Immature Gut

[BornAgainBokononist]

I'm trying a scatter gun approach with this and posting in Children's Health, Weaning and Allergies to see if anyone can help me.
Ds is 9mo and has had problems with wind and digestion from the start. First I was told colic, when we reached 4 months and no improvement I was told reflux, then weaning started and it actually has worsened. He's had allergic reactions to most things, dairy, soya, sweet potato, potato, apples, oranges, tomatoes etc etc etc. He barely eats any solids and is breast fed, feeding all the time. He has one small meal a day, one food at a time waiting three days to try each food with frequent rests (no solids) after reactions.
The thing is even with food he does tolerate such as parsnips, pears, cauliflower and baby rice, he still doesn't seem able to digest them. He has only done two dirty nappies in the past month, obviously both times he exploded, poo up to his shoulders straight in the bath. When he does this it's not new food but food he was trying just after the last nappy so he hasn't even began to digest what he's eaten in the past week.
He was 6 weeks prem, I started weaning at 6 months (not corrected) and it has not improved. I've been to the doctors numerous times and last visit the doctor I saw said he thought it was an immature gut though couldn't tell me any more. I have a hospital appointment in just over a weeks time to see a nutritionist at the children's ward. I've got a list of what he can and can't eat so far, I'm now keeping a record of when he does a poo, I will keep a food diary and bf diary the week leading up to the appointment.
I don't know what else to do, whether to stop solids until we've been seen, carry on as we are? Does anyone have any experience of this?
Has anyone had this?
TIA

only doing 2 poos in a month isn't right although it may be slightly different if you LO was 6 weeks premature. I have heard of BF babies only doing one poo in a week but less than that, I've not heard of.

Perhaps tiktok will tell you more?

I would defo stop solids. Let him drink loads of breast milk but I would actually insist (when you see the nutritionist next week), that you see a consultant.

It's only my opinion but that is the action I would take if he were my baby.

You must do what you feel is right. It may be that the nutritionist you see will refer you anyway if needed.

Hi BornAgain,
Again, don't know an answer; but a possible suggestion. My LO (normal term) was checked out for Pyloric Stenosis when he was tiny as he was projectile vomitting lots (and I mean lots). The pyloric muscle is the one at the bottom of them stomach, letting food pass into the small intestine. Reflux is more associated with a weakness of the muscle at the top of the stomach, allowing acids to burn the oesophagus.

There is a third sphincter muscle in the gut - yer bum. I don't know if this set of muscles (2) can also have problems with either spasm or stenosis.

Stenosis is a thickening of the muscle, makiing the passage through the middle smaller and potentially close and could require surgery to fix. If the muscle is just 'immature' it may spasm (like my LO's did) and just go crazy at any interval, just clamping down tight and staying shut for a period (few mins/hours I guess but no longer), resulting [for pyloric spasm] in odd bouts of projectile vomit with no set pattern. If the anal sphincters could have some form of stenosis/spasm, it could be why your LO has such diasterously explosive poos at such long intervals?

Def demand to see a consultant, this needs investigation with ultrasound if nothing else.

It sounds scary, but much better to get it all checked out and hopefully ruled out.
Hope you get everything sorted out very soon for everyone's sake.

Thanks for your replies, advice and info. It's been so frustrating with the huge colic umbrella everything falls under then reflux, it's taken so long to get a hospital appointment. The department is shut down so can't call anyone, I was told to keep trying things so the nutritionist has as much info as possible but it doesn't feel right.
Thanks for your info about pyloric spasm, I need to find out more about that, I don't have a clue what's causing this.