Nut allergy in breastfed 8 week old? possible TMI!

[Sanguine]

My DS has suddenly developed dark green slimy and quite runny poo, more frequent than usual and smelling oddly... vinegary. He's also got a rash on his skin that looks and feels just like heat rash - he did get overwarm yesterday on a car journey, so we assumed he'd got heat rash and cursed ourselves for bad parenting. Today the poo has got greener, and DS seems a little out of sorts - nothing specific, just a little grizzly. He's not got a temp or anything and is otherwise bright and alert. My DH has a nut allergy, so I avoided peanuts all through pregnancy. I've read so many conflicting things about peanuts when you're BF i didn't really know what to do for the best. I've started a new breakfast cereal which I have belatedly discovered has peanuts in (more cursing of self). Now I'm wondering if my poor LO has his father's nut allergy, and I have made him allergic? Does this sound like it might be the case, or am I being paranoid? We have appointment at baby clinic tomorrow for jabs so can ask doc then.

[MrsBadger]

sounds like typical 'colicky' newborn poo, esp the vinegary smell - sometimes you get it if they've been having frequent small bfs (eg if they've got hot and are thirsty...), sometimes with no apparent reason.

doubt the cereal has anythign at all to do with it at all - nut allergy usually manifests fast and radically iirc, not with minor grizzles and green poo.

[tatt]

more likely to be a stomach bug, or possibly colic from too much sugar (dried fruit in the cereal?).

Add soem probiotics to your diet, they may help with allergies and they do reduce the risk of your child getting eczema.

[wb]

Almost certainly a stomach bug

BUT

my ds was diagnosed w. peanut allergy at 10 mo - he was breastfed and not given any nuts during early weaning (b4 allergy diagnosed).

I avoided peanuts completely throughout pregnancy and breastfeeding - except on one occasion when I had a slice of peanut butter toast. Ds was b/w 2 and 3 months old - the next day he had a slight rash on his trunk and runny poo w. a few streaks of blood in it. i was so freaked out that I didn't touch peanuts in any form again - then later his allergy was diagnosed.

Of course I don't really know if there was any connection b/w these 2 events - and even if there is it doesn't mean it would hold true in your ds case (ds also had a tummy bug at 2 months w. 2 weeks of green nappies and that was nothing to do with allergies) but I do lie awake at night thinking 'if only' So if only to prevent possible mummy guilt I suggest you lay off the peanuts from now until you finish breastfeeding.

[reikizen]

I would have thought an allergy to nuts would result in an anaphylactic (?) reaction, not a runny poo. I think runny poos are going to loom large in your life for a while and I wouldn't beat yourself up over it every time it happens. Relax and ENJOY baby, don't always be looking for reasons why you are a crap mum!

[Sanguine]

Thanks folks. DH has a "slow growing" kind of nut allergy. He doesn't go into anaphylaxis (yet...) but his reactions are getting more severe every time he is exposed to peanuts (three times in last 7 years) He gets a rash and itchy, swollen face and throat, and last time he got asthma symptoms with it too. We now have an epipen for him. If DS is like DH, a nut allergy might not immediately manifest itself in anaphylactic shock, hence my wondering over the funny tummy/rash.

Anyway, I'm reassured that DS's symptoms haven't set of alarm bells here (MN seems to be a sensible sort of place!). I know every new mum is freaked out by poo at some point, I also knew it could be green, I just wasn't prepared for grass green with slime!