For the past few weeks Ali has had a diaper rash that just wont quit. I have tried everything to get rid of it. From switching diaper brands, using different creams, powders, pastes, airing her bum out, not using wipes, just water to clean her, etc. The rash will look like it has cleared up and then the next day it comes right back. It has been incredibly frustrating for me and I'm sure plenty uncomfortable for her.
I was finally able to get her in to see her doctor and it turns out that she had a yeast diaper rash. Since Ali is a breast fed newborn, her bum constantly leaks. She is always going poop and because of that all the moisture on her skin it becomes a breeding ground for bacteria. The yeast that developed in this moisture is a fungus that thrives in warm wet places and it keeps regenerating, so that's why I couldn't get rid of it with normal diaper rash treatments. Luckily once it was determined that it was yeast, the treatment was fairly simple. The doctor gave me a prescription for an anti-fungal cream and another for corticosteroid cream which both get applied twice daily and expose her bum to air.
I wanted the rash gone sooner rather than later because it was causing her quite a bit of discomfort so I decided to let her go diaper-less for an entire day. The first night was fairly easy. I put a towel down in her crib and let her sleep with just a long sleeve t-shirt on. She doesn't go to the bathroom while she sleeps, so the only time i had to clean up messes was when she woke up to eat. The next day however, was not as simple.
She is staying awake and alert for several hours at a time now, and during these awake periods she likes to be quite active... kicking her feet, doing tummy time, trying to roll around.. I put towels on top of garbage bags on the floor and in her play pen to protect the surface, but allow for to do her business. I spent the entire day constantly wiping her bum to keep it dry and changing towel after towel. By 6pm the improvement in her rash was amazing. Her bum was finally looking less inflamed and on its way to looking normal.
I had remembered hearing about a diaper-less training for newborns during one of my prenatal classes. I hopped on the internet and googled away. Up popped "elimination communication". Its basically learning to read your baby's cues/patterns for when they need to go to the bathroom, then holding them in a squatting position over the toilet and letting them do their business. I watched a few you tube videos on how it was done and was intrigued, if only for the fact that I'd have less towels to wash.
I knew she always pees right after waking up and again right after nursing, so when she woke up from her nap, I picked her up, went into the bathroom, straddled the toilet and held her against me in a squatting position. Rob was laughing at me because I looked ridiculous. As were joking around about how this was never gonna work, low and behold she peed! I was so shocked and surprised that it actually worked!
I attempted this again every time she woke up throughout the night and it worked every single time. I didn't have to change one towel. This was so much easier than constantly cleaning up her and her messes.
Given that the rash was improving but still there, I left her diaper-less for another entire day. She managed to do every single pee in the toilet and even a few poops but they are much harder to time since she goes all the time all day long.
After 60 hours without a diaper, I can happily report that her rash has pretty much disappeared. I'll be continuing the creams for another 2 weeks just to make sure all the fungus has disappeared, but so far it looks good. We will still be using diapers but will be continuing the elimination communication method a few times a day, likely at night and after naps. Perhaps exposing her to the toilet now with make potty training that much easier down the road. Guess we'll wait and see!
