When Cloth Diapers Are NOT Best

Baby Mo's staph infection is clearing up, albeit slowly. Yesterday I took him to the doctor because a new rash had popped up. I thought it was impetigo, which can be caused by staph infections. Thankfully the doctor did not think it was impetigo but he decided to treat it as such just in case with a topical ointment. 

I asked the doctor why this rash had come up while the staph was healing and he said that the cloth diapers were likely irritating his skin. He said that since cloth diapers don't chemically wick away wetness, the urine that collects in the fabric overnight is probably causing a new rash while there is already an infection in that area. He suggested I switch back to disposables until the staph clears up. 

I left his office feeling a bit defeated, I have to be honest. You try to make choices that you think are best for your child and then in instances like this, they backfire. I hate disposable diapers - for a lot of the same reasons as Nathalee - but I obligingly switched back until the infection clears up. I hope that is soon! Staph can be known to take its sweet time going away! 

I called my mother-in-law on the way home from the doctor's office and she was very sweet and encouraging. She told me I was being too hard on myself. How was I to know that staph was one of the few instances where cloth diapers would not be the best choice? She basically told me to take a breath because motherhood will continue to throw me curve balls like this and all I can do is try to keep up. I know she is right but I still can't help but feel a little responsible. 

Thankfully Baby Mo does not seem sick, uncomfortable, or otherwise inconvenienced in the least by any of this. Kids are resilient, eh? 

Meanwhile, I am putting gauze over the infected area in between the medicine and the diaper. I am also using Thirsty Duo Diaper Wraps at night over the disposable to prevent leaks. These things work just as great with sposies as they do with cloth! Highly recommend for all mommies! 

Side note: I had forgotten one thing since switching to cloth diapers nearly a year ago: disposable diapers are expensive! Sheesh!! 

MommyBeta Podcast This Week: Hittin' The Bottle

This week we are Natali and Nathalee only. The other two Betas are out of commission so we chat it up for them! We discuss Alex's post on weaning from the bottle, Nathalee's post about having a rowdy toddler, and Natali's post about brushing baby's teeth. Natali also gives an update on Baby Mo's staph infection. 

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Staph Infection

My little man has a staph infection. It sounds scary, and it is, but I'm trying to keep it together. He sure is. He seems utterly unaffected by the ordeal. This is him yesterday on his 13-month birthday out in Ocean City, Maryland just before we were forced to evacuate for Hurricane Irene. 

Staph infections are caused by the Staphylococcus bacteria. They can be treated with antibiotics but left untreated, they can be serious. The doctor prescribed him an oral medicine and topical cream. 

Little Man's infection is around his testicles. I am sharing this because I thought it was an odd diaper rash for a few days and am so glad I finally decided to take him into an emergency clinic. If you see something similar, you can avoid letting go for too long like I nearly did. 

About 9 days ago, Baby Mo's Daddy came down with a bad case of stomach flu. The next day, Baby Mo started to have some kind of pus-filled blisters inside of his diaper. I thought it was odd because cloth diapered babies pretty much never get diaper rash unless they are sick. I thought he might have had some blisters from fighting what his daddy had. It turns out I was probably right. It is highly likely that the same bacteria made them both sick. 

The blisters did not go away in a few days so I called my pediatrician. She said that the clinics were closed due to Hurricane Irene so I might have to wait. She said that pus-filled blisters are NOT common for any sort of normal diaper rash so he would need to be seen. Thankfully we had come to our house in the Poconos Mountains to wait out the storm so clinics were open and available. 

Baby Mo is now on a topical cream and oral antibiotic. The doctor was pretty sure that it was staph, even though the culture won't confirm that until next week. Thankfully he is still the same smiling goofball he always is and this doesn't seem to hurt him. 

Staph can spread on changing tables, hands, mouths, etc. Be careful! Wash your hands a lot. And trust your gut. If something looks a bit odd to you, it probably is. Those urgent care clinics won't mind helping you diagnose your "gut instinct."