Diarrhea for 3 weeks

[bearec2003]

Hi, my baby is now 12 weeks. He has had diarrhea for 3 weeks, got it a week after his first injection and after his formula sma 1st went to 150ml. I went to the doctors after the first week, they advised me to give him little and often feeds so 100ml every hour n half or so if there is no improvement in a week bring in a still sample, I have done that awaiting results. Gp said it wouldn't have anything to do with his jabs. Baby was breast fed for the first 3 weeks (expressed, couldn't latch on), then went to sma 1st. Baby hasnt been swimming, I'm very particular with cleaning bottles and dummy so dont think it's a bug and surely wouldn't last this long. Thought maybe the milk but baby was on it for a while before this started. Can anyone recommend anything that this could be. I have a feeling the stool result will come back with nothing as he is healthy and happy in every other way and have read a few other posts on the same subject.
Thanks in advance for any help!

[Eltay]

My DD is 11.5 weeks and has had diarrhea for the last 3 weeks.
Hers started the evening of her jabs! I 100% think its the jabs!
Just got stool sample results which come back clean (they test for rotavirus, salmonella, ecoli etc)
Im at my wits end.
She was a fussy bottle taker before this and is worse now so trying to get atleast 4oz in her at each bottle is such hard work and takes about 40mins! She starts fussing and grabbing out with her hands after 5-10mins of bottle. I then wind her and try to give her the rest with me standing up and slowly rocking her infront of the tv or walking around which seems to distract her a bit and she takes some more.
She has between 5-8 dirty nappies each day.
In the night i have to change her nappy before her feed and then she will poop with her night time bottle so i have to change her again after which wakes her up :(
I feel your pain and hope it stops for both of them soon!

[bearec2003]

I thought jabs too but GP said its definitely not that. But I suffer the same with his sleep being disturbed changing nappies, no matter how dark the room is and how soft I am he wakes! It gave him a sore bum at first so I'm constantly changing him to make sure it doesn't happen again. Although he is not fussy about his bottles, he gets excited when he sees it and drinks the lot! Hope you little one gets better soon! Thanks for taking time to reply xx

[bearec2003]

Baby has just started teething to top it off! :-( was going to use Ashton powders because he is in pain but it says it can cause diarrhea so worried it will make him worse. Anyone experienced that side affect?

[Eltay]

@bearec2003 hows the diarrhea? Is it still there?
Were on day 25 and i see no end to this :(
GP is referring us to paediatrician

[bearec2003]

Hey!! Yea it's still there. I'm still awaiting stool results. Havent heard anything yet. How long did yours take? His doctor is back off holiday after the weekend so going to give him a call to chase. Glad to hear they are moving along and trying something different for you. I honestly think it's the milk to last this long.
Teething ain't helping, bed time takes a couple of hours now

[Eltay]

My results were ready about 4 working days later.
Yeah my little one is teething too - I can see her bottom 2 trying to come through but I dont think the diarrhea is teething related as otherwise surely most babies would have diarrhea for this long too.
Im starting to think its CMPA.
I tried colief incase she was a bit lactose intolerant but it made zero difference

[bearec2003]

I just called the doctors. Put the stool sample in on 15th and they are still awaiting the results. They have told me to call back end of the week. :-( the receptionist said it isnt usual for stool samples to take a little longer.
I dont think teething related either. It started way before he even showed signs of teething.
I just looked CMPA up and diarrhea is the only system my little one has so not sure. When he was drinking bigger feeds he did throw up what seemed to be the whole bottle though, so maybe because his feeds a smaller that system has gone. I do think it must have something to do with the milk because he is not ill at all. Is your little one being fussy with her bottle still? I used ashton and Parsons for his teething and it worked a treat incase you are looking for anything. Have you had your appointment through yet?

[Eltay]

@bearec2003 i havent got the letter with the appointment date yet. Im really hoping it comes soon.
The diarrhea is showing no signs of easing off and im worrying about her weight gain because shes so fussy with the other after 1 or 2 oz.
Does your baby poop whilst being fed or after? Her is mostly 5 minutes after sucking a bottle then i hear her little belly rumbling then she poops but its so loud

[Sunflower160]

Hi - following this with interest - my 5 month old DS has had diarrhoea for nearly two weeks now. I thought it was just teething related but it has gotten worse over the last couple of days and today he has pooed 9 times so far. It’s explosive and so loud! There’s only a small amount each time though and it’s watery and snotty in consistency. I’m starting to get really worried. He’s going to the doctors tomorrow. He seems otherwise fine in himself so I’m a bit confused, but it seems to have gone on for a long time now!

[bearec2003]

@Eltay I was worried about weight too. Surely that much poop means not much is actually staying inside. I've had him weighed and he has put weight on so seems to be ok there.
He still has the diarrhea but it isnt happening so often, he is only pooping 3 or 4 times a day instead of every feed. At the peak of it he was pooping while he was eating but now its completely random. The belly rumbling is so loud, I can actually feel his little belly bubbling up, sorry TMI he then has the biggest wettest fart. He has always been a trumpet bum. But since having the diarrhea he only trumps when he poops, not sure if that is related in any way. Just something else I've noticed.

@Sunflower160 oh dear sounds very similar!! Amazing how they can be so healthy and happy in every other way but have diarrhea for so long. I would be worried if I suffered that long let alone a tiny baby. Its strange how everything takes so long to get to the next stange too. Let us know how your appointment goes. Will be interesting to see if a different doctor tries something else.

[bearec2003]

Well I actually cant believe it. Called doctors, they told me all clear so booked another appointment. Went in and the doctor said there are no results it never got tested because the paperwork was missing!!! Wtf cant believe they didnt know this when I originally rung. Or called me to say it didnt actually happen. I've now got to start all over again and get another sample!!! Its now 4 weeks!! This doctor didnt think milk as he would have a rash on his chin. So I've been sent away with a list of things to look out for and instructed to take him to hospital if he shows any sign of dehydration basically everything the first doctor told me grrr!! Hope you guys are getting somewhere

[Sunflower160]

@bearec2003 that’s awful! So it’s now been 4 weeks for your LO since the diarrhoea started?

I took DS to the docs yesterday. The GP was quite helpful, she had a look at his nappy and luckily he had done a massive green poo! She said it could just be teething, possibly a viral infection but she wouldn’t expect a viral infection to last this long. His temperature and heart were fine and she said he’s showing no signs of dehydration, although his nappies definitely haven’t been quite as wet as normal. A stool sample has also been done and we’ve got a follow up appointment next week and the results should be back by then. Today has been a bit better, only 4 poos so far today. Yesterday there were 12 in total!

[Eltay]

Im on day 30 of diarrhea and went A&E today because id just had enough.
Shes been prescribed lactose and dairy free milk called Nutramigen - will let you both know how i get on.
My baby is very fussy at the bottle which counts as another symptom of CMPA but if it works for us maybe worth a try for your littlens.
Will keep you updated

[orangeicecream]

Hi
Sorry to hear your babies are struggling with this. My DS (now 13) had this and I gave him lactose free milk for about 10 days and it sorted it completely. From my research at the time, babies can become temporarily lactose intolerant after an illness or injections. I hope this helps. Good luck.

[Sunflower160]

@Eltay let us know how you get on! My DS is mixed fed and regardless of whether he is breast milk or formula is doesn’t seem to help so I just don’t know what to do.

@orangeicecream thanks for this - was it just a temporary thing and he went back onto normal formula?

[bearec2003]

@Sunflower160 yes 4 weeks! But touch wood and I cannot believe it, he has had 1 poo today and it actually had some consistency to it!! I feel like I can see the light

@Eltay
Maybe @orangeicecream it could be what u have described as it did start after his jabs. I have bought some drops today that help break down the lactose, will see what his next poo is like and try that! Thank you
@Sunflower160 it's also for breastfed babies, its called co lactase infant drops, picked them up at Asda. The Pharmacy said they wouldn't do any harm. It's also suger free. @Eltay good choice. The doctors seem to be useless atm. I felt like going after the appointment today but held out because its slowed down. Fingers crossed it works for your little one. Have you moved up to size 2 teets a couple of days before changing mine. He started to get almost annoyed with the bottle like he gave up trying to suck and got upset so I put size 2 teets on and he is back to sucking normally.

[Sunflower160]

@bearec2003 I’m definitely going to try some of those! I’m starting to think he’s got a lactose intolerance, hopefully only a temporary one, because he fits all the symptoms for it! Did you have to get them over the counter at the pharmacy or were they just in the Asda shop?

[Eltay]

@bearec2003 thats amazing only one poo!
Hopefully all will stop for you now.
Yeah i used colief which is the same thing but unfortunately it didnt work for us :(
Yeah i put her on size 2 teats when she was 2 months because i thought it could be the teats but it wasnt. Ive tried size 3 this week as well but she wasnt ready it was too fast x

[bearec2003]

Hi ladies also just found this thread which seems to back it up www.mumsnet.com/Talk/childrens_health/931460-lactose-intolerance-following-3mnth-jabs-Any-advice-welcome
Interesting reading.

@Sunflower160 just from the shop, I just spoke to pharmacy for advice because I wasnt getting anywhere with the doctors and didnt want to aggravate it.
@Eltay I know it feels like so long ago now, it almost became normal! I got used to washing his clothes in cold water first lol nice to keep him in the same outfit all day. He has just started to fit in 3 -6 months so fresh new clothes with hopefully no fear of them getting ruined. Oh no, i really hope this works for you, she did ask if he was refusing food so it must be a common thing with lactose, has your lo got a rash on her chin? She said that was another common symptom. I really hope the new milk works for your lo, having the poops is bad enough but refusing food as well makes it all the more worrying especially when they are at high risk of dehydration and the hot weather wont be helping.

[Sunflower160]

@bearec2003 thank you, I’ve bought some from Asda today. He pooed straight after his bottle that id put them in but I guess they might take a little bit of time to work.

[bearec2003]

@sunflower160 yeah I guess its gotta work hard to break it all down. Even if you cut it out it takes a while for it to leave the system. My lo only had 1 poop so far again today but still like water. Going to send sample off to be on safe side. It was 24hr between poops so was really hoping it was going to be a normal one. I guess its heading in the right direction to be having so few. Hope it works for your lo

[Eltay]

@bearec2003 so happy your down to one poo a day!
The milk ive got must be working as shes had 1 normalish poo (still came out with a bit of force and still a bit runny) and 2 tiny poos which look like she has blown off and a small bit has come out with the wind. This is a massive improvement from 5-8 explosive poos.
@Sunflower160 maybe try a lactose free milk a try instead of the drops. The drops i used (colief) only break down 70% of the lactose leaving 30% behind. This didnt help my littlen at all.
I tried Aptamil Lactose Free which you can buy from the shops just before her specialist milk and that actually worked a bit better.

[Sunflower160]

@Eltay thanks I think I’ll try the aptamil a go. The drops haven’t worked, been trying them for over 24 hours and so far we’ve had 7 explosive poos today. There’s never a big amount each time and he’s still gained weight this last week, but I’m still very worried. It’s been 15 days now. He has shown teething symptoms and constantly drooling all this time as well but I think this diarrhoea is a bit extreme to be teething! He’s otherwise completely fine and happy in himself but I’m still so worried. I just want this to end, I’ve also had to throw away a ridiculous amount of his clothes! We’re back at the doctors on Thursday for a follow up and for the results of his stool sample. Will try the aptamil lactose free in the meantime to see if it helps!

[bearec2003]

@Eltay so glad it's starting to work for you and your lo. I'm not sure what to do :-s diarrhea again this morning and a normal ish poo this afternoon (still very wet but some consistency to it) this is all so confusing lol dont think I'll be having another baby! I love how resilient babies are though, we are stressing about it and they just get on with it, dont have a care in the world

@Sunflower160 ah sorry to hear the drops are not working! Please update if the new formula works

What formula where your lo on before?

[Sunflower160]

@bearec2003 my DS is mixed fed, he is on cow and gate. He has on average 3 bottles a day and 3 breastfeeds per day. I have some expressed milk in the freezer so I’m tempted to just give him breast milk for a few days and see if it changes anything!