Happy Valentine's Day...

.....from the pediatrician's office :( Yes, this is a pic of Rach there on Monday, Valentine's afternoon. She's pretty upset, but still super cute looking!

So here is what's been going on with us that led us to our Valentine's "date" with the doctor. We are dealing with Rach's first diaper rash and it is a doozy. Yes, I am happy that she is 13 months old and this is just the first time we've had to deal with this, but it is still heartbreaking to watch your sweet baby be in pain.

It all started last Tuesday, 2/8, I got a call from daycare in the afternoon that Rach had had two poopy diapers and after the second one her butt was pretty red and there was even a small spot that had bled. So of course as soon as we get home I inspect it myself and there is a reddish/pinkish rash just around her little butt and then off to the side slightly a redder round rash that was the one that bled.

So starting Tuesday night we began changing her diapers more often, applying Desitin after each change, letting her have some naked butt time at night, letting her little tush soak in the warm tub, etc. By Sunday 2/13, the rash was still there but was looking better, less red, more pink, no more bleeding. However, me being me, after I put Rach to bed Sunday I spent a few hours with my good friend, Dr. Google. (did I not learn my lesson with this while pregnant?? this is notorious for leading me into anxiety attacks and thinking the worse case scenario) Well, I do read that most common diaper rashes will clear up in a few days following the protocol we have been doing. Also, I looked at pictures of diaper rashes (oh those poor babies!) and to be honest not a lot looked like Rach. Most were all over their diaper area and many were bumpy were as Rach's was flat. The other thing that I read was that being that it was centered around her butt it could be a reaction to something she ate. Well the only new thing Rach has had recently was on Monday night, 2/7, was lemon chicken. She has had chicken before, but never lemon or anything citrus. I know that you are supposed to hold off on citrus until after their first birthday, but we did, Rach is 13 months now, and she only had it that one meal.

I decide to call the doctor's office Monday 2/14 to talk to their nurse line. The nurse tells me that yes, typically a diaper rash should be gone in a week and that we should bring Rach in to see the doctor. The doctor agreed it didn't look like a standard diaper rash and more like a "contact rash". The doctor also took a swab of the rash (like they do with your throat when they suspect strep throat) to make sure it wasn't a strep infection or a bacterial infection. Luckily that test came back negative. The doctor gave us a new ointment cream, Calmoseptine, to use at each diaper change and told us to keep doing what we were doing and let them know if it still was not getting better.

As soon as we got home Monday we started the Calmoseptine and by Tuesday morning when I changed her before leaving for work it really looked like it might be getting better. Unfortunately, the next two days things got worse. Rach is in daycare Tuesday and Wednesday and both days she came home with her butt looking worse than that morning and worse than the day before. Tuesday night when we got home after I picked her up she started crying as soon as I put her on the changing table to change her and while I was trying to wipe her she rolled over it a complete fetal position and cried! (I'll pause for a moment to let your heart recover from it temporarily breaking) Then yesterday when we got home I changed her right away and her butt looks the worst it has this entire time! WTH!?!? I'm serious, it is now worse than it was last Tuesday when this whole thing started.

I am at a complete loss. I hate seeing my baby in pain and I hate feeling helpless that I can't make it better. I have no idea what the issue is and am upset that this keeps coinciding with daycare days. We do have another doctor appointment this afternoon. Cross your fingers that we are able to get some answers and make my sweet angel better!