(Pics alert!) Combi fed baby very runny poo / diarrhea

[katerose2022]

Our 5 weeks old baby has been on combi bottle feeding of around half pumped breast milk and half formula (Aptamil first milk). From birth up until 4 weeks there was no problem, normal poos. Then we changed the feeding routine a bit to save us some time: bought a Nuby rapidcool bottle to make the formula, and started feeding him all formula during the night and all breast milk during the day (easier to make formula than warming up breast milk during the night and less likely to waste breast milk that he can't finish). He started having this very runny poo after the changes. First producing one massive poo explosion every day or so, no foul smelling though and still mustard colour. Went to see the GP the day before yesterday, he checked baby's temperature, listened to the chest, and checked the blood oxygen level. Saying there's no sign of dehydration so sent us back to observe for another week. Then today baby started producing a few less explosive but still very runny poo almost after every feeding, so like 5 so far today. I'm not sure if I can keep my head cool for another week going like this... though he's not showing any other sign of being unwell. Any advice pls? Thanks a lot!

Sorry just realising this is a few days old but I’m just taken aback that we’re doing the same thing! Baby is 5 weeks and we’re giving formula during the night (after 7pm) then expressed milk all day. It’s working out well because I’m able to still pump obviously after 7pm and once during the night so I’m making enough to cover her daytime feeds. No idea how I’d manage it if I wasn’t giving the formula but I always planned to do it that way because I knew at some point I’ll switch to solely formula so I wanted her to have tasted it etc before then.

I solely formula fed my last baby as pumping didn’t work then and I was a bit clueless so gave up quickly. His nappies were very predictable though and quite soon after being born he went to one dirty nappy per day and it was even at the same sort of time so you knew what to expect from early on. This time I’m having similar problems to you in that I’m a bit taken aback by the nappies. It’s pretty much every nappy I change that’s dirty or at least a tiny bit. When I’ve asked the health visitor she just says she’s fine but I even questioned if it could be a milk allergy at one point. I think it’s slightly sorted itself out now and there’s been no more explosive ones but not convinced it’s all agreeing with her.

what is your plan with the pumping? Only asking as I feel a bit at a crossroads now. I was going to go until 6 weeks but now I’ve managed that I don’t know whether to aim for 3 months

Thanks a lot for the reply! @Juliedxx

My plan for pumping is to keep going as much as I can until 6 months when I need to go back to work. I'm FTM so no idea whether that'll work out in terms of my supply keeping up yet.

I'm suspecting milk allergy / intolerance too but because my baby has no other symptoms it's hard to tell. I've started cutting out diary to see if it makes a difference. Also stopped the twice weekly 200mg iron tablet I was given while still pregnant. Reducing garlic / onions / cabbage etc too as I read somewhere they may cause gas in babies.

So far two days in, he's not doing five runny poos a day anymore. Instead he's only done one poo but farting from time to time. We are just waiting for the inevitable poonami to arrive....

That would be impressive if you could get to 6 months! How many times in 24 hours are you pumping? Everything seems to say 8 but I’m only managing 6.. 5 during the day then one at night. It’s the constant cleaning of the bottles and pump that are almost more exhausting than actually doing it 🤯

I had no idea about garlic etc but I really know very little about it. I kind of assumed it was going to go as badly as last time but somehow it didn’t and I’ve now ended up at almost 6 weeks and it’s going really well 🤔 Six months would be a good target, it’s kind of the one in the back of my mind because everything online says to breastfeed until 6 months as the ‘minimum’ but I think 3 months is probably more realistic for me just now, that might change!

When I asked about the milk allergy thing she literally just said ‘No I don’t think so’. It didn’t really feel like they were that interested and just wanted onto the next person asap. I looked it up but because that was the only symptom I thought maybe not then. I wasn’t sure if it was just the difference with a breastfed baby but I have no clue how you’d find out!

@Juliedxx I'm doing 7-8 times a day, including one at around 1-2am and one at 4-5am, depending when the baby's night feeds are. I clean the pumps afterwards in like 3 minutes using warm soapy water and rinsing twice. I only sterilise them once a day. The bottles I don't clean until that bottle of breast milk has been fed to the baby. We did buy a mini fridge to put in our loft bedroom to save the hassle of going downstairs to put the milk into the fridge in the kitchen. Saved a lot of time.

With the allergy think there would be more other symptoms. Also formula has cows milk too so if they didn't react to formula before it shouldn't be that. I'm more thinking about intolerance to certain things in the breast milk so trying to change my diet a bit.

I was reading another old thread www.mumsnet.com/talk/parenting/3461088-5-week-old-is-this-diarrhoea-or-normal Seems like the consensus view was that it's quite normal for baby's poos to be like this when breastfed (incl combi?), so maybe will just need to be mentally used to it...

Hi

My DD is 14 weeks and EBF. She has had very frequent, loose poops since just a few weeks old, and look very similar to the ones you've posted! She would go around 12-15 times a day (not all huge but there would be a sizeable poop in each nappy).

Fast forward to 14 weeks and she is now going around 8 times a day but they are much smaller (sometimes just a smudge in the nappy) but we do get one or two big ones per day still. The frequency basically ties in with the amount of feeds, she just seems to poop with each feed.

I was concerned like you due to the frequency and consistency, but was advised by everyone that it was normal for breast fed babies, some just poo more than others!

Sorry if I've misunderstood but there is absolutely zero point in you going dairy free if you are also feeding your baby formula too. The amount of milk protein in the formula is infinitely larger than in your breast milk. It's literally pointless, all you are doing is depleting your own calcium stores. You will need to go dairy free and cut out all formula to test for cmpa

Thanks for the comments @hanc66 @Whentwobecomesthree

So we called 111 today as the concern has evolved over this few days from "one runny poo a day" to "five runny poos a day" to "no poo at all for two days"..... Was advised that it's normal for combi fed babies to go up to 4-5 days with no poos, we should ring back if he's vomiting or his stomach is distended and hard, can try feeding him 1oz of water in between feeds too.

Then this evening he finally managed to poo, not a poonami but still quite a big pile, and still very watery. Guess we'll see how it goes in the next few days till his 6 week checks at the GP next Wed. We've been weighing him at home these few days using very rough measure (holding him and standing on a scale) and don't think he's put on much weight, but will wait for the official verdict.

Regarding the milk allergy / intolerance, I've replaced cows milk with soya milk which is reinforced with calcium, but point taken on the comparative amount vs formula. He's always been fed with the same formula and had no problem with it before. Will consider changing the formula if the GP recommends so at our next visit.