Mommy FTW

Almost exactly two years ago, my older child Cameron came down with Roseola.  I’m not sure why, but this common illness which is caused by a virus usually appears in children age 6 months to 2 years in the spring and fall.  And given the number of google searches Mommy FTW is getting about roseola, I’d say there’s plenty of it going around!  So, I wanted to do a repost of some of the information I shared 2 years ago when Cameron got sick.

Roseola is sometimes called “baby measles” or the “sixth disease.” It is a form of herpes. Roseola is highly contagious, being spread through contact with saliva or being breathed on by another baby with roseola. If a child in your playgroup or in your little one’s daycare has roseola – you definitely want to be on the look out.  It usually starts with a sudden high fever with sometimes no other symptoms. During this phase of the illness just give your child ibuprofen to try and keep him comfortable. FYI – ibuprofen is a better choice than acetaminophen (tylenol) because it lasts longer, which means you have to administer it less often.  The fever will generally last about 3 days.  FYI – About 10 to 15 percent of children with roseola have a seizure. If this happens, your baby may become unconscious and jerk his arms, legs, or facial muscles for two or three minutes.

About a day after the fever subsides, you will see the telltale rash of roseola (see pictures below).  This might be the only clue that tells you what happened to your little one!  I didn’t figure out what was wrong with until I saw the rash and talked to some other moms in our playgroup.  The pieces of the puzzle came together and I knew what we were dealing with.   The rash isn’t itchy or uncomfortable, and contact with the rash itself doesn’t spread the illness. It’s usually seen on the trunk and neck, but it can extend to the arms, legs, and face. It lasts for about 24-48 hours.  Once you see the rash, the worst is over with.

There’s no specific treatment for roseola. Like most viral illnesses, roseola just needs to run its course. The most important thing you can do is make sure your baby rests and gets plenty of liquids.  Watch the fever and make sure it doesn’t get dangerously high, and be sure to let other moms or caregivers your child has contact with know so they can keep an eye on their little ones.

Here are some pictures of the rash Cameron had on his left and right legs. It looks a little scary but it didn’t last long!

Cameron's Right Leg - Roseola rash

Cameron's Left leg - Roseola rash

A few days after Violet was born I started feeling a little itchy, and saw some small red blotches appearing on my chest.  I didn’t think too much of it – figuring maybe she had clawed me a little while I was holding her and my skin was just a bit irritated.  I laid down for a nap.  When I woke up there was a rash covering my chest and my torso and it itched like CRAZY.  I started googling.

After searching for some time I came upon something called PUPPS – Pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy.  The thing is, PUPPS usually happens during pregnancy, generally during first pregnancies, 70% of the time the mothers are carrying boys, and usually the mothers are carrying multiples.  As you know, none of these things applied to me.  But, the symptoms themselves and the pictures I was looking at seemed like an exact match.  I started looking for something, anything, to give me relief from the unbearable itching.

I was incredibly disheartened to read that there was no “cure” for PUPPS (they don’t even really know the cause) and that sometimes women find the itching so bad they have their doctors induce them because most of the time PUPPS goes away once your baby is born.  For me, this wasn’t even on the table.  I was frantic.

I sent my husband to Whole Foods to buy up any holistic remedy I found on the internet (which I will post about below).  I was all about the shotgun approach since I was so desperate.  While he was gone I called my OB to make an appointment, and spoke to my daughter’s pediatrician to make sure all the things I were about to try were ok for the baby.  I got my OB appointment for the next day (which seemed like an eternity away) and got the all clear from the pediatrician.  My husband came back and I began my home-remedy assault.  Here’s what I tried:

Grandpa’s Pine Tar Soap – This stuff will make you smell a bit like you spent too much time next to the camp fire, but I didn’t care.  I took a warm shower with it and left the lather on me for a few minutes before rinsing it off. I did this a few times that day. This soap is written about all over the internet as a PUPPS helper.  It did seem to give me some relief from the itching.

Natures Gate Skin Therapy Colloidal Oatmeal Lotion – I put this on after each shower, and sometimes in between. This lotion is supposed to help with itching. I’m not sure how much it really did for me, but I didn’t care.

Dandelion root capsules – The bottle said take 3 pills, 3 times a day. Dandelion Root is said to help improve liver function. I figured it couldn’t hurt.  I can’t really say if this helped, but improved liver function sounds good!

Benadryl Itch Stopping Gel - the Nurse Practitioner I spoke to at my OB’s office recommended trying this since I wasn’t going to see my OB until the next day and get something stronger. We had some on hand for mosquito bites in the summer so I was all for it. It helped some to relieve the itching – for about 5 minutes.

Claritin – I think in the end this was my savior. Maybe 10 minutes after I took the first pill I started feeling better, and within an hour the itching was bearable again. I took a 24 hour pill, but within 12 hours the rash was back with a vengeance and I had to take another pill (this was at 4am). Be sure to NOT take Claritin D if you are nursing, the “D” kind will decrease your milk supply.

The next day I saw my OB and she gave me a topical steroid cream as well as a steroid pack.  She also told me to keep taking the Claritin, and try Benadryl at night.  She said that the two medicines work different ways so it was kind of like hitting the problem on two fronts.  Mercifully, within a few days the PUPPS rash seemed like it was all gone.

Besides the prescriptions, you can get all these remedies over the counter at a health foods store (or Whole Foods) and a drug store like CVS or Walgreens.  Be sure to check with your OB and your child’s pediatrician before trying any remedies to be sure they think they are safe for you and your baby.

So, if you have PUPPS, first I would like to say I am terribly sorry because I know how awful it is.  Second, I hope some of these remedies help you get at least a little relief.  And also, for the very very few of you out there who might get PUPPS after delivery I just wanted to let you know that yes, it can happen, even though it is rare.  My OB said she had only heard of it happening once before.  Either way, hang in there – and GOOD LUCK!

As if a cold, then diarrhea, then another cold, and an ear infection didn’t make for an eventful enough fall already, this past weekend while we were in Chicago visiting family Cameron came down with Roseola.  Thankfully another mom friend had just encountered it and told me about it before we left – so even though I was stranded miles away from my pediatrician and my trusty copy of Baby 411, I figured out quickly what I was dealing with, and we all made it through.  So, here’s a little about roseola so you can be on the look out:

Roseola is sometimes called “baby measles” or the “sixth disease.”  It is a form of herpes.  Roseola is highly contagious, being spread through contact with saliva or being breathed on by another baby with roseola.  It usually starts with a sudden high fever with sometimes no other symptoms (in Cameron’s case he had some “cold like symptoms” as well).  During this phase of the illness just give your child ibuprofen to try and keep him comfortable.  I didn’t notice Cameron’s fever as being especially high, but he was already being dosed with ibuprofen for his ear infection, so I think this helped keep it down.  FYI – About 10 to 15 percent of children with roseola have a seizure. If this happens, your baby may become unconscious and jerk his arms, legs, or facial muscles for two or three minutes.

I didn’t realize what  I was dealing with until Cameron got the telltale rash.  The rash isn’t itchy or uncomfortable, and contact with the rash itself doesn’t spread the illness. It’s usually seen on the trunk and neck, but it can extend to the arms, legs, and face.  It usually lasts for about 24-48 hours.

There’s no specific treatment for roseola. Like most viral illnesses, roseola just needs to run its course. The most important thing you can do is make sure your baby rests and gets plenty of liquids.

Here are some pictures of the rash Cameron had on his left and right legs.  It looks a little scary but it didn’t last long!

Cameron's Right Leg - Roseola rash

Cameron's Left leg - Roseola rash

A little while ago Cameron came down with a rash.  Of course, being a first time mom I didn’t know what the rash was, so I brought him into the pediatrician.  She told me it was a heat rash and gave me some suggestions for treating it.  1) Put him in light, loose fitting clothing (see, Lucky Wang) 2) Keep him out of the heat and sun as much as possible and 3) Give him a bath with Corn Starch or Baking Soda.  Of course, for good measure I added both Corn Starch and Baking Soda to his bath.  In a day, he was all better!  So – baby got heat rash?  Baking Soda and Corn Starch!  Not sure if he has heat rash?  Call your pediatrician!  Fair warning, the google image search for baby heat rash is a little scary!

I took this pic of Cameron’s before I went to the Pediatrician (which was a good idea since his seemed to come and go if he was in the AC or out in the heat)

Cameron's rash

Baking Soda and Corn Starch Bath - all better!

Update:  I still use this soothing bath when Cameron has any kind of rash – namely, diaper rash.