[mommamarci]

Okay, I am sorry if this comes out sounding silly or ignorant...

My little one has thrush. I had never seen it before. When I first noticed it, I had no idea what it was. I wondered if it was something normal or common in AA kids. I have since learned what it is, but it has made me wonder what else I don't know that I should. For example, I am pretty sure sickle cell only affects AA people. Are there other things I should know / look out for? Does anyone know of any books I could read that are a kind of a general overview of caring for an AA baby / child?

My first son is biracial but seems to have no AA features, so I had not given it much thought. But Spencer is full AA. I feel like I need to do more research and learn more. I don't want him to suffer because of my ignorance.

Also, any books on hair care or skin care would be greatly appreciated! Right now his hair is very fine baby hair, but I have a hunch that will change and I want to be prepared.

Thanks!

[jjlutefisk]

Hi Marci,

There are a whole bunch of yahoo groups you can join that are for people with African American children. I've learned so much from there!

The biggest challenge I had when my daughter first came home was with her skin. She needs a lot of lotion and I can't wipe her face with a baby wipe or she gets a rash!

Does Spencer have any darkish blue spots on him? My daughter as some on her arms and back. They almost look like bruises.

Good luck!

[veggiegirl]

The spots are birthmarks called Mongolian blue spots. If your child has them, you NEED to have your pediatrician document them in the child's medical file, but also keep a copy at daycare, school, in your purse - pretty much everywhere because they DO look like bruises and parents have been accused of child abuse because of them. I first learned about them at a child abuse seminar I had to take before I began my student teaching. The pediatricial we interviewed and also our agency told us about them, too. They may fade, but they may not. I think I've heard they can develop after birth, but then they wouldn't be birthmarks so I'm not sure about that. They tend to appear on the backside, often near the butt which makes them look even more suspicious. They are way more common in darker-skinned or "mixed race" children due and are caused by irregular pigmentation. Our failed match had a big one and I was all set to get it documented! Google should turn up a lot of info and pics for you. Nothing to worry about at all - just document for your own protection.

[dt_78]

We have been battling Thrush for the last year on and off. Our daughter just turned 1 which is suppose to be when they stop getting it, but went to the doctor yesterday and she has it now. I can smell a yeasty smell when she has it, long before I see the white spots. Since she got the first outbreak, we sterilize her bottles, cups, nipples, pacys, anything she puts in her mouth. Of course we still get it. If you give him Tylenol or anything with a medicine dropper, don't put it back in the medicine once it has touched his mouth, or you can contaminant the medicine. We learned this the hard way the first time around. The good thing is that most of the time it is just aggravating for the parents and not the babies. I hope your little one feels better soon. Oh and if you ever have to use nebulizers he will be more prone to it for some reason. At least that is what our Pediatrician said, and our daughter did get it once when she was on her neb.

Hope this helps a little.

DT

[mamala]

I didn't know AA children were prone to thrush... I thought it was just infants.

We had an AA foster infant just leave our house (went to a med frag home) and combatted his thrush pretty successfully using an infant formulated probiotic called HLC Neonate. It was expensive, but well worth it. Has to be kept in the fridge. He made a face when we gave it to him, but it worked. We continued to give it to him after the thrush disappeared (not as often, though) just to make sure it was really over and done with.

[nickchris]

All babies can get thrush, not just AA.

[EZ2Luv]

Exactly what Nickchis said. All babies get thrush/

EZ

[Celesyee]

All babies can also be born with Mongolian Spots and/or Sickle Cell Anemia...

[devildogwife]

Originally Posted by Celesyee

All babies can also be born with Mongolian Spots and/or Sickle Cell Anemia...

Yep, my son who is Native American has had thrush and has very apparent mongolian spots all over his backside. Thrush is definitely common for infants.

[mommamarci]

Thanks for all repsonses. I know thrush can happen to any race baby, I just did not know what it was at first and wondered if it was something common to AA babies.

Question about Mongolian spots. Are babies always born with them? I have inspected Spencer very closely seveal times and do not see any. Can he still develop them later or would he have them already by 7 weeks?

[Celesyee]

A baby of any ethnicity can be born with Mongolian Spots, but are more common amongst those of Asian,African, and Latino heritage. But not all babies, even those of the forementioned races are born with them. Mongolian Spots usually fade as the child ages, but a child who is not born with them will not one day develop them.

Because many people (including child care providers, photographers, school personnel, etc) are not aware of what Mongolian Spots are, they are commonly mistaken bruises as the result of child abuse. It is strongly recommonded that any parents of babies who have mongolian spots take pictures of the spots and face pictures of the babies with date stamped on. Also make sure the peditrician documents this in the baby's medical record.