Yeast Infection or Something Worse??

Updated on July 21, 2009
M.C. asks from Lakewood, OH
23 answers

Hi moms! My 11 month old just finished a course of antibiotics and she developed what I thought was a yeast infection. She has never had one before (she has never even had diaper rash) so I don't know what I am looking at really. It is a rash, red and very irritated looking with large red bumps on her "privates", the front only -- not on the bum. I got Lotrimin AF over the counter and that didn't work. So I called her dr. and told them she had a yeast infection and they called in a prescription cream and that hasn't worked either. My friend just told me that if the cream didn't work right away then it is not yeast. Well if its not yeast then what the heck is it? It is NOT diaper rash. I have seen diaper rash on ther babies and this is worse. What could it be? Her Dr. is now on vacation for a week so I don't know if I should wait a week, or call another dr. and get her an appointment right away? Is this something I should be worried about?

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So What Happened?

Thanks so much to all who responded. I got her probiotic yogurt and let her run naked for 2 days and her rash is gone! Its amazing that natural cures work so much better than man made medicine sometimes! Thanks again moms!

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P.A.

answers from Youngstown on

my son and daughter both had yeast infections that didn't respond to the prescription creams, etc. Take a probiotic capsule or powdered baby acidopholus and mix it with cool water to make a runny paste. Dab it all over the area and let it dry. Do this at every diaper change. If it is yeast, it will clear up very, very quickly. The redness and bumps should be gone in a day or two.

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B.W.

answers from Dayton on

could be staph. I would definitely go see another doctor. one of my children developed something similar once and it can get drastically worse faster than you think. in the meantime, witch hazel will soothe and fight off infection.

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T.C.

answers from South Bend on

We have had very good success with Mycolog Rx cream. A little goes a long way. Bath and dry baby well and then rub it into the skin well and only use a small amount a couple times a day or whatever your dr recommends.

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D.W.

answers from Indianapolis on

Your doctor should have another physician covering "call" for him. I'd be insistent on talking to the other doctor. If not, take your child to an urgent care facility. They aren't always regarded the best, but they'll take a look and see if they can pinpoint the problem.
We had the same issue with BAD diaper rash with our son a few times. Most recently, the broken skin finally got an Rx for Riley Butt Cream - it worked like a charm and includes both antibacterial/antifungal, etc medications to address many different problems. You'll have to see someone, though, to assess if it's appropriate and to get the Rx.
Good luck.

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K.V.

answers from Columbus on

Call your ped and take her in if you are that concerned. It could just be a heat rash but it is always best to have the doctor check it out. In the mean time go to the pharmacy and get your self a tube of auquaphor and a bottle of liquid malox. In a small bowl put 1/4 cup of the aquaphor and a 1/4 cup of malox. mix until a white salve is formed and try that on your daughter and see if that clears it up.

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S.D.

answers from Indianapolis on

Have you put her on pro-biotics yet? They should always be taken while on a round of anti-biotics. Get it in powder form and mix it with a bit of yogurt in between meals.

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B.A.

answers from Toledo on

It definetly sounds to me like a Yeast Infection, and just because that medication didn't work, doesn't mean that it's not a Yeast Infection. Honestly my daughter and I are both very suseptable to them from anti-biotics-----What I used was over the counter Monistate 3, for yeast infections, give it a try!

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A.F.

answers from Elkhart on

Hi M.!

I would try a good Probiotic with your daughter. After being on an antibiotic chances are all the good bacteria has been killed off in her digestive system. You need to rebuild that up. Shaklee makes a very good probiotic that breaks down in the colon which is where she needs it. Topical creams don't always work because the issue lies within the digestive tract and needs to be addressed there. Go to www.shaklee.net/amy_healthyconcepts to find more information. Look up either code number 20639 or type in Optiflora in the search engine. My entire family takes Optiflora everyday to keep our digestive tract healthy. My daughter and son both had yeast issues pretty much since birth. With a diet change and the use of Optiflora this has helped the yeast problem. Candida is terrible and other health issues stem from candida (yeast). Excema, Fatigue, asthma, allergies, depressed immune system, bloating, sugar and carbohydrate cravings, joint pain or inflammatory diseases. Please call me if you have any other questions, i am a wellness consultant and would love to help your child feel better.
A. ###-###-####

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B.C.

answers from Indianapolis on

My daughter had this problem before & it was REALLY bad! It definately took a while to heal - I think the best thing we did was to try to have her pantsless for a while to give that area time to heal. I think I would take her diaper off at night so the area would not be couped up in a warm spot all night. This usually meant having to change the sheets & blankets because of accidents, but I really think it helped. It made for a very long week, but you need to give the cream some time to work. With my daughter, it hurt when she had to urinate, which REALLY made things bad! I sympathize, it was painful for her, but now whenever I see her area looking red & hurry & use the prescription cream & it has never gotten out of control again! Good luck

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M.B.

answers from Cincinnati on

M....When a Dr. goes on vacation they usually refer you to someone else if he doesn't have another Dr. in his practice. I wouldn't wait. M. B.

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S.W.

answers from Cincinnati on

It probably is yeast, but there are many resistant yeasts. The commonly prescribed creams often don't work. Start by rebuilding her gut flora by giving her powdered acidophilus. Jarrow makes a baby dophilus. It's in the refrigerated section at Whole Foods. Also make sure it stays very dry and give her skin as much time as possible without a diaper. Maybe you can let her play naked outside. It might be fun to try her on the potty a few times just to get her use to it. After all, they start potty training before age one in many other countries.

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B.B.

answers from Indianapolis on

It could be a yeast infection...but if you're going to use Lotrimin AF, make sure you use something like Bag Balm with it. (It comes in a green can, and is usually near the lotion section of stores like Walgreens, sometimes it's in the pharmacy like at Target.)

It could also be a heat rash maybe.

If her regular doctor is on vacation this week, I'd try to get her in somewhere else. I always consider "if it were me, would I want to wait until next week?"

There is something called Riley's Butt Paste (that's a prescription). I don't know if that's what they called in for you or not, but that stuff is AWESOME...one of my girls had a nasty yeast infection and that was the only stuff that helped it.

Good luck!

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K.S.

answers from Columbus on

Don't wait another week. It may not be anything to particularly worry about, but have you ever had a yeast infection? If so, then you know that they are uncomfortable. Even if this isn't one, your daughter is probably just as uncomfortable. Take care of it for her.

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S.L.

answers from Columbus on

This probably is a yeast infection. It is almost impossible to avoid systemic yeast overload following a course of antibiotics. My doctor always recommends that I take about a tablespoon probiotic yogurt with each dose of antibiotics, and then continue with daily servings of the yogurt for a month of so after I've taken the last dose. She recomends this for her pediatric patients as well. The active cultures in the yogurt counteract the effects of the antibiotics, keeping a good balance of healthy bacteria in the digestive system.

Foods that contribute to yeast overload and should be avoided at all costs are: dairy, wheat, and sugar. I don't eat any of those any more, and my health has improved like you wouldn't believe! I use honey or maple syrup in place of sugar (at the recommendation of my doctor), and avocado in place of cheese, since it has a similar texture and tastes so good. ;-) The only grain I eat is oats, using oat flour when necessary, although I just go without bread, opting for sandwiches in the form of salads now.

Good luck getting your daughter's condition cleared up!

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L.M.

answers from Cleveland on

Whenever you give an antibiotic you need to give a probiotic. Doctors do NOT tell you this, but if you mention it I am sure they will say Yes, that is a good idea. Culturelle is a really good one, you can open the capsule and mix it in a few bites of her jar food or applesauce. Give it daily for at least a month.

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A.S.

answers from Canton on

My daughter got red and irritated and I used Budreax's Butt Paste and it worked well with her. I agree with the other mom's about seeing a dr. Good Luck!

A.C.

answers from Cincinnati on

She may have developed an allergy to the diapers or the wipes. I would try to get her into another doctor for now. In the meantime, I would not use wipes but washcloths & warm water on her and put vascaline on her irritated area to protect it from pee. Good luck!

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S.C.

answers from Fort Wayne on

We thought my daughter had a yeast infection too. I used the Lotrimen and it didn't really help much. Turned out, it was an irritant rash. Something had irritated her, and in turn, she scratched it, which let to more irritation, which led to more bumps..and you get the picture! So, what I thought was yeast, was something entirely different. The doc gave us a prescription for a cream and it's clearing right up! I think I would take her to the doctor and have them look at it. Our doc told me that if it starts to look like pustules (or little pimples with white heads) that it could be staph infection and to get her in ASAP. I can't imagine a doc calling in a cream for a yeast infection with out wanting to look at the area first, especially since it's her first. Anyway, I would call and see if they have someone set up to cover appointments (most of them do) and try to get her in as soon as you can. In the meantime, let her run around with out a diaper on as much as you can. It will help the area to dry out and heal a bit.

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K.O.

answers from Indianapolis on

M., THE ANTIBIOTICS THAT YOU GAVE HER HAS DESTROYED SOME OF THE MOST BENIFICIAL BACTERICA IN HER BODY. THEY NEED TO BE REPLACED. TRY GIVING HER A LITTLE YOGURT OR EVEN BUTTERMILK. IF YOU USE BUTTERMILK, YOU CAN ADD A LITTLE CHOCOLATE DRINK MIX OR EVEN A PACK OF INDIVIDUAL KOOL-AID [ANY FLAVOR]. TO HELP THE RASH HEAL, AFTER HER BATH OR EVEN A CHANGE IN DIAPERS, TAKE THE DAMP RAG & POUR A LITTLE VINEGAR ON IT; THEN WIPE HER DOWN. [MIX EQUAL PARTS OF WATER & VINEGAR TOGETHER TO PUT ON A DAMP RAG.]YES, THIS MAY STING A LITTLE AT FIRST BUT IT WILL HELP TO EASE THE REDNESS. HER Ph IS TOO HIGH ON HER SKIN. YOU CAN THEN PUT A LITTLE CORTIZONE OVER THE AREA & SHOULD SEE SOME RESULTS TO THE GOOD IN A COUPLE OF DAYS. GOOD LUCK!

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L.G.

answers from Cleveland on

I'm truly not trying to scare you, but it could be a staph infection. You really should get her seen. My daughter has had a number of yeast infections and we've had different prescription creams, some stronger than others and sometimes these things just take a while to clear up...but on the other hand it can be staph. If it does turn out to be just a yeast infection you might want to try letting her air out a bit without a diaper or if she's in a diaper put her in a dress with no bottoms on top of her diaper. The yeast infection won't get better if it's continually in a hot, wet place. Also, California Baby has awesome products. The non-talc baby powder is awesome and helped our daugther especially in the summer time when they tend to be hot and damp in the diaper area. You can get California Baby online, Whole Foods and I've even seen some of their products at Target. It's not cheap but it's so very worth it!!!

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B.S.

answers from Cincinnati on

What was she sick with--to get the antibiotics? One of my daughters developed a rash like that after antibiotics for strep throat. We thought it was a rash (allergy) to the antibiotics, but taking back to the doc, she had scarlet fever. Scarlet fever is strep throat with a rash. It was exactly that area- below the waist down to privates, in front only... a very fine raised rash. Not blisters --just bumps.

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S.P.

answers from Indianapolis on

I would take her to the other doctor.
The fact that her doctor gave you a prescription without seeing the rash is a red flag to me.
I would get another opinion.

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L.L.

answers from Indianapolis on

My son has had alot of diaper issues. Mostly yeast related thanks to anitbiotics. However he got a rash very similar to the one your talking about and the DR ended up sending us to a dermatologist and he had a bacterial infection with a yeast infection as well. I definitely would get it taken care of right away. My DR brushed it off for a week or so and it just kept getting worse. Call and as for a refferal to a dermotologist or see if she will prescribe something for a bacterial infection. Also, you can get probiotics from the drug store pharmacy counter and add those into applesauce, yougurt, etc. to help replace the good bacteria that the anitbiotic wiped out.

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