Hi there!
My 3 month old has been having some issues since he was about 4 weeks old. He has had diahrea almost constantly. I eliminated all common allergen foods once, but nothing changed. We did some testing then to see if it was bacterial and it wasn't. There is no blood in his stool, he is not dehydrated and he is thriving (16+ pounds!). His pediatrician is not concerned- he says it is not an allergy, just a sensitivity that he will outgrow, but I would really like to find the cause. I recently tried eliminating foods from my diet again...dairy for about 3 weeks, peanuts (and most other nuts) for 2 weeks, wheat and (most) soy for about a week. This week I gave up and I pretty much binged on all the no-no foods today!
Part of me says, just forget it. He spits up, but not a lot, he isn't overly cranky, he sleeps well. Mostly it just a headache because he "blows out" of his diaper so frequently. I would still like to know what is making my little guy uncomfortable. Any suggestions on how to figure it out?
TIA!
PS - I should add that it is definately NOT the normal breastfed baby poop. He doesn't have the "seeds" and it is mucousy and frequently greenish in color. My daughter also had blow-outs, but not nearly as frequently. He also does get some eczema and gets fussy in the evenings.
It actually sounds pretty normal to me. Keep eating healthy and watching his weight. He is obviously getting enough to eat if he is 16 lbs at 3 mos. "blow outs" are just part of the package:)
The green poop can be caused from a high amount of foremilk to hindmilk ratio. Try just giving him one breast until it's completely empty before switching breasts. This way he drinks the foremilk and hindmilk from 1 breast... if he's still hungry then switch to the otherside, but not before. Then at the next feeding give him the opposite one first so you don't end up too engorged, and again wait until he's drained that side before offering him the other (if he needs it).
If he is switched too often, he's getting the foremilk from both sides and filling up on that instead of getting both.
Sometimes babies can get mucousy stools if they are swallowing their own saliva alot, or swollowing down spit-ups that arn't coming out of their mouth. Does his stool ALWAYS have musous? Or just sometimes. This could be okay if it's only occasional.
Also, it's normal for a brest-fed baby not to have seedy stool after the first 2 or 3 months. But I do understand your concern with the green and mucousy stools.
As for the blowouts... I know it's unpopular, but maybe a small stock of cloth diapers would help. I use Bummis Super Wisper Wraps with chinese prefolds, and they ALWAYS contain the poo. No dirty cloths! I have 2 friends who use these too, and have no more blowouts.
Hope that helps. Congrats on your sweet new bundle!
C.
My son had poop like this off and on also while I was breastfeeding. Don't worry about it. Your nursing him so he is probably fine. Runny stools is better than being constipated. I know its a pain having to change him so frequently, but its worth it to keep him healthy by nursing. I honestly do not think it is anything from your diet. Breastmilk is made for babies... You need dairy to keep your milk healthy. Honestly, if he seems happy than its probably nothing.. breastfeeding poop is always runny and not always seedy. Congrats on the little one. Best wishes!
As long as he is thriving, I wouldn't worry about it. Even if he is allergic to something you are eating, if you keep at it, he will outgrow it and probably have more resistence to allergies because of it. As far as the excema, be sure it's not your laundry det. either.
this could just be a variation of what is normal for him! My now 2yr old was exclusivly breastfed and he only pooped every 5days or so! and even now he only poops 2x's a week! Compared to my now 5yr old who was the KING of diaper blowouts :-) still getting to know my 4week old but she's a random pooper LOL
If it is an allergen or a sensitivity you would be seeing one or more of these symptoms as well.
Green stools
Snotty stools
a red ring around the anus (from irritation)
Diaper Rash that you just can't get rid of no matter what you try.
exzema/skin rashes
Fussiness
Gas
just to name a few.
My daughter was breastfed for 7 months and during that time she never really had a firm stool. It was always just loose poop. To this day, now 2 1/2, she still doesn't have really firm stool like an adult, not sure why. However, when she has diahrea, her diaper looks very wet with brownish water, not poop. So are you sure it's diahrea? If so, my advice is to get a second, and possibly third, opinion. I have switched pediatricians (which isn't the easiest) until I found one that took my concerns as seriously as I think should be taken. You don't want your baby to get dehydrated, that is VERY serious. When my daughter has diahrea I give her Pedialyte (which is not a long-term solution). Lastly, my daughter had pimples at 3 months old and one look from the doc. and he told me it was a form of a yeast infection and gave me a cream to put on it. Within 24 hours the pimples were gone! Has your Pediatrician since the eczema? Good luck to you, God Bless.
i breastfed my daughter for 10 months. She blew out diapers often. This is not diahrea in the breastfed baby. Breastfed babies have very loose stools. It is normal. I too was very frustrated with diaper blowouts. I bought every diaper brand on the market. It was nothing that I ate, nothing was wrong with my daughter. It is normal in the breastfed baby. Your sons stools will firm up when he begins to eat cereal. But he is too young for cereal.
Wait until he is 4-6 months old (preferably 6 months) old and then start cereal. I guaranteee you his stools with change after teh cereal and you will have no problems with diaper blowouts.
Why do you think he is uncomfortable? you say he eats well and sleeps well. he sounds like he is fine.
PS. boys poop more often than girls- so you cant compare your new son to your older daughter.
