Lactose Intolerance? Who knows...

I took Jack to see the Dr on Tuesday (couldnt get an earlier appointment) because Jack has had some bloody mucus in his poo. He's also been fairly irritable in the evenings (I think mostly he gets really over tired, but sometimes my supply is low in the arvos, so he's hungry too - that's solved with some stored EBM). The doctor didn't seem to care there was blood in Jack's poo (even though the MCHN told me to get Jack to the doctor as soon as I could get an appointment). He straight out said he's lactose intolerant. :(

But I don't get it - if he was LI, woudln't he have a pain reaction after every feed, not just in the afternoons (which I think is more him getting ...over tired, or over hungry because supply is a little low)? And his poo is, 95% of the time, yellow (curdled looking), but frequently has a watery element to it (still has 'normal' poo, but leaves a wet halo in 'sposies). It's very very rarely green & frothy. It will go green after the poo has sat around for a while (a few hours). And the mucus/blood seems to be occuring only once a day now (and you have really look to see the blood now, except yesterdays).

And he's only had the blood/mucus & smelly poo since I had antibiotics in about week 2 or 3 after birth. That was worst of Jack's tummy upset where his poo went dark, and really smelly, and lots mucus (with and without blood).

He's got no problem gaining weight (BW=3.3kg, weight @6wks=4.6kg; put on 300g last week alone!), which I thought wouldn't occur with LI (even temporary LI).

(have to add right here that Jack is sitting in his cot cooing at his curtains & hiccuping. So cute!)

For me: I have itchy skin on my BBs around once or twice a day. My nipples have been quite pink, and a little tender (not an attachment issue), and about 10misn after a feed, I get a burning pain deep in the tissue. I know Dr Google is evil, but from what I've found, that can indicate thrush.

My suggestion might be: Jack got thrush after the anitbiotics went to him through feeding, and then he's given it to me (apparently there doesn't necessarily need to be any white blobs of thrush around mouth/genitals to have it intestinally). I've been on some homeopathics & probiotics, and it seems to be clearing (in me at least).

Does anyone else have any ideas?

Lactose Intolerance - Your Baby and Lactose

Lactose intolerance is rare, because breastmilk contains lactose. Its very misunderstood, overdiagnosed and admittedly so by many doctors and more likely a milk protein intolerance. I'd find yourself a lactation consultant, preferably an IBCLC.

Here's a recent article I posted.

https://www.bellybelly.com.au/forums...treatment.html

I think you are on the right track *nods* It does sound like thrush very much so.

After my DS's very first round of antibiotics his poo's changed the same as your DS's. He got thrush and so did I.

Are you treating both of you for thrush? Are there any white spots in his mouth/on his tongue you can see?

Thank Kelly - will read shortly.

Miss C - no white spots (but from what I've read of Candida infections, you don't necessarily need them), but occasional nappy rash (once a week). I bought Inner Health For Kids & Inner Health Plus for me. The Kids stuff is meant to be for 3months & older, but seeing as the doctor won't give me anything for the thrush (completely ignored my symptoms - didn't care, had already made up his mind), I figured that was better than nothing. I've been giving him a half dose.

I've also checked out some homeopath remedies, and found a forum where a naturopath described the exact symptoms Jack has. By all accounts, it's thrush, and it's treated with the same stuff that's in Brauer's Colic relief. Fortunately, it's the only colic meds he likes (starts licking the air when he smells it).

Do you know of any over-the-counter stuff I could take?

ETA: from ABA website on LI

:

---

Average recovery time for the gut of a baby with severe gastroenteritis is 4 weeks, but may be up to 8 weeks for a baby under 3 months. For older babies, over about 18 months, recovery may be as rapid as 1 week

---

So he could be better anywhere from next week to the end of August - but did didn't have gastro. So fingers crossed for sooner.

Hi,

what I'm wondering is, what did the doctor suggest you do about it?
It is probable that the antibiotics have caused some mild damage to the gut, leading to the bleeding. It may even be a little secondary lactose intolerance as a result of this. However, the only treatment is to keep breastfeeding your baby. It will heal with time. It would absolutely not be recommended that you interrupt or cease breastfeeding. Your coctor is right - if there is not pain or discomfort then just time will heal - it's not a huge problem.
BTW, many mums don't realise that babies naturally cluster feed in the evening - our bodies make milk the same day and night - but babies are irritable in the evenings and want to feed lots - it cures all sorts of ills - from grumpiness to boredom and more.
All this is worrying and confusing it's good to ask the questions

I'm sorry your GP has scared you like this. It is really annoying that medical professionals give incorrect information so often.

The article on the ABA website is very good - I can't link to it at the moment but hopefully someone will.

I think I use Daktarin with him [is that what it's called?].
I was very uneducated with that type of thing, I'd never dealt with it before with any of the other kids.
So didn't know of any other options I could try before using it.
It did work though pretty quickly :)

the doctor said to carry on feeding & we'll see what the test results say.

unfortunatly, my appointment has been cancelled. :( no test results today.

The poo is most likely due to the antibiotics and will take several weeks to clear up. As Barb says, it'll sort itself out. If he's feeding and gaining well, then it's probably all fine. DS had similar problems early on when I had antibiotics.
You could also have thrush as well.

Evening irritability, aka arsenic hour(s), is totally normal, though draining, and doesn't reflect your supply or lack thereof at all, as Barb has also said. You'll still be making plenty of milk, your son is just fussy and feeling out of sorts so likes to feed more then to seek comfort. If your substitute bottles for breast then your milk supply may shift, however, to make more when you feed/express and less when you don't. The good news, hopefully, is that you're probably about half way through the worst of the early fussy stage.

Lactose overload is sounding more like it. It fits in with what we experience. The suck-suck-cry-suck-cry routine, the ample weight gain & frequent feeding, and me thinking I'm not supplying enough! I'm going to try block feeding for a few days & see how that goes.

Barb - if it's something to do over supply, should I express less to discourage the excess? Or just keep doing it to have freezer stocks?

Thanks all for your replies. I feel like I'm a hamster stuck on a wheel in my own head - I need to join a mothers group asap! Only a few more days & the 'new parents group' starts. :D

Hun, I'm glad you have read the articles. It's great that you have a better idea of what might be happening. You must be feeling better about it all now.

If it is oversupply, then expressing frequently well could delay your milk from settling down. If you need the EBM then you don't want to stop expressing totally, so perhaps it might be helpful to express either less often, or not empty your breast each time. Otherwise if you are just stocking up "in case", it might be an idea to stop for a few days to see if that helps.

You are doing all the right things hun, keep up the great work. I hope it settles down for you quickly.

Hi,

Why don't you join the Australian Breastfeeding Association? They run great groups for mums in all areas. Through your group you have access to your local Breastfeeding counsellors. When you join ABA you get a free book - "Breastfeeding Naturally" which is absolutely one of the best breastfeeding/parenting books around.
Try to slow down the expressing unless you feel very full and uncomfortable, then just express enough to relieve the discomfort. It sounds like you are doing a great job - the first 6 weeks or so can be tough going - it gets better

Great advice :)
Just thought I'd add my experience.

DS2 was about 8 weeks old when I started noticing blood in his poo. Took him to the ED & they told me it was cracked nipples (which it most definitely was NOT, I had BTDT & knew what that felt like!)
Got a referral to a peadiatrician who said it was most likely like Kelly suggested a reaction to the protein in cow's milk. I cut all dairy out of my diet for a couple of months and it stopped. After about 8 - 10 weeks I started to ease back into a little bit of dairy & it was fine.

It might be something to try if it continues?

Good luck :hug:

I want to stop cows milk to test it out - but I love it so much!! Ok - I will do it... but it will be hard.

I know it's not cracked nipples, or anything. It's fresh red blood in mucus (would you get as much mucus if it were an anal fissure?).

We have an ABA branch in town, I think. I'll join next week. It's been on the list of things I've been meaning to do. I'm sure you all understand. :)

I understand Entreat, I think DS was 10 weeks old before I finally got round to joining! It's definitely worth it though.

If you do decide to try cutting out dairy, be aware that it'll take a couple of weeks to get out of your system completely. I think also speaking to a pead or someone like that to guide you through the process is probably a good idea. Personally I'd wait and see if his system settles down post-ABs first.

Hun, if you do decide to cut out dairy, you also need to cut out all foods that contain milk solids and you'd be surprised how many there are (even some potato chip flavours!). The best way to do it is an elimination diet under the supervision of a dietician who specialises in food allergies and sensitivities. This way you can avoid all the foods you need to, and still maintain a balanced diet. The elimination diet also consists of adding things back in too, once everything is out of your system so that you can identify exactly what the problem is and not restrict your diet any more than necessary - eg there are two proteins in cows' milk and many people are only allergic to one, so foods like cheese or A2 milk can be ok for some people with cows' milk issues. This is a lengthy process so you might like to follow Marcellus' suggestion and give it another couple of weeks first just in case it just from the abs.

Ricemilk is actually nice, I like it more than soy, which I avoid anyways. But my son has problem with dairy and A2 milk is fine for his tummy - he can drink milk now with no reactions whatsoever, no tummyache, probs with his bowel movements etc., whereas when he was younger and tried whatever, he'd get a really bad tummyache and green poo everytime :( Poor thing would be so upset.

Jack was diagnosed by our pediatrician as having reflux. In fact, when we went for our 6 week checkup, Jack was sleeping against my chest, and the Dr could hear him wheezing from across the room. He initiated the check up with, "so let me guess - he hiccups, coughs, and sneezes a lot, and when he feeds, he cries, pulls back & squirms". Then he gave him the once over & the conclusion was reflux. I feel much better about this than the GPs assessment.

The poo-test results came back too. Very mild reducing substances, which indicates a minor milk protein sensitivity, but is probably related to the damage being done by the reflux.

Thanks for all your help ladies. I was told to express off some fore-milk every feed to reduce the sugar Jack is getting, and he's been started on Losec.

entreat, that's great news that you have some answers. Although you didn't want to him to have reflux, at least it is helpful to have an idea of what is going on.

I recommend you get your hands on the ABA booklet on reflux - it's $5 from Mothers Direct and has lots of information and tips for managing reflux. Unfortunately this is another area where there is often misinformation. It's good that you have not been told to stop breastfeeding, as breastfeeding is one of the best things you can do. However, in all my reading I've never come across any research to show that expressing of the foremilk is helpful. That sounds like a lot of work and I'm really not sure that it will give you any benefit. All babies with reflux are different, but often they do better with smaller feeds more often so perhaps that might be something more useful to try.

All the best with it hun. It sounds like you are having a really hard time and I hope it settles down soon :hug:

Hi,
Generally all babies are mildly positive for reducing substances. Breastmilk is high in lactose - it's good for the brain. Protein is a different issue. The idea of *expressing off the foremilk' is to reduce the lactose load (not the milk protein load - that is constant) but it is pretty outdated - all breastmilk has lactose in it, and expressing the *foremilk* - we don't know when foremilk stops and hindmilk starts can lead to stressed mums and hungry babies.

The Dr said it was to reduce his sugar intake until the losec kicks in. He said the sugar makes his heartburn/reflux worse (and the fatty hind milk, a bit better), which is why he wants 1 hourly feeds - so Jack gets more fore, and less hind milk every feed. That sugar also causes gas & associated discomfort in his bowels, which is why he has explosive/forceful bowel movements (which is why he's had blood in his poo). Already, his poo is looking better.

The Dr wasn't worried about the reducing substances.

speaking of hungry baby...

thanks again for all your help. I'm so happy I have a diagnosis now. :)

That's good news hun, makes iit easier when you have something to work with. :hug:

The really good news is that reflux is almost standard with new babies and mostly sorts itself out with a bit of time.
Keeping baby upright as much as possible and for a good 10-20 minutes after feeds can help tremendously. DS had silent reflux but our pediatrician & gp both advised against medication unless it was very serious. I think they also suggested that staying upright would probably be more effective anyway.
I remember having to sleep sitting upright holding him every night for a few weeks early on - even putting the bassinet on an incline just wouldn't cut it. But then it just gradually got better and disappeared. Hopefully this will be a short-lived phase for you too.

Jack & I have spent a few nights propped up on pillows too. I don't think the inclined bassinet does much... in fact, it probably stops the vomit from coming out, thus burning him on the way back down again. Who knows...

But we had a great day with him in the HAB & me ticking a kazillion things off my to-do list. Including making the lactation cookies... I can see my waist line is going to suffer some damage from them. ;)

Great!
I've never tried them, but I've heard they're good... sound a bit dangerous to me though :lol:

The husband's not complaining about them. He took a bunch to work for his work mates. I bet he doesn't tell them what they're for. ;)

:rofl: That's classic. Now maybe go and announce they make your boobs bigger or something

He came home from work last night & sulked because there were none left. And his work mates LOVED them... Can't wait to tell them what they're for! :lol: