Throw out my stash?

earichar23 · September 2014

We had a very scary day yesterday. Found blood in baby girl's diaper. She's 12 weeks old today. Long story short, something in my diet is giving her explosive diarrhea that tore her bum coming out. I feel so terrible for LO but now I'm also anxious about my freezer stash. I only stash enough for the one day a week that I work at a time so I do not have a lot of back up. But I think I need to throw out everything I have for her tummy. But… maybe I need to keep using what I have until we figure out what bothers her. Thoughts? Would you supplement with formula one day a week or just give baby breast milk that you know will bother her? I know I can't pump enough in the next few days to replenish plus I haven't figured out her trigger yet. She's never had formula and I worry about that causing it's own set of tummy problems. Sorry this is so long!

surpriseaddition · September 2014

Was yesterday the first time you've had an issue? Just like adults, babies can pick up stomach bugs, etc. and that may be what has caused the diarrhea. When my LOs have had a lot of diarrhea they have developed diaper rashes that bleed pretty quickly. Just make sure you are nursing her to replenish the fluids she's losing. From my experience (I have 2 kids with food allergies), food allergy issues usually begin with a lot of mucous in the stool, with some tinges of blood in the actual stool, not on the bum. What you are eating is filtered through you, so even if they have a food allergy/intolerance, the reaction usually isn't as severe as an older child eating something they are allergic to (like peanuts for example - my son's allergy). Personally, I wouldn't touch your freezer stash.

LunaBug924 · September 2014

Was this a one time occurrence, or an ongoing thing? I would think that makes a difference in how you proceed. Definitely talk to your pediatrician. Blood in the diaper is really scary, but if it's just a one time thing and isn't accompanied by any other symptoms it doesn't always means food allergy.

The way my pedi described it is that all babies are born with a leaky gut. There are literally holes in their digestive tract. As their bodies develop, the holes close up (somewhere between 4-6 months, which is why the recommendations are to wait to introduce solids till then). In this time, they can have any number of digestive issues (again, I'm talking sporadic, not constant) and that is normal.

Sorry this is getting long. My point is don't rush to dump your stash until you figure it out. If it was something you ate one time, I wouldn't toss it all. If it's something that is part of your everyday diet (like dairy) then that's a whole other situation and you need to talk to your pediatrician. I wouldn't offer formula on the days you work either. If you're concerned about a dairy allergy, most formula is milk based.

Maybe someone else will have better, more clear guidance for you. But I would talk to your pedi and go from there. Good luck!

earichar23 · September 2014

A little more info: LO has had green mucusy stool for about a week and a half. I had called the ped about the mucus (I know green stool can be normal) because it had progressively gotten more but they weren't too concerned until the blood showed up. I'm still not convinced the blood isn't coming from inside but the ped tested and said it wasn't so I'm trying to work with that. The ped didn't say "allergy" so I'm hoping it's more that LO is so little yet her system is too immature for ... something.

Sadly my "stash" is as old as the tummy issue. I only pump enough each week to cover the next week.

mommatotwo2 · September 2014

I'd personally think you'd have seen the issue weeks ago, rather than just in the past week. Also, if she's reacting to your stash, she'd also be reacting to your milk when you are nursing her now.

ErinO21 · September 2014

I wouldn't throw it you just yet. One dr thought LO has a milk intolerance, making my 100oz stash bad. I refused to throw it away during the elimination of dairy test. After two weeks LO wasn't any better (actually got worse without dairy) and we were back to eating dairy and my stash was good again. Don't do anything drastic until you know for sure.

CNYBride05 · September 2014

Donate!! I didn't read any other responses, but if you truly believe there is something (dairy or soy are common culprits) in your diet that is upsetting her tummy, do not throw all that pumped milk away! Eats on feets or human milk for human babies!

earichar23 · September 2014

Thanks ladies for the responses! I cut acidic food back out of my diet (mostly tomatoes) and after 2 days the diarrhea is gone. Still not sure what we'll do about this week. I'm considering having my caretaker mix some of the stash less than half and half with freshly pumped milk, maybe it will be diluted enough to not bother her little tummy. But if I can pump enough before Thursday I'll just hold onto last week's milk for an emergency.

mommatotwo2 · September 2014

I think it may have just been a tummy bug. Glad she's feeling better.

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