diarreah in an 8month old

[poolie]

My baby daughter has had diarreah for the past two days - could anyone help with what I should be feeding her please? She isnt sick & is very contented in herself and I am wondering if it is just teething so not that worried but unsure of what I should be giving her to eat?

Thank you!

How bad is the diarrhoea? How many times per day? Some degree of loose stools is pretty normal, but if she's pooing out whatever goes in, right away, it's worth worrying about.

Is she still eating and drinking normally? You can offer dioralyte to sort things out a bit. Or you can try to avoid fibrous foods (brown bread/rice/pasta are fibrous, as are pretty much all fruit + veg) and give constipating foods (cheese, egg, white bread/rice/pasta).

About 6 times a day - yesterday it was undigested food but she is drinking loads & peeing normally. Yes, she still seems to want food but not as much of it. I will try some constipating foods as you suggested, thanks v much.

Undigested food isn't a great sign - if it keeps being like that, or gets worse, you might have to put her on just clear fluids (+ breastmilk, if she's breastfed?) for a little while. I'd try dioralyte first, though.

If you are using formula - have you changed to follow - on milk as this has more iron. I think the iron helps form firmer poos.

I have changed to follow on milk yes, it has only been for two days - do you think I can leave it until clinic on Tuesday or would you suggest seeing someone before?

She is just drinking water but I am worried if I dont give her food/milk then she will wake all night hungry!

Does she not want food/milk?

If it's a bug (which I think it would have to be, for her to pass undigested food), giving her only clear fluids will clear it up quickly. Giving food/milk (other than breastmilk) feeds the bug.

That being said, I don't think I could refuse to feed a hungry baby. If she's refusing food/milk, then that's no doubt for the best.

Poolie,

A quick word of warning - DS2 had severe diahorrea a few months ago. He seemed well in himself but was keeping nothing in him. It turned out that he had Rotavirus which needs treating as it can quickly lead to dehydration. Despite appearing well, DS2 was did need medicine combined with a gastro diet to get rid of the diahorrea.

Might be worth talking to your GP about if it continues.

What is rotavirus please? Sounds dreadful and I am worrying again now!!

this from GP Notebook on the internet.

Rotavirus gastroenteritis is an important cause of diarrhoea and vomiting in children, affecting boys more often than girls. It is the most common cause of gastroenteritis in children, but is not a notifiable illness and therefore not recorded as frequently as bacterial gastroenteritis.

There are winter and spring peaks, which fall off in the summer. Usually the patient is less than one year old; rotavirus is only seen in the under fives and in the elderly.

Diagnosis is made from examination of faecal suspensions or faecal fluids. Treatment is with oral rehydration therapy

but she's not being sick is she Poolie? This description does include vomiting.

Oral rehydration therapy = dioralyte (or homemade equivalent). So it just needs treating like any other diarrhoea, according to that.

Biggest danger is dehydration. Please keep an eye on your dd's intake of liquids in this heat. If she isn't taking lots of liquids, or starts vomiting, take her asap to the gp.

On a more optimistic note, my ds always got diarrhoea when he was teething, and went off his food. Sometimes this was the only sign he was teething!

Does the poo smell very acidic, and has it caused a rash?

didn't mean to worry you poolie, and I'll bet she is fine now.

it's nothing serious, just a form of gastro which can lead to dehydration. It can include vomiting but a child can be Rota positive and not vomit.

Thank you all for your help - dd still passed 6 bad diarrhoea nappies today but saw the dr who reassured it was prob. a bug & would slow down by day 5 - if not, its sample time! I can feel something very sharp on her top gum so maybe it is teething. Does anyone know how long diarrhoea nappies can last if it is teething?

Poolie - usually until the tooth has cut through the gum. That's exactly what ds used to do, very foul smelling poo that smelled almost like vomit