Mommy’s Bliss Nipple Cream Could Be Harmful

The FDA has issued a warning to women who are currently using Mommy's Bliss Nipple Cream. The cream, promoted to mothers who were nursing to soothe their dry or cracked nipples, could contain potentially harmful ingredients to breastfeeding babies. Specifically, the ingredients could cause symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea, or respiratory distress in infants.

These symptoms could arise from the ingredients chlorphenesin and phenoxyethanol. Chlorphenesin is an ingredient that can relax skeletal muscles and can depress the central nervous system and eventually cause respiratory depression (shallow or slow breathing) in infants. The other ingredient, Phenoxyethanol, is a preservative that is mostly used in cosmetic products and medications. It can also be used to depress the central nervous system and can cause diarrhea and vomiting, which can then lead to dehydration in infants. The ingredient Chlorphenesin could also cause harm to the mother by causing dermatitis, which is a skin condition that can worsen the cracking and drying of the nipple skin.

Caregivers and/or mothers should watch for a decreased appetite, limpness of extremities, having difficulty waking the child, a change in skin color, or a strength decrease in their grip. If your child is experiencing any of these symptoms, please seek immediate medical attention.

The Director of the Center for Drug Evaluation, Janet Woodcock, said that the FDA is particularly concerned the mothers of the nursing infants were unknowingly exposing the children to the product with potentially dangerous side effects. Also, the two ingredients in this product may interact with one another to create a further compound that can increase the risk of respiratory depression in infants that are nursing.

The company has now stopped selling the cream. The Food and Drug Administration said that consumers should stop using the cream immediately and see their physician if they have experienced and problems or if they believe that their infant may have experienced any problems due to the cream.

If any mothers who have infants that have suffered from effects of this cream, they should contact the Food and Drug Administration's MedWatch at 1-800-332-1088.