# Question about cleaning baby girl parts



## mother4good (Mar 16, 2003)

I have 2 boys and now a newborn baby girl. This may sound dumb, but we are at a loss in terms of cleaning her up after poops. I noticed some poo is getting in around the inner labia. I try to gently wipe it when she has a real runny poo, but I do not want to make her tender. I also noticed some cheesy buildup around there. Do I wipe it off or leave it alone? My pediatrician is a man, so I figured I would ask here first. Thanks. I feel silly, like I should know this stuff instinctively.


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## KayleeZoo (Apr 8, 2003)

Congratulations on your little princess!









I have 2 girls and have always separated the labia to wipe them- you can wipe gently and not cause any irritation, IME. I was always afraid of them getting UTI from not being wiped well enough, so I've been militant, :LOL So far so good- neither has ever had any problems. Enjoy your babymoon mama!









ETA- on the buildup, I wipe everything off, but have always been more careful about getting all the poo off. The discharge isn't a bad thing full of bacteria that can cause problems with the vagina like poo can.


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## NatalieS (Jan 23, 2004)

My standard practice was only to wipe in there when there was poo. I left the white unless it was smelly (bacterial infection), or causing a red burn (yeast) never was the latter two PTL!

I am pretty sure that the white is the antibacterial stuff that you are supposed to leave. Dr. Fleiss talks about this in his no circ articles.

If you do feel like you cleaned to rigorously or she left feeling a bit dry, apply some olive or apricot oil


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## Carolinamidwife (Dec 18, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *NatalieS*
My standard practice was only to wipe in there when there was poo. I left the white unless it was smelly (bacterial infection), or causing a red burn (yeast) never was the latter two PTL!

I am pretty sure that the white is the antibacterial stuff that you are supposed to leave. Dr. Fleiss talks about this in his no circ articles.


what she said! delicate pH in action!


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## Just*Lindsay (May 19, 2004)

Wow! I have lots to learn when I have more children and if i have a girl. Braedon, Well..I just wipe all nooks and cranny's, Dont have to worry bout Poo in holes and nooks.


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## mamangazelle (Apr 25, 2003)

I almost never clean between the labia, but when it is dirty, I put dd in the bath or sink or pour water over her bum and it seems to do the trick.

The white stuff is supposed to be left there.


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## Nada (Oct 27, 2003)

I used to remove the white stuff too. I'll know for next time, if I'm lucky enough.









Nada, who just learned something new


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## Aherne (Jun 26, 2003)

I would wipe off poop (front to back always!) and if things were really dirty then do a little bird bath in the sink to soak rather than wipe wipe wipe. Everything is so little I was so afraid of ripping something LOL.

Now Ellie freaks out if you trie and open her labia! she scowls at me like I should know better than to try and clean her. We pretty much have to take a bath after a yucky poop.


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## FoxyMom (Apr 23, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *NatalieS*
My standard practice was only to wipe in there when there was poo. I left the white unless it was smelly (bacterial infection), or causing a red burn (yeast) never was the latter two PTL!

I am pretty sure that the white is the antibacterial stuff that you are supposed to leave. Dr. Fleiss talks about this in his no circ articles.

If you do feel like you cleaned to rigorously or she left feeling a bit dry, apply some olive or apricot oil









Ditto!


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## LorrieJ (Jul 29, 2004)

Oooh, I am glad you asked the question. I have been wondering about the white cheesies too. I will make sure not to worry about it. Not that my dd would let me anywhere inside her labia! As soon as I touch her private areas she screams no no no! It does seem red and her anus is always red from allergy difficulties and painful bms so after her poops I put her in tub and sometimes I squirt the peri bottle in that area.


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## Kim22 (Jul 14, 2003)

When Sydney was little I would wipe the poop off of the outside. Then I'd take my peri-bottle that I got from the hospital and try to rinse her a little bit on the inner labia. I didn't want to push/spray poop in further, so I aimed down instead of straight-in. I figure that anything that may be left in there will be rinsed out with her next pee or bath anyway.

As for the white stuff, I just left it. It went away on its own after a while.


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## CurlyMint (Apr 24, 2003)

I also do as Natalie and as a pp mentioned I sometimes give a little bird bath too. I often give her a bird bath in the morning, not bc she is unclean but bc I bet it feels good after sleeping all night in dipes.


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## Izzybee (Feb 20, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Aherne*
(front to back always!)


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## magemom (Mar 5, 2002)

Wow. Glad someone asked. It has been 14 years since my last girl (maybe a new one next week?) and my mother freaked out that I was leaving the white stuff. I cleaned any poo but figured it was her space and she wasn't red or anything. Never thought anything else.
Thanks for the info!


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## mamaofthreeboys (Dec 16, 2003)

Glad this was posted! I only have boys but today at church I had the pleasure of holding a 6 month old baby girl~I was the only Mom in the nursery with teenage helpers so I was in charge of diaper changing & Mama paging LOL~

So anyway I had to change Leyla's sposie







And I was thinking about what to do if she had a poopie but she didn't







So now I know for the next time


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## LaffNowCryLater (May 2, 2003)

yup leave the white stuff!!

Iasked about that in the hospital after having her...i too had a boy before and wasn't sure...

naking.........


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## jmreinke (Jan 1, 2003)

Some Trivia for you: That white stuff is called "smegma"

"Main Entry: smeg·ma
Pronunciation: 'smeg-m&
Function: noun
: the secretion of a sebaceous gland; specifically : the cheesy sebaceous matter that collects between the glans penis and the foreskin or around the clitoris and labia minora"

Some guy in college thought it was a funny word, and when he told me about it, it just stuck in my brain!


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## mother4good (Mar 16, 2003)

Thank you mamas!!


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