Hate to gross you out but I have a poop question

Discussion in 'The First Year' started by LHigh, Aug 14, 2011.

  1. LHigh

    LHigh Well-Known Member

    Hope you're not eating while reading this post.

    Okay, so our daughter, Emme, has been almost constipated since birth -- she's eight months old now. We have to give three ounces of pear juice daily to get one dirty diaper out of her a day, and that's pretty good for her -- she's known to go a day without pooping at all. Suddenly, for about a week and a half now, she's started having a dirty diaper every couple of hours -- loose stools full of white...speckles is the only word I can think of. My husband thinks it looks like rice. I thought they were worms, became CONVINCED they had somehow picked up pinworms, gave the doctor both a paddle test (the one where you use the sticky paddle to pick up any eggs around the anus) and a stool test, chock full of whatever the white stuff was; while waiting for the results I tore our house apart, washing all bedding, curtains, shower curtains, scrubbing floors and walls. (Who, me, obsessive??) Both tests came back negative. Meanwhile, Jack is showing the same symptoms as she is -- looser stools with the white, rice-like substance in it. There have been no major changes in diet -- I had read that these could be banana seeds, so I stopped giving them bananas, but there has been no change. They get oatmeal mixed with a fruit (usually prunes) and a vegetable (either peas, sweet potatoes, carrots, or squash) for breakfast/lunch and then rice cereal mixed with one of those vegetables and another fruit (pears, blueberries, apples, mangoes, peaches, etc) for dinner...and they are formula fed, the same formula they've been getting full time since four months.

    Anyone have any ideas? I can count on those stool tests being accurate, right? I mean, if they had the worm right in the stool sample, they couldn't have missed it, correct??? Here I go again, doubting science...any information would be most helpful. Thanks to you all.
     
  2. TwinxesMom

    TwinxesMom Well-Known Member

    If she's having them that often it may be milk protien
     
  3. LHigh

    LHigh Well-Known Member

    Is that something that might start suddenly, after four months of being on the same kind of formula?
     
  4. TwinxesMom

    TwinxesMom Well-Known Member

    The white spots may not be the cause of the frequent pooping. If something else was the cause the formula may be going thru their system too fast to digest
     
  5. becasquared

    becasquared Well-Known Member TS Moderator

    Did you notice it starting up with a new container of formula? Maybe change to a new container?

    But the tests are pretty accurate. Not 100% accurate, but the accuracy is in the sample, not the test, if you know what I mean.
     
  6. AmynTony

    AmynTony Well-Known Member

    if she has constipation issues I'd avoid bananas and rice cereal like the plague...other than loose stools could just be a virus they picked up...have they eaten any crayons or play doh lately?
     
  7. LHigh

    LHigh Well-Known Member

    Ah, okay, TabbiSue, I get it. Huh. So the issue isn't the white specks as much as the possible diarrhea, maybe. Bex, I don't think it started with a new can of formula, because we have started a new can after the white specks started. Okay, so as long as I got what I thought was a worm in the stool sample, I can count on that test being pretty much 100% accurate, huh? That's what I figured. Amy, I had heard that about rice and bananas and forgotten it -- maybe I should be giving them oatmeal twice a day instead of one serving of rice? No, no crayons or playdoh. The pedi said it might just be something viral going through their system, and not to analyze their diapers so much...but when there's SO MUCH of something in there, it's kind of hard not to! Thanks to you all for your thoughts.
     
  8. PurplePenguin

    PurplePenguin Active Member

    Interesting - my girls had white specks in their poops from the very beginning - dr said that was normal. After about 2-3 months their poops were less frequent, and now @ 5 months, they have a good poop once or twice a day. I'm giving them rice cereal and bananas once a day, but they don't seem to be constipated...yet. I'll keep an eye out for it though!
     
  9. j-squared

    j-squared Well-Known Member

    My son had a virus when he was 5 months old and his poop was full of white stuff. He wasn't digesting the milk but just passing it through because the virus had irritated his intestines. Since both your kids are showing the same symptoms and having frequent bowel movements it sounds like they might have a stomach virus and are just not processing their formula/food right now. Even a cold where they swallow lots of mucus can irritate the intestinal lining and prevent proper absorption of food/formula/milk. It did freak me out because he had diapers full of white milk curds for almost 2 weeks, but it passed eventually--we had taken him to the doctor who told us what yours did. Virus, not digesting food because of it.
     
  10. 3under2!

    3under2! Well-Known Member

    It sounds like a virus to me too, but one other thing I didn't see anyone suggest is that maybe the formula manufacturer changed its ingredients and your kids don't do well with the new stuff? Just a thought.
     
  11. Tamaralynn

    Tamaralynn Well-Known Member

    My first thought was a milk allergy, but the virus sounds like a culprit too.
     
  12. MNTwinSquared

    MNTwinSquared Well-Known Member

    Ditto! Skip the bananas & rice cereal and she likely won't be constipated.
     
  13. Rollergiraffe

    Rollergiraffe Well-Known Member TS Moderator

    If it's a virus, maybe a bit of a probiotic would help? You could try a tablespoon or two of yogurt or there's commercially available probiotics at health food stores.
     
  14. MarchI

    MarchI Well-Known Member

    Sounds like a stomach virus. I agree on probiotic. Also, you can use Happy Bellies/Happy Baby cereal (we always used oatmeal because it was less constipating) it contains probiotic and Jacob who was not a frequent pooper was regular on it. Stomach viruses can last 16 days or so. It's important to keep her hydrated and if she seems lethargic, take her in.
     
  15. maybell

    maybell Well-Known Member

    wow, I don't know about the specific consistency of her stools. but we have some type of moderate milk/soy issues here... and it seems that too many bananas make the kids stools loose again. I only say that b/c some foods react differently in different people.

    I hope you figure it out soon! at one point I did remove yogurt too. basically we still avoid all these foods.

    If it doesn't clear up soon I would ask your pedi if a milk allergy will show up late like this...

    sorry for all the issues! yucky diapers are just plain yucky!!
     
  16. LHigh

    LHigh Well-Known Member

    Thanks, you guys. It did pass (my original post was written in August) but has reappeared a few times since then. I am wondering about the virus theory. I think they did have colds while it was happening initially so the mucus thing mentioned upthread might have been a culprit. I will try and notice next time it happens if it seems like their stomachs are hurting or if they have colds...also going to check out the oatmeal with probiotics. Thanks again for all of your help.
     
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