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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

Been advised to post here for advice on blood in baby's poo

26 replies

Kelly6485 · 06/10/2008 23:25

I'm new to this site. I normally post on Bounty but someone recommended I ask on this forum if anyone has any idea what might be causing my baby to have this problem. She is exclusively breastfed and is 8 weeks old, and for about a week and a half I have been noticing mucousy blood in her nappies, but not every time. I asked my health visitor when she came to visit and she said it's usually nothing to worry about, but Millie didn't poo while she was there so she couldn't see it. Also, for the past few days, every poo has been green and really runny and at first I thought it might have been something I ate but it's been going on too long now and I'm wondering if she might be unwell. She has an appointment with the doctor on Thursday for immunisations so I can ask then, but I was wondering if anyone had any advice or if you think I'm worrying over nothing.

OP posts:
BoysAreLikeDogs · 06/10/2008 23:28

Kelly, welcome to MN

Is the blood bright red?

Original poster
Kelly6485 · 06/10/2008 23:30

Thanks!
Yes it is bright red.

OP posts:
snice · 06/10/2008 23:30

A friend's baby had something similar and it turned out to a dairy intolerance-she had to give up dairy in her own diet from what I remember

lisad123 · 06/10/2008 23:33

we had this a few weeks in but dd had torn a tiny bit when doing a rather large poo

i would be tempted to take her to GP tomorrow tbh. Is she well in herself?

Original poster
Kelly6485 · 06/10/2008 23:34

Interesting. I wonder if it could be something as simple as that.

OP posts:
Original poster
Kelly6485 · 06/10/2008 23:36

She seems ok when she's awake but tbh she has been sleeping for quite long periods for a couple of days. And today I noticed her face has developed a bit of a rash - nothing major, it's just a little bit dry and bumpy. OMG I make it sound like I'm neglecting her with all these symptoms!

OP posts:
lisad123 · 06/10/2008 23:38

nah it doesnt, as my GP put it "babies spend 9 month swimming in lovely warm water without anything to pollute them, what do you exspect when we take them out to the dry lands with air, pooh, nappies, creams, and everything else"

Original poster
Kelly6485 · 06/10/2008 23:46

Good point. I think the rash on her face is just because she's dribbling a lot at the minute. I was going to wait until my appointment Thursday - do you think I should take her before that then?

OP posts:
MeMySonAndI · 06/10/2008 23:48

It could be dairy intolerance (through your breast milk). If she has mucous is bad enough, blood is the second step. Try to cut dairy from your diet. ANd take the baby to the doctor asap.

mabanana · 06/10/2008 23:49

rash on he face totally normal. they all get it. It's like baby acne and is hormonal. My babies looked horrendous just at the stage when I wanted to take them out and show them off! A sea of spots and cradle cap - lovely. It does go away though.

trixymalixy · 06/10/2008 23:52

The green poos sound like my DS who is allergic to dairy.

Original poster
Kelly6485 · 06/10/2008 23:55

Glad to hear the rash is normal and goes away eventually. I'll give my doctor a ring in the morning and see if I can get an appointment about the blood. I knew I shouldn't just take the health visitor's word for it when she hadn't had the chance to see it, that's why I asked on here.

OP posts:
VeniVidiVickiQV · 06/10/2008 23:57

It could be one or the other. I'd be inclined to think, with the face rash, that it might be cows milk intolerance/allergy.

You could try cutting out all cows milk/dairy products for a while and seeing what happens.

It wont do you or your baby any harm to do this as long as you make sure you eat plenty of leafy green veg and pulses to make up for it.

Definitely go to your GP though to have her checked over.

Original poster
Kelly6485 · 07/10/2008 00:01

It would make sense really because she seems to have got worse around the time I've had a lot more dairy products, I just never made the connection.

OP posts:
VeniVidiVickiQV · 07/10/2008 00:10

Nope, I never did either

DD used to get these red marks on her face and we'd not realise where they came from. Turns out they were whelts where someone had drunk tea/coffee with milk and then given her a kiss and it had reacted on her skin.

Cut out dairy, then get yourselves off to the GP.

Original poster
Kelly6485 · 07/10/2008 00:16

Thanks for the advice, I'll get an appointment with the GP as soon as I can.

OP posts:
tansyrock · 07/10/2008 11:31

My 6mth old baby has also had small amounts of mucousy blood in her nappies. I have taken her to two diff docs about it and both said the same thing. There is a small tear at the top of the anus probably caused by straining (although she is fully bf and passes soft stools). One commented that it looks as though her anus is a bit small which might contribute to this but nothing to worry about. Avoid using chemical wipes and go back to good old cotton wool and water and use some nappy cream or vasaline around the rim of the anus. This seams to have helped. Also making sure i drink plenty of water.

She also occasionally passes bright green stools. I have queried this with my HV who says if it happens on a regular basis can be an indication of either not getting enough milk or too much fore milk without enough hind milk. Is she putting on enough weight? I would discuss this with your health visitor. Hope this helps

mellyonion · 07/10/2008 11:36

i'm sure its nothing to worry immediatly about, but i would give your surgery a ring and tell them..you may be able to speak to a gp ovver the phone who can advise, or they may ask that you bring her in today...

gp's never mind seeing a little baby...good luck. hope it all works out ok.

geekgirl · 07/10/2008 11:40

Hi Kelly, my eldest (now 9 years old) also had this - little streaks of bright red blood in her poo, and also green foamy poo. She was fully breastfed and very colicky, but gained weight very well (95th centile all the way).
With hindsight it was (in my opinion) the sign of an intolerance/allergy to something in my diet as she is obviously an 'atopic' child (she went on to develop eczema at 5 months and now has hayfever). I did try to eliminate wheat & dairy from my diet when she was little, but it didn't make any difference - apparently dairy can take over a month to get out of your system, so TBH it's probably not that practical and useful anyway.

Because of her eczema I was v. cautious re. weaning and she was fully breastfed until she was nearly 8 months old (huge bonnie baby, too!). I think that was a good move - she has no food allergies at all despite a strong family history of food allergies.

Original poster
Kelly6485 · 07/10/2008 18:31

She is gaining weight well - she's 8 weeks old and weighs 11lb 12oz (she was 9lb 8oz at birth). I did wonder whether she was getting enough milk, or too much foremilk, but I feed her on one side until she doesn't seem to be getting any more, and quite often let her carry on trying for as long as she will without stopping, so I'm hoping she's getting the hind milk. I offer the other side at every feed but I have a LOT of milk and she doesn't very often want the second side. Maybe I'm doing it wrong - I'm not sure how to tell when she's done on one side and I should switch to the other.

OP posts:
VeniVidiVickiQV · 07/10/2008 21:14

Kelly - tiktok on here has a pretty good analogy that explains 'foremilk' and 'hindmilk'. There is no clear distinguishing factor for fore or hind milk.

It's basically like running a hot tap. Imagine foremilk as cold water and hind milk as hot. It starts of cold, but, as it runs it slowly gets warmer and warmer doesnt it? If you come back to the hot tap and turn it on just a short while later - the water isnt cold is it? It's still a bit warm, yes? You leave the tap longer and the water is a bit cooler at first.

Imagine your milk being the same.

Original poster
Kelly6485 · 07/10/2008 23:07

That's a new way of explaining it. You'd think breastfeeding would be easy seeing as it's natural but there's so much to learn!!

OP posts:
VeniVidiVickiQV · 07/10/2008 23:36

Ah, well, you see, time was when families were all involved and helped each other and taught each other such things. It's always 'easier' if you have support.

It's something that is sorely lacking these days. In this country at least.

Original poster
Kelly6485 · 07/10/2008 23:49

I think you're right. I have a couple of female relatives who breastfed but that's it and everyone was quick to tell me I should bottle feed when she was a few days old and I was having problems because my milk had just come in instead of offering help. One of my friends was actually repulsed by the idea of me breastfeeding (she has 2 children, soon to be 3)and said that there was no way she would ever even consider it. So there's no wonder people find it hard when people around them have that kind of attitude.

OP posts:
tuftie2466 · 06/02/2011 13:04

We have identical twin girls, 4 months old.
Since Thursday, Alice has been excreting small amounts of 'snot like' blood in her faeces. She has had bloody pooh before and it turned out to be a tear, but there is no evidence of this, this time. Ruby has been fine.
I'm worried because I don't believe she's lactose intolerant.

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