Labial adhesions already!

[Plummeting]

This is so, so, so frustrating! DD already has adhered labia. With DD1, this was something the ped noticed when she was already several months old. This time around, I was wiping DD2 after a poop and I noticed that it looked like she was adhering. DD1 is almost 6 years older, so I wasn't quite sure that's what I was seeing, since it was so long ago, but I googled adhesions and, yup, it fit the description. Of course, that was maybe 10 days ago and it has already gotten worse (closed up more), so that would've answered the question anyway.

What's more frustrating is that we EC and the only time the child is ever, ever, ever in a wet diaper is when we're out and about. She stays dry all night, until maybe 5am, at which time I change her immediately. (I know exactly when she pees because she's so dang noisy about it. lol) I wash her diapers with bum genius diaper wash, so it's free of scents, dyes and all that irritating stuff. Plus, we have an HE washer and after I run them through I do another quick wash with no detergent, so there's no way there's residue on the diapers to irritate her. The only soap we use on her is California Baby. We don't do lotions or anything else. There is nothing more I can do to prevent irritation down there. On top of all that, I've been applying petroleum jelly to the part that's still open, in an attempt to keep it open, but that's not even stopping it from closing up more anyway. WTF?!?

[LittleLegos]

Wow...that's interesting. Sounds like you're doing all the right things.

How frustrating!
Amy

[cocoanib]

I'm sorry Mama. I've read about these, but never knew anyone who dealt with it. Sounds like you're doing all the right stuff. What wound up helping with DD1?

[Charmie981]

L's doc commented on this at her 8w visit. He suggested using a Q tip at diaper changes to help keep the area open. Didn't comment at all that it had to do with anything I'm doing or not doing as a mother, and said that about 20% of babies have it. When he demonstrated using a q-tip to clean her at changes, it opened up the adhesion (and he was very gentle...nothing rough, simply a swipe with the cotton swab). I've been looking every few days since then and haven't noticed that it had re-adhered, although he said that it is likely to happen. I asked a friend with four girls about it and none of her daughters ever had it (or it was never diagnosed, anyway). I tend to take a pretty hands-off approach to genitalia (no-circ, no retraction, etc), so I'm glad he didn't rx a cream or anything...that would not sit well with me.

From what I've read, it's not much to worry about and they often resolve with little to no help, but I guess you've been through this before and you know what you're doing...it's all new to me!

[judybean]

I actually had to google this to see what it was... (this from a mother of four girls... ). I'm pretty hands-off as well (sometimes worrying I'm maybe TOO hands-off!)... I hope to continue my blissful ignorance of this subject for sure...

Plummeting.. how are things?

[Plummeting]

Well, she is still adhered, but it doesn't seem to have gotten worse since I posted...I don't think. I do the vaseline thing every day, more than once, but it definitely hasn't opened it up at all. I won't do the Premarin unless she gets so adhered it starts causing infections - or chronic irritation from pee dribbling out for 20 minutes after she goes, due to blockage of the flow of urine (that happened with DD1). I think we should be okay this time. I hope, at least. It's definitely frustrating. I don't understand how it can only happen to 20% of girls, but to 100% of my two girls. I mean, I understand how it's possible and all, but that's terrible luck!

[Right of Passage]

My midwife's daughters went through this. She just left it alone and everything opened back up around 12 months. She believes it to be like the forskin of the penis. It's adhered to protect their most sensitive anatomy and (as long as they can still eliminate) there is nothing to worry about.

[Plummeting]

Good news! I was putting petroleum jelly on her yesterday and it came apart. Not all the way, but the opening more than doubled in size. I could hardly believe it, because I wasn't applying any pressure or anything. I actually jerked my hand back when I noticed, because I was afraid it was hurting her. She didn't even seem to notice. It must have just gotten really thin in that area or something.

Of course, this makes me even madder at that nurse practitioner (from my other thread) who basically acted like I was a complete idiot for not taking the Premarin. If they can open up that easily, why on earth would I use that stuff when we didn't even need it (no complications, no infections, etc.)? If I wouldn't have known better, I would've taken it, used it, then credited the Premarin for getting it to open up again.

[Juvysen]

My 3 yo niece apparently still has them and they're interfering with her potty learning (or so MIL tells me), so they started using hormone creams again occasionally, I guess? DD never had them, so I have no idea what that even looks like, really.

[Plummeting]

I'm not sure exactly what she means in your niece's situation, of course, but adhesions can cause the opening to get small enough that it's difficult to pass urine. When they get really small they can also cause the girl to really exert some pressure to get it out, and it can literally come flying straight out to the front, completely missing the toilet or potty. (We EC and this happened with DD1.) Additionally, because the urethra is blocked, urine can get trapped in there, so that after a girl goes, small amounts of it can continue to squeeze out for several minutes, as she moves around. (That also happened to DD1.) Obviously, that can cause some problems of its own, such as irritation and infection from being damp all the time. Hopefully your niece's go away and stay gone! They often come right back whenever the cream is stopped.

I definitely believe there are situations that call for the hormone cream. I actually used it for DD1, because I really could hardly even see how pee was getting out at all. It was just a pinpoint spot, she was leaking urine a lot, etc. I think it can be justified sometimes. (I had to do it twice for a week or two with DD, because it wouldn't stay open.) DD2 didn't need it, though. Her opening was still a good enough size that she wasn't having trouble passing urine and it was easy to just wiggle her legs around to make sure all the dribbles were out before rediapering her. I don't expect the nurse practitioner to have been able to predict that it would un-adhere (is that a word? lol) so easily, but it really annoys me that she was pushing for the cream when it so clearly wasn't necessary.

[Juvysen]

I think they said the hole was too small for her to go effectively? I'm not really sure, but it sounds like not a lot of fun. Hope your DD's adhesions go away, soon, too!!