Pediatrician Update

Mommy took Cooper to the pediatrican because the poor little guy has had a raw looking red rash on his face for the last 3 days. It came on suddenly, with tiny pimples everywhere, all surrounded by red itchy looking rash, and red raw ears. It calms down and starts to go away, but flares back up everytime he feeds or has tummy time, when the sides of his face touch blankets or lay on something. She has also been concerned about his head -- from the back it's quite mis-shapen, and flatter his right side than on the other. The lacation consultants noticed this early on, as Cooper has a tendancy to look to his right more than his left, so they gave us exercises for us to work on him with. Even though mommy and daddy have been encouraging him to look to the left (with blankets tucked under his side), he still prefers the right, and since he is growing, the area on his head is becoming more pronounced. So mommy thought a pediatrician appointment was in order, and we headed out to see Dr. Alison Scott.

Sometimes I think doctors must have a good laugh at first time moms, with all our concerns about our new babies. She could barely keep in her smile when she confirmed that the red cheeks was just baby acne. That it often appears in the form of a red rash that flares up when he's sweaty or heated or irritated in any way. She said acne usually starts at 3 weeks in babies and can last up to six months! She says that there is nothing you can put on it to help, and that it will take it's natural course to fade away. She recommended we wash all our stuff and his stuff in mild detergent only, try not to make it too hot when feeding, and wash his face once a day with mild baby soap, and not to put anything else on it or it could make it worse.

She looked at his head, and agreed that the shape is a little concerning -- cosmetically. She put my mind at ease that nothing is wrong with his brain, and told us again to try to keep him on his left side, and looking to the left whenever possible. She said that if it doesn't get better by his next appointment (in 2 weeks), she wants to refer him to a cranial specialist. She says that if we don't do something about it now, he may have to wear a helmet to correct it later. She says that it's better to be safe than sorry about these things. So hopefully we can correct the shape ourselves and not have to go to the specialist, but I guess we'll see!

Here's a few pictures of Cooper's head from both sides and the back.