Oatmeal-looking Diarrhea Smells like Rotten Eggs!

I'm so sorry to hear about her bottom. You have some good suggestions on what could be causing it. For the irritation on her bottom, I would suggest using Vaseline or Palmer's Diaper Ointment. When my daughter had diarrhea, her bottom would get red and she would scream too. The regular diaper ointments would irritate her too much. The vaseline would protect her bottom and give it a chance to heal between changes and is gentle enough not to irritate. Use a generous amount. The Palmer's is gentle and works very well to heal the irritation also.

Probiotics is a must to replenish the good bacteria that she is loosing in her stools. Florababy is an excellent brand by ReNew Life. California Baby products are great, there is a diaper spray wash you can use to gently cleanse her butt and their diaper cream is wonderful, no harsh additives in their products.

It could also possibly be food allergies/sensitivities, similar reactions to rotovirus. Food allergies/sensitivities can strike at anytime, especially if she is eating the same foods over and over. No dairy and wheat are classic food culprits. It also can indicate early signs of Celiac disease, it takes an average of 8 visits before a doctor will finally diagnose it. Definitely stay on top of it

I would seek another opinion so they can sample the stool itself, it will be the only way to get a true diagnosis to what is going on internally.

Good luck!
J., MPH
Family Health Educator
Chicago Family Health Examiner
http://www.examiner.com/family-health-in-chicago/J.-jaffe...

Did the doctor mention Roto virus? My son had a similar situation at 15mos. and the smell and rash are unmistakeable.

The burning the skin part makes me think food allergy. You can develop food allergies and sensitivities at any time- even to something you have eaten for YEARS. A lot of times stress will trigger the reaction.

Intestinal distress makes me first think of gluten sensitivity. Does she eat any oatmeal, wheat, or rice cereal? Even the rice may have some gluten unless it states specifically that it is gluten-free. The Aveeno could be making it worse rather than better.

Calendula (try Weleda brand or look in the homeopathic section of your drugstore or health food store) helps calm skin after a bad abrasion or burn, and will work wonders. Most of the butt-paste and vaseline type ointments are going to have perfumes, chemicals and a petroleum base, which will only make things worse if she is sensitive. I would definitely go the herbal route.

If you are breast-feeding, cut wheat and dairy from your diet for a week and see if that helps. You may have to cut them indefinitely if she is sensitive. You can also use breastmilk directly on her diaper area and let it air if possible. Breastmilk is very healing because it has antibacterial properties.

My youngest daughter had a dairy sensitivity and it would cause very strange poops. She would also get a burn-type rash from me eating spinach, pumpkin, sweet potato, and anything very acidic- like too many tomatoes or oranges.

I hope this helps and she (and you!) find some relief! It sounds like you need a new pediatrician if they aren't concerned about a 7 month old's terrible diarrhea. She is definitely young enough for this to be a real emergency. Please keep a check on her for lethargy, a sunken fontanel (soft spot) and glassy eyes- all signs of dehydration. If you are in doubt or feel that something is just not right, PLEASE take her to the ER for fluids or an evaluation.

M.

I LOVE Burt's Bees "Baby Bee Diaper Ointment."

Also, make sure her diaper rash, does not turn into a yeast infection rash... which can happen when the body is out of balance... and diaper creams will not get rid of a yeast infection. So take her to the Doctor to check her diaper rash...

She appears to have some kind of virus... did they test her for anything?

Is she drinking anything? Still nursing? Or formula if that is what you use?
I would worry about dehydration... in a baby, that can be serious.

If the skin is rather raw use a baby soft washcloth with water only. Then let air dry for at least 5 mins then try milk of magnesium plain/original then a fresh diaper. Did she get vaccinations in the last 30-40 days? Sometimes they can have a reaction several days later if a cold has sprung up in that time period. Has she received any meds for the cold? Over the counter or homeopathic anything new soaps.lotions? Is she on formula a new can , BF anything new or more/less of in your diet? So long as she is getting fluids a couple of days of a low appetite are nothing to be real concerned about but if it lasts for more then 3 days call the ped again. Good Luck hope she feels better soon.
J.

We have found that oftentimes our son gets diarrhea after having a different mild illness. His ped told us that what can happen is that the bacteria in the stomach that aides in milk digestion can get flushed out during the initial stages, so the kid develops a temporary lactose intolerance. Try putting her on Pedialyte ONLY (no milk at all) for 24-48 hrs. The diarrhea should stop. If not, get her to the doc immediately.

Has your doctor tested for Roto Virus? Is it mucus-y? When my daughter had that it smelled so bad it made us want to puke. And it was EXPLOSIVE.

We use Desitin for butt rashes, the white thick (NOT creamy) kind.

poor baby are you nursing? Id start giving her some proiotics because its possible that the cold unbalanced her friendly flora causing the diarrhea. as far as diaper cream if you are nursing put some milk on there as often as you can. also use something VERY natural like Weleda ( sold at whole foods) its thick and wonderful. you can also try just some coconut oil or olive oil as well. poor thing!

My son had Rotavirus when he was about a year and it smelled terrible (like burned popcorn). It was so bad that he had to be hospitalized. It's a simple test your daughter's doctor can perform. In the meantime, go to whole foods and buy some probiotics for her.

Use triple paste..it is pricey but who cares...it is worth every penny!

For the Diaper Rash, which is kind of acidic...My little man once had such bad diaper rash that his bottom bled. The doctor's office recommended the following mix, which did wonders. I mixed it up in a disposable ziplock container with a lid. It was:

(1) 4oz tube of Original Desitin (do not use the creamy version, it has something in it that hurts and do not use generic for this)
(1) 1oz tube of Bacitracin Antibiotic Ointment
(1) Tablespoon of Liquid Mylanta to help neutralize the acidic poo (fruit flavored is ok if you cannot find plain, but do not use mint flavored)

Good Luck
Dana

I would suggest Destin creamy and vaseline. I applied the Vaseline first then the Destin creamy.

TRIPLE PASTE is a miracle worker!! Also good is DRC (Diaper Rash Creme..that is the brand name)
Sorry I can't help with the diagnosis but sounds like you have some great answers here. Good luck

I agree with rotavirus. Usually not harmful but can cause severe dehydration. Watch for the signs, sunken eyes, lethargy, excessive drinking. Try not to let it get that far. Call your ped. and ask them for thier suggestions as well.

As for the diaper rash. Do not use wipes. Only water and a soft cloth. Call your ped for thier suggestions for diaper cream. Also ask your pharmacist. There is a mixture that they can mix up. I can't remember exactly what it contained but works well until she can heal.

First of all...I think you should bring a sample diaper to the pediatrician's office. They should have wanted you to bring in your daughter. Not just a talk on the phone. I agree with everyone below, make sure you keep her hydrated! Pedialyte...no milk.

Also, if it is something like Rotovirus, a Pediatrician should be able to diagnose that...and I'd start looking for a new pedi since they are "stumped".

The best thing to use - I think as well as most of my friends - for diaper rash is called Udder balm. Find it behind the counter at the pharmacy at Target. It's in a green container. Oh, you can also find it at Walgreens. It literally is the BEST stuff. Much better than A&D or Triple paste...by far!

Good luck to you and your little one! I hope she is better soon. :)

No idea about the poop, but since it's burning, I would put a preventative coat of either Mother's Love nipple cream or Aquaphor to act as a barrier between the poop and her skin. Good luck.

i would run her butt under water w/ a squirt bottle.
do not use wipes. even a soft wash cloth is better.

BUTT PASTE. it worked on our little boys allergy purple butt rash.
its expensive but awesome. it DOES stain so careful not to get on clothes (looks like a greese spot)
nothing else helped.

how long has she had diarrhea? and congrats for spelling that right, i wouldn't have LOL

seriously, doesn't all diarrhea stink to high hell? I wouldn't worry unless she gets dehydrated or it lasts for days.

When my son had diarrhea, my Ped suggested Vaseline rather than a paste, since the past was hard to remove, adding more rubbing and irritation. The Vaseline protects the skin so the poo never touches it, and is easy to wipe off and reapply without added irritation. It really did work better during active sickness, and than once the sickness is over you can use a regular cream to heal up any left over rash.

I'm in the 1) its rotavirus and 2) use Boudreaux's Butt Paste camp. We've had this before -- the smell is seriously foul. Hang in there -- you will make it through!

Try to push the fluids (think pedialyte) and a probiotic. You can get Florastor and mix it into juice or water to help. Good luck!

sounds like rotovirus or teething diapers.

My daughter had this. She needs probiotics! You need a good full spectrum one with all the strains - its expensive but worth it. We get ours from Dr. David Tam in Lombard. He also will do a stool sample that will be sent to the lab for a full stool analysis. My 2 yr old son had one and we found he was borderline Irritable bowel syndrome at the age of 2! So then we were able to address it. You need an anti-yeast diaper cream. You pediatrician should know of one, if not the hospitals have samples. That is what we had to use on our daughter. Nothing else worked. The burning indicates also some food sensitivites - which Dr. Tam also tests for by surrogate testing - using Neurosensory Muslce TEsting (NMT) - and its non invasive. My daughter is better now, but we went through some HORRIBLE diapers that burned her skin, so I totally understand! Good luck!

I agree with Andrea it sounds like the rotavirus. The smell and description sound exactly like that.

I have done in home day care for years and this is what I found to be most effective for sore, blistered, diaper rash. I use A&D (the white cream only not the yellow gel) I apply the A&D then put on baby powder then put another layer of A&D & more powder if needed. It get's really cakey and thick but it sticks to their butts and when the wet again, the wetness stays away from their sores. Do this EVERY hour. Keep checking the diaper and change it every hour or more if necessary. When you wipe her, don't wipe her all the way down to the sores. If you have really caked it on, you will only have to wipe the top half off, then add on lotion and powder again. If you do this, she will be better by tomorrow, it works that good.

Poor baby. Definately sounds like roto-virus..A smell you will never forget..Probiotics ASAP & as much fluids as she'll take. When my daughter had that we ended up in the hospital simply for IV fluids..I hope she feels better soon.

I am also a huge fan of triple paste - also let her be naked (with protection - i.e. shower curtain then towels on the floor to air it out.).. I would go to the healthstore/natural market and get some powdered probiotics - can help regulate her bowel and lessen the diarrhea. Also, swallowing lots of mucus can make your poop icky.... hang in there!

I also preferred the Boudroux's Butt Paste with my daughter. She would get that same diarrhea when she has mucus in her system. Anytime she is coughing or congested or anything like that, that is how her diapers are. My friend's son is that same way so I always chalked it up to the mucus in their system.

Sounds like rotavirus to me. They have the mild illness and then they get terrible diarrhea that smells to high heaven. It can look different from child to child and even BM to BM depending on how much they processed the food before it came out. You can't do a whole lot for it other than keep her hydrated as well as possible and make sure you clean up DOUBLY well when you do her diapers cause it spreads that way. Regular strength Desitin is the best diaper barrier cream, it has the highest percent of zinc oxide in it to protect the skin. The creamy/light Desitin is a joke though, be careful you get the right kind.

It sounds like Rotovirus to me (an very common digestive bug). Your doc should want to see her and can probably diagnosis from the smell. Seriously, it's something you never forget!

Probiotic (Pro bug smoothies are good), lots of fluids, the biggest problem is dehydration.

Never had the joy of the rotten egg oatmeal blow-out. Sorry, can't help there. Triple Paste is the absolute best diaper rash cream I have ever found. It wasn't the everyday diaper cream; only when my daughter had a bad rash. It's good on soothing/pain relief and healing the rash. However, it is expensive! Usually I can't find it at the grocery store. You have to go to CVS or Walgreens.

They make a small tube ($9) and a larger canister ($20).

It looks like this:
http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=185276&amp...

My ped swears by Boudreaux's Butt Paste. I find it at Target.

Good luck mama! (Sorry I don't have any other advice!)

Hi,

I never had the diarrhea, but I used A&D Ointment. It was healing and soothing. It seems like any of the creamy stuff burned.

Hope the baby feels better soon.

I've noticed that when my kids have had a stomach bug of some kind they get the most foul smelling diahrea usually the color of oatmeal but not quite the consistancy so that one has me a little confused but who knows everything about fecal matter. I know there is a bug going around where the diahrea is lasting 5-10 days and we all know when we have it about after the third trip to the bathroom our tushies are quite tender as well, we just dont look at ourselves like we do our children. I'm sure its pretty red since I know it hurts to go and of course clean up. Im saying its a tummy bug so push fluids limit some foods and see how she is in a few days. If there is blood in the stool then I would take her in but right now it sounds like what a few of my friends children have had or are going through right now.