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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to be so worried about what my babys poo should be like? feel like everyone has a different opinion and am so confused and stressed

18 replies

bella20092013 · 04/08/2013 09:52

I have posted this in a couple of places as I am not sure which is the best forum for a reply. I have a 3 week old baby who i tried to feed from the breast for 7 days, she just would not stay latched on so i tried pumping for a further 2 days but could only get an ounce an hour and ended up with mastitus. I decided to start feeding aptamil instead. She took to the aptamil straight away and started drinking more than it said on the pack, about 9 feeds a day totalling on average 26oz, HV said this was fine and was juss feeding on demand. In the hospital while breastfeeding she had had nitrates in her wee and green 'brocoli' poo, and a couple of seedy mustard nappies after having the expressed breast milk. On aptimal her poo became hard and pale green, but after giving her an ounce of water at each feed she did a couple of mustard seedy poos a day. Then after about 2 weeks on aptamil she started pooing at every feed so was doing about 9 mustard seedy loose poos a day. I have never formula fed before (breastfed other daughter for 1 year) so was not sure if this was normal. I took her to the doctors who said it sounds like a cows milk allergy to be pooing so much and gave her nutramagen (sp?). She took to the milk well but after 2 days has become unsettled and was still pooing after each feed but a thicker texture, and is starting to strain to poo after each feed instead. She is also more sicky on it (was not sicky on aptamil). I spoke to my friend just now who fed her baby aptamil and she said he did a poo after every feed for 6 months until he was weaned and they were runny yellow and seedy. I am thinking maybe my DD just had normal aptamil poos now? She has no other signs of allergy apart from she was born with a slightly stuffy nose which she still has. I'm so confused and don't want to feed her this special milk that is making her unsettled if she does not need it? My partner spoke to a nurse at work last night who said yellow runny seedy poos is not diroeah. But doctor thinks 9 poos a day is excessive?

OP posts:

Impatientwino · 04/08/2013 09:56

My DS is now a year and still does around 4/5 poos a day. When he was just on milk he pooed pretty constantly including at least one overnight often more.

He was EBF for 7 months and then on aptamil until last week so although I found the type of poo was different from breast milk to aptamil the frequency was no more or less.

Original poster

bella20092013 · 04/08/2013 09:59

Thanks. I was thinking some babies just poo more than others? Since being on this special prescription milk she is just drawing her legs up all the time in pain and has pretty much cried for a whole day, before she hardly cried and has slept 18 hours out of 24 since birth and his been a very laid back baby. Now she seems in pain all the time and keeps turning red and straining and pulling her knees up. I have been to out of hours doctors but they said she seems fine maybe has colic. But she was fine before starting this new milk. I am so confused.

OP posts:

TooTabooToBoo · 04/08/2013 10:05

At 3 weeks my EBF DS was pooing after each feed.

I constantly have poo-worry, is it the right colour/texture/frequency.

I found http://www.babycentre.co.uk/baby-poo-photos#/0 this visual guide helpful

TooTabooToBoo · 04/08/2013 10:06

And that's what happens when you attempt links on your phone!,

Catnap26 · 04/08/2013 10:10

My ds was moved onto a comfort milk because he was constipated but it didnt help really because he was still screaming in pain so hv tried a lactose free milk which stopped the screaming but has worsened the constipation so we now give him 2tbs of prune juice with 2oz of water a day to keep him regular and it has worked a treat.i was too totally obsessed with his bowel movements but we seemed to have found a solution now.i found my hv far more knowledgeable about milk than the doctor.maybe you could go to your hv for advice?

Passmethecrisps · 04/08/2013 10:11

I am afraid that FF baby poos are really variable and you will struggle to get an answer from anyone. I asked and asked and kept getting referred to the handout which I was given which pictures BF baby poos with a sentence that says FF baby poo varies.

My wee one went on nutramigen at 4 weeks old after suffering horrendous constipation when on normal formula. Her nutramigen poos were typically greenish and relatively solid. More adult really. She never did a yellow seed poo again after I stopped expressing at 2 weeks.

Could you trial a different formula - maybe a comfort type which is easier to digest? You do need to give any formula a week before the gut has had time enough to respond though.

Faithless12 · 04/08/2013 10:12

How long has she been on the new formula? TBH, I'm not sure pooing often is a symptom of cows milk allergy, was it 'normal' poo or diarrhoea?

Passmethecrisps · 04/08/2013 10:16

Sorry, and as for responding with the standard 'colic' that's just nonsense. Colic is a description, not a condition.

Our OOH GP said the same thing - baby was admitted to hospital for 4 days just 12 hours later!

There are other brands of prescription formula which you could ask for - aptimal do one which might suit better seeing as your wee one was ok on that.

My understanding is that yellow seed poo is what you want really.

Passmethecrisps · 04/08/2013 10:18

faithless if it is very watery poo then yes but not just pooing often.

If the poo was yellow seedy and a few times a day I would say that sounds perfect. 3 weeks is still very young and their little bodies are still adjusting.

I would be inclined to introduce a bottle of normal formula a day for a day or two then up it to two and so on and see if there is a difference.

Original poster

bella20092013 · 04/08/2013 10:26

She has been on the new formula just over 2 and a half days now, but became distressed after each feed about 28 hours ago. I have to hold her constantly now or she cries, before she was hapy to lay in the moses baskets for 18 hours out of 24! (I know most babies are not like that, my other daughter hardly slept and just wanted to breast feed all the time, but it is because it is such a big change for this baby from being happy and asleep most of the time to being awake and wanted to be held all the time or she just screams).

OP posts:

jammiedonut · 04/08/2013 10:33

My son is on aptamil and his are pretty much exactly as you describe, he also has slightly more than the box recommends for his height but I reason that if he was bf we wouldn't be measuring his intake and he clearly needs it at the moment! He does still throw in the odd green poo but tbh I was told to wait at least 4 weeks to establish a pattern and see what was normal for him before considering whether he had inherited my allergies to cows milk

jammiedonut · 04/08/2013 10:38

I was also told to watch his behaviour after feeds, if he screams, vomits etc excessively it would indicate a problem with the milk. Not sure how true that is, but it's advice that has yet to steer me wrong. It really is trial and error in the early stages but I'd be concerned if I'd already had to resort using prune juice to ease the constipation

jammiedonut · 04/08/2013 10:41

Oops just realised the prunes weren't. From your post. I totally understand its use with the lactose free formula!

Faithless12 · 04/08/2013 10:41

Passme, hence why I added was it normal or diarrhoea. DS's symptoms were a lot more obvious, projectile vomiting, diarrhoea and silent reflux.

If you did a straight change of formula I'd be inclined to say she is struggling to adjust to the new formula.

Passmethecrisps · 04/08/2013 10:47

Yep faithless I was agreeing!

I found moving to formula really hard then getting the right one even harder.

I am in two minds about whether you should stick with the nutramigen as if your baby is in pain maybe it is better to move back?

Useless, I know. It is hard because things like cow's milk protein intolerance present really differently in different babies and babies do respond differently to formula even though they all contain the same stuff.

I do feel though that having to resort to prunes every day so young is not on. That is all my HV would recommend when it turned out DD had silent reflux and CMPI.

DumSpiroSpero · 04/08/2013 10:48

My DD was formula fed from 2 weeks and pooed probably 4-5 times a day.

I'm seriously impressed that your DD has take the nutramagen - mine wouldn't touch it!

Mine did have horrible colic though - also from 3 weeks. Unfortunately it's one of those things you often just have to ride out, although we found that Dr Brown's bottles with HIPP organic formula and a couple of drops of Colief helped. The latter is expensive but you should be able to get it on prescription from your GP.

Original poster

bella20092013 · 04/08/2013 13:15

Just weighed her and she has gained 2lb in 9 days, is this normal for formula fed?? It seems alot! Maybe she was pooing so much because she was drinking so much milk (I am demand feeding her, and she is demanding alot, about 28oz most days).

OP posts:

Passmethecrisps · 04/08/2013 13:23

My DD was like this initially which was why I gave up expressing - she drank more as a newborn than she does now at 9 months.

For my LO it was likely to be comfort feeding due to silent reflux. It tailed off very quickly once on formula though. The other stuff you mention like her suddenly getting very needy of being held might indicate reflux.

Or she could just like cuddles and milk.

Hard!

I do think that 28oz a day sounds a lot. Keep an eye over a week and see if it balances out

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