Being a mother is a beautiful feeling. It most times means watching one’s tender baby sleeping peacefully, the abdomen rising and falling with each puny breath. It also means seeing the endearing toothless smiles that give away love, happiness and purity. It sometimes also means being woken up late at night by innocent cries of hunger or other complaints and yet rising in the morning queasy but fulfilled. It entails frequent breastfeeding (the best form of feeding for the infant) and change of diapers. It entails facing the consequences of any slack in care. One of such consequences is nappy rash.
What then is nappy rash? Nappy rash is a skin rash or reddish skin discolouration which is distributed around the nappy area, mostly the bottoms, genitals and upper inner thighs. It can also affect the lower back or lower abdomen. It is also known as nappy dermatitis. It is caused by excessive contact of the baby’s tender skin with wee, poo and sweat. Other forms of dermatitis (skin inflammation) may occur if the baby reacts to any material that comes in close contact with the skin, such as diapers, wipes, cream, soap, detergents or wears. The incidence of nappy rash is high amongst babies whose nappies are not changed regularly, who are worn low-quality diapers that hardly absorb liquids or have diarrhoea which stains the diapers more frequently.
Symptoms
How do you know that your baby has nappy rash? Being a mother requires being very observant. The rashes would usually start small and may then involve wider area. Therefore, early recognition is key. The rash is easily identifiable and may lead to itching and excessive cries. This means that with each nappy change, the baby’s skin should be observed for any unusual presentation. If not properly taken care of, nappy rash may become infected by bacteria or fungi, leading to ugly presentation, involvement of other parts of the body, fever and even hospitalisation.
Prevention
Nappy rash can be prevented through simple processes like frequent changes in diapers or airing the baby’s bottom whenever possible i.e. avoiding diapers or nappy whenever possible.
Treatment
Prevention is always better than treatment. Well, once baby has nappy rash, the treatment is usually conservative and simple. It involves keeping the baby’s nappy area clean and dry. If symptoms persist or get worse there are chances that the rash has become infected and you may need to see a doctor.
There are medications which may be used for treating nappy rash, with varied degrees of efficacy. They include hydrocortisone cream or combined steroid/antifungal cream or steroid/antifungal/antibacterial cream. Consult a healthcare professional before you consider the use of such medications.
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