Blood in stool - update, not good

may2806 · November 2013

Ladies I have spent the afternoon crying. I posted last week about how my pedi wanted me to switch to formula because of blood in my EBF baby's stool. I had been eliminating dairy and soy, and she thought there should have been an improvement already. I suggested eliminating the other common allergens and she reluctantly agreed. Then I saw an allergist who said to give it more time to eliminate the dairy/soy first and not do more eliminating yet. She told me I did not need to stop breastfeeding. So I thought I had found some support.

That was last week. Today (3 weeks after eliminating dairy, 2 after eliminating soy) I saw another pedi in the practice who told me it is time to switch to formula since he is still bleeding. He didn't think we'd be able to find the allergen since it could be anything, and we needed to act now to stop the bleeding (to be clear, it's mostly a few specs of blood, occasionally a small smear). He did not want to do a test for anemia yet for some reason I didn't really understand. I had thought DS was gaining weight well (he's now 10 lbs 6.5 oz at 10 weeks 2 days; was 5 lbs 10 oz at birth), but now pedi brought up that he's on the very bottom of the curve. The thing is he always was because he was so small when he was born. He's consistently gaining weight at the proper rate, and this is the fourth appointment I've had about the blood and it has never been mentioned before. But the pedi scared me into thinking I'm harming his growth and development.

So I called the allergist back to follow up and hopefully gain some support, and she has completely changed her tune. She told me it was a good decision to switch to formula because we could spend months trying to figure out the problem. She didn't even want to try just eliminating the top allergens. I either misunderstood last week when I thought that that would be the next step after milk/soy; or she's since talked to my pedi and they decided to get on the same page. I mean she's a pediatric allergist, isn't her job to identify allergens? Then she says, "Can I ask why you're so hell-bent on breastfeeding?" I was floored!

I am also annoyed because if she had just let me do the diet last week like I had wanted we might have seen results by now; instead the pedi seems to think it's a dire circumstance that needs to be addressed immediately by switching to formula. I am so very unhappy with how this situation has been handled by the doctors and spent all evening crying over having to give up breastfeeding. I'm going to go see a pediatric GI doc, although I'm guessing he will say formula too. I also want to go to a different pedi practice, but not sure how to find a truly breastfeeding-friendly pedi (if you're in northern Jersey and have a rec, let me know!) If formula really is best I will do it, but from what I have read there are other options that my doctors don't seem to want to explore. Sorry this got so long, I just don't know what to do!

cinderin · November 2013

I am sorry!

I agree with you that you should get a second opinion. I think it will give you peace of mind (no matter what the opinion is).

stephzrn · November 2013

I am also sorry you are going through this. How can they be so sure its an allergen and not something else? I would be more interested in what the pediatric GI Dr says. Good luck.

natalie202 · November 2013

Ugh. So sorry that you're struggling so much right now. If you're not happy with the answers you're getting, try contacting your local LLL to see if their members can recommend any pediatricians who might be a better match for you.

aylafsu88 · November 2013

I agree with getting a second opinion. It takes time (at least 4 weeks) for the bleeding to stop and for LO to feel better. When my LO was diagnosed with MSPI my pedi was very pro BF. She suggested formula but when I reisited she never pushed the issue. It took 4 weeks for my LO's symptoms to clear up (blood, mucus, and inconsolable crying). I also do not see an issue with weight. He is a small baby but is gaining and maintaining his growth on the curve. It seems to me that your pedi is uneducated about BF and not supportive. As for the allergist how old is your LO? My pedi did not recommend an allergist until LO was over 6 months of age. Fortunately my LOs MSPI resolved at 12 months and we never had to see one.

Just a couple of other thoughts (I don't know if you tried these already). DId you cut out all hidden dairy? May foods will not be labeled as containing dairy but they have casein, whey, and lactoglobulin which are diary proteins. What formula did your pedi recommend? If there is an issue with diary/soy they should have recommended something like almentium or neocate.

I am so sorry you are struggling with this. It is extremely hard and difficult to deal with. As a mom we constantly wondering if we are making the right choice and the postpartum hormones do not help. I hope that things get better, just remember you are doing a great job!

geek73 · November 2013

Where in NNJ are you? My son had blood in his stool and his pedi has been very supportive of bf. He's in Bergen county.

may2806 · November 2013

geek73 said:

Where in NNJ are you? My son had blood in his stool and his pedi has been very supportive of bf. He's in Bergen county.

I'm in Morris County but would be willing to travel to see a better doctor. Bergen is not that far. Let me know the name of your doc (you can PM if you want) and could you tell me more about your experience? Thank you!!

pumpkinwife07 · November 2013

So sorry this is happening. When my daughter was 6 weeks old we suspected she had an allergy as well. The pedi, whom I trust more than anyone in this world, told us he would recommend an allergist but it's very difficult to diagnose an allergy in a newborn. He told me a bunch of other "things", but I was in such a fog at that point I can't even remember. We ended up switching to soy formula and within days I had a happy baby. My daughter is a happy and healthy preschooler today. She's never sick, tall, thin, you name it.

We were lucky soy formula worked. I know a few moms that have had to switch for very specialized formula and you know what their kids are fine.. perfectly fine.

The board is very pro-breastfeeding - which is wonderful for "simple" questions, but can be a tough place when talking about supplimenting and switching to formula. Breast is best for some babies, but certainly not all babies.

I would be upset if a doctor asked my why I was hell-bent on breastfeeding. I seriously think way TOO much emphasis is being put on breastfeeding and its costing new moms their sanity. I bet doctors are just "over it".

You sound like a wonderful mom. Good luck and I hope you come back and update us.

may2806 · November 2013

AmyG, thank you! I've been trying to do one side per feeding; my only concern is will that reduce my supply too much?

I'm being very careful to read labels and mostly eat whole foods.I also decided to eliminate the other main allergens to see if that helps.

I do feel tired of beating my head against a wall, but it's mostly from lack of support for breastfeeding. I am really outraged at the pediatric medical community's handling of breastfeeding problems, as I've found it so far.

OkieMama · November 2013

No real advice to add but ::hugs:: so sorry you're dealing with this.

Carnation77 · November 2013

Switching him to an elemental formula would probably help to identify if the blood in stool is actually due to a food allergy. In the meantime you could continue to pump and dump and follow a strict diet without any common allergens, in the hope that if he does respond well to the formula you could go back to BFing once all allergens are out of your system. You have to do what you think is right but I can see some arguments for trying formula if the baby's really having health problems with BFing.

[Deleted User] · November 2013

Oh, I am so sorry. I have been there. I was in tears halfway through my trial of eliminating wheat, because I accidentally had some wheat and he had some blood in his stool. I thought, "This is it, the pedi GE is going to tell me I tried everything and now I need to stop BF." I was feeling so defeated and heartbroken. Then my DH said, "It's ok, you know we don't HAVE to do what the doctor says." Of course at this point I was feeling the way you are now, so tired of resisting the formula advice and just wanting my LO to be ok. But like your DS, it was very little blood, he was mostly happy, and gaining weight just fine (I agree with others that your LOs weight gain looks fine!). And, once I really got all wheat eliminated, he did just fine. I agree with getting a second opinion. Like PPs have said your local LLL may have some recommendations, or maybe you could check your Local board here on TB?

And if you do decide to give formula a try, it's ok. Continue pumping to keep your supply up in case you need to switch back to BF. Even if he does well on the formula, you could still try BF again once you've been on an elimination diet for awhile. Keep in mind that some moms have to try several different formulas, even the hypoallergenic ones, until they find one that their LO can tolerate.

GL and please keep us posted!!

[Deleted User] · November 2013

and also, ((BIG HUGS))!! >:D<

TexasAggie06 · November 2013

I dealt with this too, I know how difficult it is to make a decision about this.

My son had blood in his stool for almost 6 weeks after I cut out dairy. Don't give up yet! I nursed the whole time. Have you noticed improvement in how he feels since you cut it out?

may2806 · November 2013

TexasAggie06 said:

I dealt with this too, I know how difficult it is to make a decision about this.
My son had blood in his stool for almost 6 weeks after I cut out dairy. Don't give up yet! I nursed the whole time. Have you noticed improvement in how he feels since you cut it out?

The thing is he never seemed to feel bad. His only symptom is the blood; he isn't overly fussy... I think the blood might be improving, but I'm not sure if that's just want I want to think, you know? It's hard to say for sure.

SweetPeaK26 · November 2013

I apparently didn't read the first post on this subject, so maybe this was already answered... But, are they sure this is even a food issue? Could there be an anal fissure or something similar causing the bleeding?

may2806 · November 2013

@sweetpeak26 DS did have a fissure but the doctor thought there was more blood would be caused by it. But who knows?

MrsL2012 · November 2013

So sorry you have to go through all that. Bfing is already such a process as is and to top it off with all of what you're going through too is a lot to deal with. I didn't know a bloody stool meant an allergy in the milk. Could it be something other than the breast milk? Like have they done other tests to rule out other things? Yeah I agree with the others that maybe go to a more pro bf pedi. Ours is suuuuper pro bf and encourages it above anything else.

TexasAggie06 · November 2013

DS didn't have symptoms the last 3 weeks or so that the test was still positive for blood either. My pedi seemed to feel like as long as we were continuing to see improvement we were fine.

Now at 7 months I can have small amounts of dairy - like I can eat a cookie that has dairy or a very small amount of chocolate. I will eat at a restaurant and not worry as much about the trace amounts but I avoid large obvious things still like cheese, sour cream, etc. I let butter slide sometimes because it seems to be the hardest to keep out and because he doesn't have symptoms other than slightly more gas (nothing painful like before).

RoryorHenry? · November 2013

I haven't read all of the replys but my dd also had blood in her stool. I always find it interesting that different doctors have different opinions.... Mine never suggested stopping breast feeding and we dealt with bloody stools for over 4 months. I cut out soy and dairy and it didn't go away so I one by one eliminated other allergens. Nothing worked. In the end I decided that I suspected it was from the Rotavirus vaccine (I'm not generally suspect of vaccines but the timing pointed this direction). We skipped the third Rotavirus vaccine at 6 months and shortly after the blood in her stool resolved itself.

We are now still happily breastfeeding at 13 months and we have never used formula.

I guess I'm trying to say to feel free to get a second opinion. My daughter's pedi never even suggested formula even with an extended period of time with blood in the stool. Follow your gut.

RoryorHenry? · November 2013

I meant to add that I added back dairy and everything else I had eliminated from my diet once I decided that I thought it was the vaccine and it has been great.... No issues.

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