Sore in 11 week old baby bottom...advice needed!

[aquasea]

Hi everyone, this might be really really common... or not but my DS has been screaming for the past few days and not feeding well (although that is quite normal for him at the best of times!) but I noticed this morning that he has an open sore right beside his bumhole (sorry if tmi!). Is this nappy rash? He hasn't really had problems with nappy rash before but I hadn't been looking right inside... I thought nappy rash was just on the cheeks. Am I wrong? Does anyone know what I should do about it? I have put sudocream on it but I don't know if that's right. He's in so much distress. I gave him a bath and kept him for a while without his nappy on. I have just put him to bed with a nappy on very loosely. He is very windy and farts a lot, often accompanied by a little bit of poo. This must be making it worse all the time. Am so upset for him. The are real tears and everything! Is this something I have done wrong?

Babies' bumholes can get quite raw and nappy rash isn't necessarily just on the cheeks. It's nothing you'll have done wrong. Your reactions so far have been entirely right, but if it doesn't clear up in a day or two you may need to get something a bit stronger than sudocrem from your GP. 2-3 month old babies are often windy and colicky. Have you tried baby massage, or infacol drops? HTH

I would try and get him seen tomorrow (Friday) as it can be a right pita trying to get to see someone over the weekend if things haven't improved.
It might be a pilonidal sinus - an infected hair follicle which has now opened up into this sore patch you have seen. My friends son had it treated with antibiotics, but it kept coming back and he ended up needing an small op and skin grafting. I think he was an exceptional case though as most are sorted by the antibiotics.

I dont think you have done anything wrong at all. It could be a fissure - small crack in the skin near the anus which can happen due to windy poos etc especially since babys poo so much and explosively in their earlier months! Our gp gave us some ointment for a similar thing - that goes in the fridge - sorry cant remember what it is but worth seeing a pharmacist or even your gp as it can probably be sorted really quickly.

my ds had a perianal abscess - it's not a swelling, is it?