Explosive Diapers

Hi there. I have a 5 1/2 month old son that has the exact same issues. I in fact did go on the Nutramigen, but that didn't exactly fix all the problems except the tummy irritability. In my opinion it was worth it because it would break my heart when his tummy hurt. My other son who is now 9 had the exact same issues. For the most part, a lot of it was simply coping with the spitting up for the first year, which i am doing with this one. The Zantac for this son actually makes it worse and the diapers he has after i give it to him were horrible. So i make the decision to stop that part. Starting him on solids has helped him out a lot. As for the runny nose and such, a lot of that can be contributed to teething and or possibly allergies. Is there anything about his routine that happens around these changes? I couldn't remember if you said he stayed home with you or not. You could start jotting a couple of things down that go on during the day when he has this happen, maybe you could pinpoint something in his schedule. Truly for my son , starting the solids really did help out a lot. Also, there are rare cases of people being diagnosed with reflux when they actually DO NOT PRODUCE enough acid in their bellies. So Zantac would do more harm than good. You could look in to that.
http://www.understanding-acidreflux.com/stomach-acid.php?...
Good luck! Hope that baby feels better soon!

A friend of mine's baby was having some of the same issues and had been recommended by pediatrician to have surgery for the child's reflux. She took the baby to a chiropractor who did an adjustment on the child and the problem was resolved.
With his cough & extra saliva...there is a possibility that can get into his eustacian tubes and cause ear infections too. My neice's kids all having problems with ear infections until she too, took the child to a chiropractor because she was at her wits end. One adjustment and the ear infection never returned. You might want to look into it.

Lisa I wish I had more advice, I just want to say you'll be fine, you're a good mom and you're trying to take care of your baby the best way you know how. My baby's almost 6 months now, and about that same weight. Don't stress the weight as long as he gains he'll be fine. Also reflux is so common in my family it's mostly a joke now, of course my mom and aunts always really stressed about it, and they tested my brother for every allergy but he just had reflux and he is a healthy adult now. For a runny nose you can put some water with a little bit of salt in those baby bulb syringes and squirt a little into his nose to clear it out.

I wish you the best!

Demand a different answer!!! You're son most likely has food allergies, not reflux. The zantac could ruin his digestion for the rest of his life if you leave him on it. His stomach will stop producing the acid it needs to digest protein . I went through this with my eldest son as well, and finally found a natural doctor who finally gave us real answers and real results that didn't involve drugging my son. I am happy to share his name and info with you if this is a direction you are interested in. Sorry if I sound a little adamant...it just makes me so angry that our pediatricians brush mother's off when this happens. I know you trust your pediatrician, but frankly, I think you are being led down a path that is hurting your son. If the cruddy nose and cough were due to reflux then the zantac, in theory, should take care of that as well. Also, you may have started food too early....American Academy of Pediatrics says no solids until six months. This could also be part of the problem.

I know I'm unusual in my approach, but I hope you find something that works for you.
J.

I am sure you have heard people say he'll outgrow it, it will work out, don't worry, etc. but your instincts say..it just isn't quite right. Right before two, I had had enough of feeling this way with my son. I took him first to an allergist "to rule that out." Nothing...but he was great and taught me a lot. (Dr. Bock in Boulder). He should me a how to do a diaper diary and control diets for a month. this is how long it took to get an appointment for an Ped. GI. (Dr.Rosenweig). We went through a bunch of tests and stuff. Long story short...there is nothing wrong with my son. a relief, right? Wrong. How can you "fix it" if you don't know what the problem is. Through online research and the GI, we randomly label it infantile chronic diariah. so look up articles on that. I have my son on a no dairy, soy (beans) and corn diet. I have also switched to natural products to avoid BHT, MSG, Nitartes, and other chemicals. (even shampoo). He will not eat high natural chemical things like catelop, tomatoe, etc with sulfate and glutimate. Sounds like a lot. Allergy Friendly Foods also helped me understand. At anyrate, don't jump too high to conclude this is the issue, but follow those instincts. Once I figured out the corn (sort of knew the soy and dairy) he is like a different person. We god out to eat once in a while or whatever and it is like this moody kid who has to run to the potty every two minutes. the dairy was a first huge step and mine didn't like nursing too well either. I had him on soy formula but it wasn't that great of a fit either. Then I tried cow milk earlier then one year from the Logmont Dairy...it was okay but he didn't take much. So he drank mostly water after about ten months and is just fine. Let me know if any of this makes sense to you and you need more help...even in a few months when yours starts foods. Solids should help a lot...avacado is still a favorite and was my first one. Pears also very low chemical s start with that.

I'm wondering if his body needs healthy bacteria to help break up the foods? we started giving my dd yogurt and it helped to regulate her body she didn't spit up as much and her poops were so much more regular and it got rid of her gas and bloating. I know for myself as well when I am having digestive problems adding in yogurt really helps with that.

Hi Lisa,
This sounds so familiar! My 2 year old has had on/off diarrhea (or explosive diapers) since I can remember. What's worse is they burn her and make diaper changes dreadful. Her feeding history: She was breastfed until 5 months and then put on an organic formula. She started solids around the same time.

My daughter also has had a slow but steady weight gain, no rash or hives, runny nose or cough that would indicate an allergy. Our dr. thought perhaps it is more of an intolerance to something, but it would be nearly impossible to pinpoint as she eats such a variety of foods. He suggested I do a lactose-free diet for 5 days simply because we had to start somewhere. IMMEDIATELY, the stools became regular and normal and stayed normal. After 5 days it was clear to us that lactose intolerance was the cause. We then tried an experiment to see how intolerant she is (apparently there are different severities). We added 1 slice of cheese into her diet and, BAM!, bad diapers.

I feel terrible that for 2 years I blamed it on everything else: teething, traveling, colds, ear infections, environmental allergies. We didn't think this could be the issue back when she was drinking a milk-based formula either. But I am so glad I finally found the culprit!

Good luck. Trust your instinct.
R.

Hi Lisa,

Good for you for seeking advice from Moms! We went through the same thing with our son having bad reflux, horrible runny diapers (some even mucousy)and also tons of gas and recurrent ear infections. My doctor also prescribed Zantac but I never gave it to my son (he was 3 mos at the time) becuase I knew there was a root cause related to diet causing the problem so we held off and I drowned myself in researching the subject. Through A LOT of research and also asking other Moms for advice, we realized that reflux, colic and ear infections is often caused (of affected) by certain foods so I took out many of the claimed culprit foods out of my diet (I was breastfeeding) and as soon as we removed dairy we noticed a HUGE improvement. Immediately he stopped having gas (and colic) and the reflux lessened as we also removed peppers and tomatos. Then we started seeing more links to problem foods as we removed more things. It took a long time becuase I was in denial at removing foods like wheat and soy which we found, in addition to dairy, caused our son horrible poops and really bad diaper rash. The good news is that it doesn't mean that he can never have these foods but right now we have to improve his intestinal health in hopes that once he is healed internally, these foods wont be problematic any more.

My son is almost two now and it still is a challenge for us. We know immediately if he accidentally eats a problem food, for instance something containing wheat, becuase he gets a nasty runny poop with a bad raw diaper rash. When we keep all of his problem foods out of his diet he has wonderfully normal, solid (yet still can be soft just not runny) poops. You are very fortunate that your baby is still growing well. Our guy is pretty little and for the last 16 mos has been in the less than 3%. Although he is very healthy and lately we have noticed an increase in his interest to different kinds of foods which is a positive sign. Keep up your good work and trust your intuition.

Just know that food affects everything in our bodies. It is really true that we are what we eat. Unfortunately most doctors are not trained in nutrition so they only know how to prescribe pharmaceuticals to stop symptoms instead of getting to the root of the problem. Then these pharmaceuticals cause more side effects and in turn they prescribe more drugs to deal with those side effects and the cycle continues.

Best of luck!

J.

It really sounds like allergies, I know that the ped doesn't think so, and you don't cause he has good days, but I can say that my oldest had explosive poop's with some blood in it(towards the end), it wasn't everyday, there were good days, but when it happened, it was bad.

At 2 months she was admitted into the hospital, the ped never thought it was allergies, but had me switch to soy formula, that helped a little, anyways she was admitted cause things just weren't getting better, they did a ton of test and the only thing they could think of was allergies, they put her on Alimentum (I don't rememeber who makes it), it is a little pricey but it was well worth it, some insurance even help pay for the cost, within a month we saw a huge difference, and by the time she was 8/9 months we were able to move her back to soy formula, she couldn't do milk based anything until over a year. The Dr's never were sure exactly what it was, except maybe a sensitive stomach, which presented like allergies.

I would keep looking, your poor little one must be miserable. Get another opinion, and then get a third if you need to. It doesn't mean that his ped is bad, but sometimes another Dr who isn't close to the case can see or know of something that maybe your hasn't/can't.

sounds a food allergy or intolerance. my little guy had alot of the same problems as yours and now that he is three i have finally gotten him off milk (and it has helped a ton). i wouldn't trust everything that the ped says simply because they are not specialist in digestion. i would take your little one to a pediatric gatrointerologist. they specialize in the digestive systems of little ones and can giv eyou a better idea of what to do. i mean, there is no need to give the zantac and the pricey formula if what your little one has is an allergy or intolerance and simply adjusting his diet is what he needs. i say spend the money on the specialist and it will probably save you money in the long run

Oh, my gosh! This is like reading about my son!! He, too, has had a gunky nose and cough since he was born. He, too, has explosive BM's. And just this weekend, he switched it up--no BM now since Friday. He has been on Rinatidine (generic Zantac) since he was 3 months old; he'll be 6-months on August 2nd. The Zantac did help his cough quite a bit, I have to say, and his nose some. I have not been eating dairy since he was 2-weeks old; I learned with his big sister that dairy was the cause of her painful gas when she was an infant. After I noticed that he was having gas, too, I cut out dairy and it helped him a lot. However, he still has the explosive poos! But, I may have found a solution: in looking for an answer to his eczema--something to treat the root cause vs. just the symptoms--I found out about probiotics. The staff at Pharmaca in boulder recommended them to me. It is basically the good bacteria that our bodies need to properly digest food and stay "tummy" healthy. It seems to have immediately helped his eczema (and jojoba oil has, too), and I think that it may be helping his gut, too, b/c no explosive poos since Friday (I started him on the probiotics on Thursday night). We'll see how it goes.... At any rate, it was really reassuring to see your question and know that I wasn't the only mom dealing with this same issue. We were really getting frustrated by his ongoing cough, runny nose; I'm glad that it started getting better with the Zantac. It took about a month on it... I'd like to get him off it, so I think I'm going to try cutting out soy, tomatoes, and peppers one by one and see how it helps, if at all. Those were good recommendations people made--this site is great!
Good luck, and maybe we should keep each other posted on how it's going!
S.

Lisa,
Make a phone call to an Gastrologists office and talk to a nurse, explain to her everything you have told us and the opinions of both docotrs you have seen.
I went this route with my second child and he needed to be on goats milk.
When he was put on goats mild he quit with nasty diapers. The cruddy nose and cough is an allergy, I would bet money on it.
I know you are worried, but please talk to a Gastrologists nurse at least.
No matter what the doctors are telling you, children do have allergies at birth. I had two sons that did. So be persistent with your doctors especially if you trust them.
Good luck to you and your family.
M.

You can try sippy cups too even at his age if he is able to hold a cup himself if he fights bottles.
My son had loose stools I swear all through is first year, he was the slobber king too and I think excess salivia causes that to some degree. I too took him off milk and dairy for two weeks and it didn't help so we ruled out any allergies at least with dairy too. I contribute his loose stools to teething and his slobber when he was younger. Now at almost four his stools are fine, when they start potty training too it seems that even though they seem loose they aren't that bad as when in a diaper. When he was two we had his adnoids out and ear tubes put in due to chronic ear infections. That helped his cruddy nose and now after almost four years of congestion at night we have him on Nasonex. He I think does have seasonal or outdoor allergies. It is hard to tell with a six mos old.

Try seeing if you can put in Vicks Vapor Plugs in his room at night, they are awesome for a stuffy nose but not a long term solution. Is he having trouble at night with his cruddy nose? They last almost 8 hours and fill the room up with that smell that helps soothe coughs and congestion.
If you have had him thoroughly tested and you trust what you are getting as an answer, hang in there.

There never hurts in getting a third opinion. Follow your gut on what you think is okay.

Keep trying new solids, don't focus on sweet things though as sugar can irratate the bowels too if there is already irratation already. Try peas, green beans and more substantial and starchy foods mixed with the cereal. My daughter had a sensitive tummy and Nutramigen was our saving grace.
Make sure you are burping him too as the spit up could be from gas building up too.
Hang in there, follow your gut though as you know your baby best!

Hi Lisa,
I have a little boy that is 7 months old. I see someone has already suggested this but I took my son to a chiropractor for allergies. He also had reflux as a new baby and took Previcid, he outgrew the reflux at about four months and no longer takes any meds. At 5 months he started have horrible hay fever and his poor little nose was so clogged he could hardly nurse. I read about chiropractic for allergies and thought that was crazy and would never work. After watching him suffer for 10 days, since there is nothing you can give them, I decided it was worth a try. I talked to the chiropractor for about 15 minutes on the phone and made an appointment. I was very skeptical, but after one visit I saw a drastic improvement the next day. Let me know if you want any info on the doctor or treatment. Best of luck.

Hi Lisa,

I have been there! Only things I can think of is make sure you are not switching brands of cereal (get the best you can afford). I always had to get the soy free organic type of rice or I and my children would pay in dividends. Oatmeal cereal made them very very sick diaper wise.

Also I have noticed that not all baby foods are consistently ripe. Make sure the applesauce you are giving him doesn't taste tart (meaning more acid, less sugar). Also banannas were a big problem for my kids, they can take a while to digest. Check the web for lists of easy to digest or fast empyting foods. My kids really didn't eat a large variety of foods until well past 12 months. They grew very quickly with their super delicate tummies as well. Just hang in there and keep a food diary/medication diary/poop diary. That way you can notice trends.

My daughter had a cruddy nose too. Try a humidifier at night. In the long run it turned out she also had 'huge' adnoids pushing on her sinuses (spell?), which once removed at 2 yrs changed her whole life for the better (ie. not a single runny nose and / or ear infection since--10+ months later!).

R. Oh, I had to put Amy on Nutramigen (very slow process of mixing it with breastmilk, to get her used to the taste, but eventually 2+ weeks she took straight nutramigen.)

My daughter is now 7 and we went through that with her. When we took her off of milk and soy, she did better. She also outgrew it by age 3, so don't stress too much. (Easier said than done, I know.) Massaging the tummy in a circular motion also helps relax the digestive tract. Acidophulus (sp) did wonders for her too. It may take a couple weeks to really see improvement, but using probiotics will really help the tummy. They make a powder (make sure it is either refridgerated or freeze dried for maximum flora) and the powders are safe enough to give to newborns even. A tsp a day helped our little girl. Mix it in with formula or food.
Hang in there! It is so hard as a mommy to know what to do all the time. Relax, trust your instincts, and pray!
Good luck.

I know this is really off-the-wall, but I have a suggestion. There is a chiropractor in Pueblo who will work with your baby. He deals with allergies (adults and kiddos). He diagnoses and treats them.

I don't know the logistics of what he does, but I know 4 people who have gone for his treatments and all claim to feel a MILLION times better. I know one lady who has been allergic to strawberries all her life, went to him, and can now eat as many as she wants with no reaction.

His name is Tano Welch and his phone number is ###-###-####.
Good luck!

I don't know about anyone else but I would take the baby to another doctor just to make sure something was not missed. Not that you don't have a good dr. but why take chances with your baby. I personally like to go to homeopathic dr. and take my kids them too.
Best wishes and hopefully find what is wrong.