus powder in their mouths, though I have not dealt with it being persistent on their bums before ut usually just a touch there while they had it bad in their mouths and I had some on nipples.

It sounds like it might not be yeast, though. Please consider that it could be another irritation. I have had a lot of skin sensitivity problems with cloth dipes with my fourth child and have done tons of extra rinsing and different things and I just cannot use them around the clock for her. Some children have more sensitive skin is all I could figure after a long time of trying different things.

Best wishes


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