Infant diarrhea and allergies

[JM13]

Our 9 week old son had bloody stools recently and my wife had to remove all dairy from his and her diet.  He is now being breast fed again and supplemented with soy formula.  The blood immediately stopped after we changed the diet, but brown diarrhea continues.  Could this mean another allergy to either soy or something else in my wife's diet?

They were both in an extended hospital stay after delivery and my wife developed C-DIFF.  We tested the baby for C-DIFF as well as other bacteria that could cause the bleeding and it all came back negative.  No mucous present either.  We're convinced this is a dietary issue, and wonder what we could try next to get his stool more solid.

[soworriedtn]

Hi! Congratulations on the birth of your baby! I have 4 children, all were breastfed, and one had milk allergy. She didn't have bloody stools when she came in contact with milk, but did get severe hives, even if she just touched milk. She didn't outgrow this until she was 2. I too had to stop drinking all dairy products. Lookout for milk hidden in certain products, like candy bars, and processed foods. You can check out the food allergy network for products that are milk free. I wonder if the diarrhea your baby is having is normal. Infants, especially breastfed infants, have very frequent bowel movements. I couldn't change diapers fast enough. If there is no blood present, then I wouldn't worry too much. If you are still concerned, you could have your pediatrition run an analysis on a stool sample. This would confirm whether or not there is blood present. I hope this helps! Enjoy your precious baby!

[JEx3]

Hi there

La leche league is an international breastfeeding support group. Their website contains a lot of information on all breastfeeding related issues. The forums are also very helpfull and in your case the allergies forum will be where you can find a lot of info.
The website is www.lalecheleague.org

Also try www.kellymom.com

Hope this helps.

Good luck with your son!

Janine