Nipple Cream Can Give Infants Health Problems

Mommy's Bliss Nipple Cream is can be anything but blissful for the infants whose mothers use this cream. The ingredients can cause respiratory distress, vomiting and diarrhea in infants.

The FDA has warned women not to use or buy the cream marketed by MOM Enterprises Inc. of San Rafael, Calif. The cream is promoted to soothe dry or cracked nipples that nursing mothers can encounter. Two of the ingredients though, chlorphenesin and phenoxyethanol, put infants are risk for health problems.

"FDA is particularly concerned that nursing infants are being unwittingly exposed by their mothers to this product with dangerous side effects," said Janet Woodcock, director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "Additionally, these two ingredients may interact with one another to further compound and increase the risk of respiratory depression in nursing infants."

The company has stopped selling the cream. The FDA is warning parents to consult a doctor if their infants have had any problems after the use of the cream. Mothers who have children with adverse effects are asked to call the FDA's MedWatch at 800-332-1088.