Warning: this post is going to be graphic. I can’t write a post about Luke’s digestive issues without going into details about his stools. I figured if I’m going to talk about his stools, I might as well include pictures (which I’ve taken to show his doctors). I know when I was googling “blood in baby stool” I wanted to come across some pictures. I hope these will help others who are searching, wondering if what they are seeing in their baby’s diapers is normal.
You’ve been warned. If you’re squeamish about this kind of thing, feel free to stop reading and come back on Wednesday when I’ll be posting a new dinner recipe for a meatless burger.
If you’re still reading, you must be interested in what’s been going on with my little man. He’s been diagnosed with MSPI, which stands for Milk Soy Protein Intolerance. This means that his immature digestive system has trouble breaking down the proteins in milk and soy. It does not mean he is lactose intolerant or that he is necessarily allergic to anything (although he may be, it’s too early to tell).
We’ve been lucky in that many babies with MSPI cry all the time or are extremely fussy. Luke’s never been that way. The main way we knew there was a problem was through his irregular stools. Normal breastfed baby stools are mostly yellow, sometimes seedy, with a watery or creamy consistency. Luke’s dirty diapers have always been slimy and full of mucus.
Green stools is another indicator. (Occasional green diapers can be normal, but early on his were consistently green. I don’t have any pictures of his early green stools.)
Occasionally they are specked with blood, both black and red.
He was also extremely congested early on in his life, a sign of a dairy sensitivity.
Another symptom is erratic sleep patterns. Luke can easily go from an angel sleeper to a nightmare with no rhyme or reason. Over time I’ve noticed a correlation with blood in his stool and his most mucus-y diapers to his worst sleep. Whatever is going on in there to cause the irregular stools must not feel great and therefore causes sleep disruptions.
The only way to “treat” MSPI is to eliminate the culprits from my diet (since I’m breast feeding). At 8 weeks I eliminated all dairy. It takes at least a month (probably more) for all dairy to be out of your system, so it was a waiting game. The only improvement I saw was his congestion cleared up, but his stools remained the same.
At 12 weeks there was still a lot of mucus in his diapers and also visible blood, so the next step was to eliminate soy. After this his diapers turned from mostly green to mostly yellow and his projectile spitting up stopped (I didn’t know if that was related or not and still can’t be sure). The mucus and blood were still present in his stools.
This is when his pediatrician referred us to gastroenterologist. By the time we got in, Luke was 19 weeks and I’d been off of dairy for 11 weeks. The doctor still thought, however, that dairy was in my system and causing the problems. He said I could have unknowingly eaten hidden dairy. This is true, but highly unlikely given my diet. I don’t eat a lot of processed foods, which is where hidden dairy lurks. He advised me to either switch to a hypoallergenic formula or wait and hope Luke outgrows the intolerance by 9 months.
I took Luke back to his pediatrician and she said it’d be worthwhile to cut out more foods that could be causing him problems. I then cut out wheat, eggs, peanuts, and tree nuts. After two weeks his diapers were still full of mucus, but I hadn’t seen any visible blood in that time. I decided to start adding back in foods to see what the reaction would be. I added back in eggs first, and there was no change.
A week later, I added back in peanuts and tree nuts. I’m not sure why I did these at the same time; I should have done one at a time. Within days, I saw visible blood again. I can’t be sure if they were the cause, but I decided to cut them out again. I put in a call to the pediatrician and she advised me that although it could be the peanuts or nuts, wheat also takes at least a month to get out of your system, so the wheat could still be the cause.
After 6 weeks of eliminating wheat, Luke’s stools finally started to look normal. They were consistently yellow, more creamy, and without visible blood.
We had two weeks of normal-looking stools. This was the good news. The bad news was it took me eating a diet free of dairy, soy, wheat, tree nuts (except coconut), and peanuts to get there.
After 2 solid weeks of good diapers, we decided to start solids (a few weeks earlier than we planned at 5.5 months old) Details about that are a whole different post, but I will give an overview as it relates to his digestive issues. We started with yellow squash. The first two days there was no mucus or blood in his stool–they stayed the same. On the third day there was still no mucus, but there was a small amount of blood. It seems the solid food, even the very small amount, was difficult for his digestive tract to handle.
The next day I accidentally used almond-coconut milk in my oatmeal. I’d been using coconut milk and for some reason just grabbed the wrong box. Later that day, I was so hungry (snacking is the most difficult on this restrictive diet) and figured I’d already had almonds that day so I might as well go all-out and I had a banana bread Larabar, which has almonds. Later that night, his stools were back to mucus-y. I couldn’t believe how quickly they changed his stool consistency. That was on Wednesday and his stools have been full of mucus ever since. I guess it will be a while before I can have almonds. 🙁 I am just waiting for them to work their way out of my system (should be less than a week) in hopes that his diapers go back to normal.
We’ve decided to hold back on any more solids until his next doctor’s appointment this week. We’ll see what she advises. I can tell that the road to feeding Luke is going to be filled with twists and turns and will most likely not be easy any time soon.
I breastfed Meghan until she was 2 and assumed that I’d do the same with Luke. At this point I am just taking it one month at a time. I love breastfeeding and think it’s hands down the best nutrition you can provide for your child, but eating such a restrictive diet has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.
At this point I am just praying that Luke with outgrow his food sensitivities and be able to eat a normal, non-restrictive diet one day. Breast feeding a baby with MSPI is a crazy journey, but I’m grateful I’ve been able to continue to provide Luke with the nourishment of breast milk despite the challenges.
Curious about how this journey continued with Luke? Here’s an update at how things are going with breastfeeding with MSPI at 15 months!
Maryea,
I found your web site through google. What you are going through sounds a lot like what we went through with our first child. Same progression of poop changes, sleep and “colic” issues till she was 12 months old and we finally got to see a specialist (we’re a family stationed in a remote lil town overseas–AKA no pediatric/professional help whatsoever). I gave up BF at 6 months, since I was unable to find out what really caused the issues (we later found out she was highly allergic to rice–which I ate a lot of, trying to eliminate wheat, duh…). I still regret that I gave up BF, since it IS the best thing to do!!! At the time, however, there was literally NO info online concerning this issue, and I am glad you are putting it out there for those who might be in a similar situation and in desperate need for encouragement.
Also, Iwant to encourage you to stick to what you are doing and to not give up hope. I never thought I’d ever see the day that my daughter is able to eat anything beyond sweet potatoes and squash, until she suddenly (at around 20 months) seemed to make rapid spurts in outgrowing a lot of her allergies (she now, at 25 months, even tolerates one string cheese and an itty bit of butter every day)! It was the hardest 20-some months in my life, even with the help of elemental formula, and/but I often wonder if she had outgrown her allergies faster had I stuck to BF!
In any case, I can tell you that once Luke outgrows some of his issues, your efforts will be greatly rewarded. The burst of joy, thankfulness, and excitement with every bite my daughter eats are absolutely priceless and too big for words! Keep it up!
Hi Daniela–thank you so much for your encouraging words! Luke failed a soy trial at 8 months and I’ve been quite discouraged about not being able to eat anything and not knowing if he’ll ever outgrow his intolerances. It’s nice to hear happy stories. 🙂 I’m planning on keeping up with breastfeeding as long as I can. I hope it works out. Thanks again for sharing your daughter’s story.
One more question… what was your son’s sleep like? My son rarely naps and is waking up more at night. He used to sleep up to 8 hour stretches up until a few weeks ago and now won’t go more than 3-4 hours.
That sounds a lot like how Luke was. His naps were always hit or miss, but he usually did take one good nap a day. He never went longer than 3-4 hours at night until 6 months. There were times when he’d wake every 2-3 hours and I never knew why–if his stomach was bothering him or if it was something else. Now, at 7 months, he still wakes once or twice a night, but he is starting to stretch it out. He’s had a few 8-9 hour stretches so I’m hoping that sticks.
Thank you so much for your encouraging words! I decided to cut out dairy, soy, wheat, shellfish, nuts and tree nuts and eggs as of today! I am really hoping and praying this makes a difference. I was already not eating dairy, nuts and tree nuts and shellfish. I went out today and bought only whole foods and everything in its pure form. Here’s to hoping this works because I really don’t want to see him suffer any longer! It really helped hearing from you and knowing that although it will be a challenge, in the end, we can overcome this.
Oh I hope it does make a difference for your son! If you think of it, please keep me updated!
I am so happy to have found this post. I am going through the exact same thing right now with my 3 and a half month old son. I could have written and posted these pictures myself! It all sounds and looks the exact same. I have been off dairy for many weeks now but just found out a few weeks ago about the hidden dairy. I have been advised by both my doctor and pediatrician to completely stop breastfeeding and put him on hypoallergenic formula. I am so upset by their advice and now worry that I am hurting my son with my breastmilk. Have your doctors given you any encouraging words in continuing breastfeeding?? I am just so worried that if I don’t put him on the formula that he will be really sick. So far everything seems to be exactly like your son. He has already more than doubled his birth weight so growing extremely well. His sleep is terrible. He is gassy and his stools tend to be mucusy yellow with occasional blood streaks.
My doctor gave me the opposite advice! She said even with the sensitivity, breast milk is the best thing for the baby. She said the only time she’d advise stopping breast feeding is if the baby had extreme growth issues, which was not the case with my baby. It sounds like that is not the case with yours, either. I would definitely seek another opinion before switching to formula. And it could be more than dairy that your son is sensitive to, so you may have to eliminate more foods like I did. It’s really challenging, but it’s not forever and I think it’s worth it to continue breast feeding if that’s what you want to do. My son is over 7 months now and breast feeding is going well. His stools are totally normal. I’m hoping to add back in foods in a few weeks and see if he’s outgrown his sensitivities (I hope so!). Good luck to you!
Hi, I see these posts are a bit dated but wanted to chime in. My son’s stools look just like the pics. I have eliminated dairy, soy, wheat, and nuts. He continues to have mucous and blood in his stool along with eczema and congestion. His pediatrician recommended formula, so I pumped and tried Nutramigen. After three days, his eczema became quite severe. His pediatrician recommended Neocate last week, but I would like to continue breastfeeding. She and I are not in agreement on the best treatment for him. I say continue breastfeeding and eliminate ingredients. She says formula. Any advice? His is a big boy, so weight gain is not a problem. He is also on Ranitidine which has helped with his reflux. As for sleep, he has not slept well during the day but has always slept well at night. I think he sleeps well at night because he is exhausted from crying during the day. Anyway, I am glad I found this blog. It inspires my to continue to eliminate more foods and breastfeed.
I kept meaning to come back and provide an update. Since my last post in July, I eliminated the top 8 allergens along with corn, beef, citrus and tomatoes. I refused to take my pediatrician’s advice and put my son on Nutrimigen or Neocate because a lot of what I had read stated that breasfeeding was best for these babies. I am so glad I listened to my gut (and the posts I read here)!! In September, we finally had a videoconference meeting with a pediatric GI specialist who stated that he was so happy to hear that I did not stop breastfeeding because most of these babies do poorly on those formulas. We were also linked to a pediatric GI dietician. I am happy to report that my son has had zero blood or mucus in his stool for nearly 2 months now. He is 7 and a half months old and this problem started almost immediately after he was born. I also learned that I did not have to cut out quite that many foods but I was desperate to find a solution at the time and didn’t really have anywhere to turn in terms of help in my small town. I have since added corn and tomatoes back into my diet. The dietician is now helping us introduce food into our son’s diet, as well as some of the foods back into mine. Here are a few things I learned: 1) when re-introducing something into my diet, I need to wait 10-14 days for a reaction before labelling it a success. So when I added corn back into my diet, I had to wait 14 days before I could say that the food was safe. He had zero reaction. 2) I also learned that when introducing solids for the first time, the same rule applies. So when we first introduced a vegetable, we had to wait 10-14 days before introducing another food. Since he “passed” the vegetable introduction, every vegetable from then on is the normal 4 day wait rule. We then did a fruit, waited 10-14 days and can now do any other fruit every 4 days since he also “passed” that food group. We’re now onto rice cereal and still doing great 🙂 3) Oh yes, and whenever introducing something new in my diet, I cannot introduce something new in his until the wait time is over and vice versa. The dietician stressed the importance of the 10-14 days wait rule especially when introducing something new in mom’s diet. 4) The dietician would like to see all of the foods I cut out back into my diet except dairy, soy, wheat and eggs (and any food that he may react to.) I am so happy I found this site when I did because it really offered me encouragement. Don’t get me wrong, we still have a long way to go in terms of food introduction for the both of us but I definitely have a more positive outlook! I would be happy to help any other mom going through this in any way that I can 🙂
Great news! Thank you so much for coming back and posting your update. I know it will help a lot of moms, myself included. I am in the process of re-introducing some foods into my diet to see how Luke does (he’s 11 months now) and I haven’t had the same guidance that you have. My son’s pediatrician actually didn’t give me any guidance at all. My gut told me to wait at least a week before introducing another new food into my diet, but I’m glad I read your advice to wait at least 10-14 days. So far Luke is doing well with adding back in nuts and wheat. I’m nervous to try dairy and soy again, though. Thanks again for your update!
What are the top 8 allergens? My first child was just the basic intolerances which we learned from a GI specialist. I thought I had this for round two, but daughter number 2 seems to be more severe. I’m thinking either lentils, fish, rice, oats, corn, or tomatoes. I’m not sure if it is best to cut them all out at once or do them one at a time. In your experience, if you ate lets say oatmeal in the morning would you notice mucus and blood in diaper ASAP. I’m trying to see if I can gauge right away or not. Thank you in advance!
In some cases I saw the mucous right away after eating something (almonds) other times it wasn’t until the next day (soy). So it can be tricky! Wish I could help you more. 🙁
Thanks so much for this post. My daughter is 5months now and I am facing the same issue from over a month. I am trying to eliminate dairy but it’s so really hard. Obviously I don’t take cup of milk now but the hidden ones are extremely difficult. Your efforts are giving me strength now to continue!
Your son must be big now, hope you both are doing well. 🙂
We are, thank you! Luke is 5 now! Hard to believe. He outgrew his intolerances by 2 1/2 and now he’s able to tolerate all foods. We still limit dairy as I don’t thinks it’s great to eat too much of it no matter what, but he can eat dairy without a reaction. 🙂 The hidden dairy is definitely difficult. I wish you luck on your journey!
Hi! I know this is an old comment, but any chance you have recipes or meal plans saved from when you were on this diet? Thanks!
Hi! This post is the best I have: https://happyhealthymama.com/what-this-breastfeeding-mama-eats-in-a-day.html
How long have you been off of diary, soy, wheat, and nuts? I know it can take quite a while before they work their way out of both your system and your baby’s, so if it hasn’t been at least 8 weeks, I’d give it more time for sure. I agree that breastfeeding is best for these babies if it is possible, so I’d keep at it if I were you. Have you tried eliminating eggs as well? They were never a problem for us, but I know that they are a top allergen so if you eat eggs that could be causing issues, too. I’m sorry you’re having such a rough time figuring it out. I know how frustrating it can be. Hang in there!
Maryea- I also found your blog through a google image search! We recently came to the conclusion (at 5 months old!) that my son has an intolerance to something I’m eating. We have started with dairy and soy, but I’m only on day 9, so really time will tell. Just wanted to say that I am thankful to find others that are experiencing the same thing; so glad I found your blog!
Good luck on your journey figuring it all out! I’m glad this post is helping others as they research.
Thank you for this post! My daughter is 4.5 months old, and I have been dairy free since she was maybe 2 months old. After it was all of out our systems, her diapers went back to normal breastfed baby poop. It wasn’t too much later that her stools started to change again, so I had to figure out what else was bothering her because I know I hadn’t eaten any hidden dairy. At this point I know she can’t tolerate dairy, tomatoes, pork, or corn. I don’t know how sensitive she is to corn, but so many things are derived from corn. It has been harder than dairy. This week I began an elimination diet because I am also wondering about soy, wheat, and almonds. I think peanuts are okay, but we shall see. This diet is so challenging. I am trying to make sure I eat enough, but it is hard. I feel so limited, but I am hoping it’s just for a short period of time.
Oh, and I loved your poo pics. That’s how I found your website. People keep telling me this is all in my head, and baby’s are just gassy. I am thinking that my daughter’s sleep issues are related to a food intolerance I have yet to discover. Good luck to you!
I can’t let my typo slide. The above should read “babies are gassy” and not baby’s are gassy. Oops. Guess it’s time for bed!
Thank you, Monica. Good luck to you, too!
Hi Maryea,
I was searching for mucusy breasfed poop, and google brought me to you blog. My daughter is now 5 months old, wakes up several (4-7) times in the night and she is always passing gas… Always. Her poops changed about 2-3 months ago from the yellow seedy poops to a more caramel like poop (sorry for the visual). I’m not sure yet if it is mucus, but I’m thinking it might be. Was your son up frequently at night? Was he very gassy? I am thinking that it might be a milk allergy or sensitivity. I gave up all milk for 2 weeks and switched to soy, but I am now realizing that it was a) not long enough and b) probably not best to switch to soy as she may also have a soy sensitivity. I have an appt with our family doctor on Tuesday and I would like to give her as much info/evidence as I can that is relevant. How is Luke sleeping now? I wish you all the best of luck and thank you for your help!
Yes, he was up frequently at night AND was very, very gassy. Now at 6 months he just started stretching out his sleep and for the last 2 nights has only woken once. I’m hoping the trend continues. I’m still eating no dairy, soy, nuts, or wheat. He is also now on solids (so far just pears, peaches, and avocado) and it’s going well; his stools are normal looking. I plan to start re-introducing foods around 9 months to see if he’s outgrown his sensitivities.
I meant to add–good luck to you! I know what a hard road it is trying to figure everything out.
I am so glad I found this!!! My son is 14 weeks and has had green and yellow slimy poos! They look just like your pics. He hasn’t had any blood though. I just started to eliminate milk but the more I read the more I see that soy kinda goes hand in hand. He also has reflux (which I believe is his intolerance to something I am eating). My doctor keeps telling me it is normal but I breastfed my daughter too and never had this! I would also love to know what you are eating for this elimination diet. Should I do a total elimination diet and then add in to see what he is having issues with? I eat a ton of wheat, eggs and nuts too :(. His poops are also sometimes foamy when I have been in the middle of a change and he poops.
I eliminated dairy for 8 weeks and when it didn’t completely clear things up, I eliminated soy. After another 6 weeks of being dairy and soy free, I started to eliminate more foods because he still had the slimy stools and occasionally blood. At that time I eliminated wheat, nuts, and eggs. I eliminated them all at once with plans of adding them back in one at a time to see which was causing problems. Through this I found out eggs were okay, but wheat and nuts seem to irritate his system. You can do a total elimination diet or take one out at a time. From what I’ve heard, most babies do much better with just eliminating the dairy. So I would try that first (like you are) and see if there is an improvement and then go from there. The problem is that it takes forever for dairy to get out of your system (up to 8 weeks!). Wheat takes a long time, too. The rest of them are much quicker, which makes it easier to tell if they are causing problems.
A typical day of eating looks like this: breakfast-oatmeal w/ coconut milk, banana, berries, and sunflower seed butter, lunch-a huge salad with some sort of protein (either beans, eggs, or grilled chicken), dinner-stir fry veggies with quinoa. Snacks-fruit, veggies w/ hummus, nut free trail mix w/seeds, dried fruit, chocolate chips, gluten-free muffins (I have a recipe posted here and another one coming). Hope this helps!
Thank you so much! I really hope it is just the milk.
Nichole’ this sounds exesctly like my son. He would have foamy poops and often won’t even go unless I help him with leg exercises and such (sometimes the rectal stimulation of changing a diaper). I am so frustrated trying to figure out what is what and wondering if you had success since your case sounded so similar. I have cut out dairy for three weeks and am not seeing much difference. He’s on reflux mesds and often won’t eat very much at a sitting because he seems to be backed up or in pain. I just want him to be comfortable!
Hi, Maryea, thank you for sharing the story with us. May I ask how long it takes for SOY to get out of the system.
My doctor told me 1 week, but after I trialed soy it was longer than that before his stools returned to normal. More like a month I believe.
Sorry to hear about your challenges, Maryea! It must be difficult having to watch what you eat! I give you credit for adhering to the best nutrition a baby can have… Breastfeeding! Some women would have given up. But, personally, I would do the same thing you are doing.
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Hi Maryea,
Do you think you will be doing a post on the foods you are eating on this elimination diet? The reason I ask is because I am also eliminating lots of foods due to breastfeeding my son who has some digestive issues and am having a hard time finding foods I can eat. I would be interested to see what you are eating these days. Best of luck to you and Luke!
I can definitely do that! I’ve had questions about it, so I’d love to share. It’s been challenging, but in the end I think it’s actually making me eat even more fruits and veggies than I normally do, so I think that it’s a good thing!
Really interesting! Thanks for sharing! Do babies with MSPI usually have difficulty gaining weight and growing? I’m really glad to see that Luke is still growing like a weed!
That actually reminds me… I believe I had MSPI when I was a baby. According to my mother, I refused to breastfeed and she didn’t really push it. It makes me sad but I guess back then, people just didn’t know about all of the benefits to breastfeeding. Formula just seemed like the easiest answer. I was fed soy milk and formula but it made me really sick. My parents switched me over to goat’s milk and that is what I drank for a long time. Maybe that explains why I can’t stand the taste of goat cheese now…I did grow out of the allergy (if that is what it was) and I can eat dairy products and soy products with no issues now. I was also allergic to corn as a baby…my parents have always liked to remind me that I was sick for the entire 2 weeks when they took me with on a tropical vacation 😉
Some babies with MSPI have malabsorption issues and therefore don’t grow well. We’ve been really fortunate that’s not the case with Luke!
Would you have changed your approach if he had had malabsorption issues and was not gaining well? Our 4 mo son has had green diapers since getting a cold at around 1 mo and we started seeing blood and mucous in his stools at around 3 mo. I went off dairy, soy, eggs and we saw some improvement in color (turned back to mostly yellow) but still mucousy and intermittent blood flecks. I’m on day 12 of TOtal Elimination Diet and we are not really seeing much of a change. Maybe even worsening?!? I am already back down to pre-pregnancy weight myself and am trying to get all the calories I need but it feels hard to do with such lean meats (turkey & lamb) and rice, millet, potatoes, squash, and pears. I am desperate to continue breastfeeding but am worried that he is not gaining at a strong rate. His wellness visit is tomorrow and we will know more regarding his weight but the pediatrician had already mentioned possibly trailing specialized formula if he”s not gaining well. We’re prepared to request a second opinion and referral to ped. gastroenterologist but I guess I am seeking advice one how long these symptoms can persist without causing him harm or developing into something worse. I believe the blood is fairly minimal but there is a fair bit of mucous. What timeframe or weight circumstance would you have considered formula? Can these symptoms develop into a more major health risk if left to continue as is while trialing elimination diet? Thank you so much for sharing your and Luke’s story! I am comforted to know I am not the only mom out there grasping at straws in this! So glad that you could report a happy ending to you and your boy’s gi journey!!
I do think there are some health risks if the symptoms continue. My doctor was concerned about iron levels. I probably would have approached it differently if malabsorption was an issue for Luke. Talk with your doctor and see if he is staying on his growth curve or falling off of it. There’s also no guarantee that your little one will tolerate the formula either. It’s so complicated! I hope you find some answers and your little guy gets some relief soon!
Thank you so much for this post and the graphic pictures. I have been dealing with MSPI for the last year. It is so important for this information to be on the web because it can be a very lonely issue. It is also one that isn’t well known. I had to diagnose this myself without any help from our pediatrician. Blogs like this will help other women in the future.
I can tell you that it can be worse and it will get better. Throughout my struggle, my son dropped from the 50% to the 0.5% in weight. At 1 year old, he is gaining about 1 pound a month and has gone up to the 2%. He and I are able to eat some processed dairy (it was requested to help him gain weight).
You are not alone in this and you are an amazing woman. Keep up the good work and keep getting the knowledge out.
You are so welcome! It’s nice to hear that this post is appreciated because I was really hesitant to post it. What really prompted me to do it, though, was the lack of information I was able to find when I was searching. So I hope you are right that this will help other women looking for answers.
My sons poop looks the same thank u for ur help. I feel better.
You’re welcome!
Whoa, thanks for the warning! But I have to say, it is all very interesting!
Poor Luke 🙁
Good luck with everything. My son, who is now almost 2.5 years old, is allergic to nuts, lentils, and eggs. I think he is also sensitive to dairy. I had no idea when he was younger and was eating TONS of trail mix with peanuts while nursing. I had no idea that he was allergic at that time. We are still learning to handle the eating challenges/restrictions, and I have become a very careful label reader!
Does the no lentils also mean no green beans, black beans, etc.?
If you cut out all legumes you would cut out lentils and beans.
Poor Luke! And you as well! I hope that he gets over this hump and you can go back to what you are used to eating. Food allergies can be challenging — I have found it better to focus on what I **can** have and not what I **can’t**. Praying for you and him! I hope things settle down!
I’ve been working on that, too, Jane! One thing that I’ve really come to appreciate is that I’m learning to not rely on certain food crutches in my cooking, like cheese. Making a dish taste good is so much easier with cheese. I really have to concentrate on the flavors of my food and I think it’s making me a better cook.
Oh goodness, Maryea. What a journey you and Luke have been on- I don’t know what I would do if I were in your shoes. I love how much you have advocated for your little angel and kept with it for his benefit; that is true love at its finest! ….Those are super mucus-y diapers; I couldn’t believe it when I saw it. Wow, that is definitely not the way it is supposed to be.
I admire that you’ve kept with it to help your little one. YOU’RE A CHAMP!! 🙂
You are my breastfeeding hero 🙂 I can’t imagine how difficult it’s been. You are amazing! Poor little Luke, I bet he really wants solid foods but maybe he’ll have to wait a little longer until his digestive tract is ready.
Oh, Maryea, I feel for you! This sounds (and looks) like an exact replica of Drew’s situation! I cut out all nuts and wheat at 4 months, and Drew was like a new baby. Sleeping, eating and diapers weren’t green and gaggy.
We just had an allergy retest 5 years later, and the nut side of his poor back blew up like a balloon.
I was so scared to have Jordan go through the same thing, that I quit nursing her at 5 weeks. She turned out just fine on more formula, and go figure, with not an allergy in sight…
Sometimes I sneak nuts at school because I miss them so much…and I’d do anything for a big old PBand J sandwich!! haha!
Oh Maryea – I’m so sorry that you and Luke have to go through this. You have been so strong and persevered when many would have not. Breastfeeding is best and I’m all for it (thankfully mine were easy like Meghan), but I do think you have to do what’s right for the whole family and if stopping short of your original goal adds more calm and freedom to your home, then you can’t feel bad about it.
I wish I lived closer so I could do something to help – like bring you some apples, which seem to be the only thing you can eat. 🙂
ps – this is the first post I’ve ever read with dirty diaper pictures. Made me so glad to be out of the diaper phase.
Haha! I really contemplated if I should or should not post the pictures. In the end, I think they can help a lot of women, so I’m glad I did. Hopefully I didn’t scare off too many readers! 🙂
Definitely helped me! My daughters look exactly like this. I thought it was dairy, but after thinking it through more, I’m convinced it’s nuts/peanuts. Eliminating now and hoping to see no more slime poops! About how long did it take for the nuts to clear your system?
From what the doctor told me, nuts take about a week. Good luck!
Yes! Thank you for posting the pictures, minus the blood, it is exactly the same. I cut dairy around 2 weeks and was good for a while and now is worse. So I am strictly vegan for now until we figure out what it is. Thank you for your blog and yes for the beautiful pictures 🙂
Poor little guy. I’m not going to lie, why I saw the warning, I had to leave and come back until AFTER I finished my breakfast. I’m glad I did. 🙂 It’s interesting how many foods effect his system. I wonder if he’ll grow out of these things or if he’ll have these allergies his entire life.
I’m so glad I didn’t ruin your breakfast! 🙂
Hi My name is Loredana ,
I saw youR blog abut Luke and his allergies and I have a 3 months And a half baby boy that has the same thing . I ll go through the story fast so you can get the picture and then ask you the question .
When he was only three weeks all of a sudden an extreme eczema came on his face and around his neck , we went to te dr and he did not mention anything about the dairy specifically but as to keep a diary and check and guided us to a skin dr . My LO was prescribed cortisone cream , fenistil ( antihistamine and anti allergic drops ) and a bioderma soap to bath him with .
The eczema went away and he remained just with A wheezing sound every now and then , after a while he stools started to be green more often and at one point he would start to vomit ( which he doesn’t do ) and having blood in his stools like Luke s .
The other dr concluded that I have to keep off the dairy . Well I tarted to stay off the dairy and he improved his stool became yellow and seedy . Towards the end of three months he started to have loose stools and very tiny particles in it like tiny sand but very few ones not a lot let’s say 3 or four you could spot in the stool and very tiny . Then two weeks ago the blood came back and the mucus , terrible terrible stomach ache and gas and he was startin to sleep four hours and then wake up now he wakes up every two hours :((( .
He doesn’t cry now just when he what’s to be down for his nap or sleep or his is hungry .
He was born 3,570 kg and at 13 weeks he was 5, 700 kg ( three months and one week ) the dr said he maintains on the same line in the graphic and he is average and progresses . And that it is okay for an exclusive breastfed baby .
I’m 11 days clear of fish and eggs , citrus , soy strawberries , grapes .
And 8 days clear from WHEAT.
After all these days last night I saw again mucus and a bit of bright red blood in his diaper .:(
I eat rice, chicken , Potatos , chicken soup ( boil the chicken without skin and put carrots very little onion green peppers zucchini and potato ) . I eat apple Compot with a by of sugar and cinnamon and pears, grilled beef .
Sunday I ll go see my dr again , I’m sure she ll tell me it’s my choice to go for formula or breastfed.
I don’t know what to do …. My questions are :
1. It can be still the egg or the fish or the wheat in my body or his abd make him blood after 11 days and 8 days of fastin those aliments ???
2. You think he can be allergic to chicken ???
3. When it’s safe to add first eggs and WAITE 4 -5 days and then add fish and WAITE 4-5 days and then bread to see his reactions ??? 11 days off egg and fish cleared them out of our
System ?!
4. Will I hurt his gut and digestive system Doig this trial and error ? Will he be able to eat solids after that ?
5 . What shall I chose breast or formula ?!
My dr said that we can not run a blood allergy test now because he is exclusively breast feed it won’t show his immunoglobulins but mine .
Hi, I just wanted to say that my older son had FPIES to rice (FPIES is the same as MSPI except the name doesn’t specify a certain food like milk or soy, it means food protein induced enterocolitis syndrome). Rice and oats are two of the most common triggers. We never figured it out until we started him on solids and he had the full-on FPIES reaction (projectile vomiting every 5 mins for 8 hours, lethargic etc). The solid? Rice cereal. At first I assumed it was a stomach flu but when we tried the rice cereal again 2 weeks later, whamo. Same thing. (He’d been fine on bananas in between). So, it may be worth cutting out rice and oats? Just a thought! You can google FPIES for other common triggers if those don’t work. Good luck! It’s hard but it gets much easier. My son is only 2 now and can already eat rice and oats without any problems. 🙂
Wow! Thanks for sharing your story. I didn’t realize rice and oats could cause such a severe reaction. We didn’t do rice cereal as a first food (actually we never did rice cereal) so I really can’t say if Luke’s reaction would have been the same. He’s 2 now as well and doesn’t really like rice so he’s hardly had more than a bite or 2.
Oh, I should add he’s been eating oats with no problem for a long time.
Hello my baby girl is almost 4 months and she started having this problem also she is only breastfed. Like around 3 months I started seeing these brownish strings they look kind of like the brown strings that the banana has. I took her to the doc cuz she had 2 specks of blood but doesn’t get them anymore they said she was maybe allergic to milk so they were going to test her poop and that I couldn’t eat no dairy for a week. A week later I went to see her results but everything was normal she had no infection or salmonella but she still had those brown strings. So now they told me to stay 2 weeks with no dairy foods but she did get 1 diaper with the brown stuff n then it stopped but yesterday I forgot about the no dairy and ate pizza and today she pooped but everything was normal but now I found her pop a little greenish with a greenish string just like in your baby’s poo but I just don’t get I’ve been eating all dairy before and she didn’t have it and now all of a sudden she does. Doctor told me if she’s the same there going to do an ultrasound or check her inside because she seems fine she’s not fussy and her tummy feels normal. Also I’m worried that they might say I can’t breastfeed no more because of this
If I were in your situation, I would just keep up the elimination diet and continue breastfeeding.Good luck!
Maryea,
Me and my baby boy have been dealing with this since he was only 3 weeks old! I was breastfeeding exclusively until that point. Due to moving across States for my husbands job, I had to start bottle feeding in the car for our 12 hour drive! I am positive it is what caused the allergy. He was too young, and so I have guilt now seeing how it has affected him. He started out with a rash that was on his cheeks and then spread to his arms. At first I thought it was just baby acne or a reaction to my detergent. After it began spreading I knew something else was going on. I took him to the pediatrician and she diagnosed him with MSPI! I couldn’t believe that there was such a thing that babies could get… I mean the only thing infants eat is milk. So just like you I cut milk out of my diet, but ate some cheese and other diary products. My doctor told me to eliminate diary completely and soy. So I went to the store to see what my new diet would consist of. That first grocery store trip was eye opening. Diary and soy were in almost EVERYTHING!!! Again, I was baffled… I started eating cuscus, and black beans, with gluten free bread and veggies with all different meats. He still wasn’t cleared up and it was a month after we started no diary. So I looked online to see what else could be causing his discomfort. As you know the most common are Wheat, diary, soy. The list kept going further fish, nuts, beef, shellfish, oats, chocolate, coffee. I started to cut everything listed. That did the trick! Nothing is harder to do when you already need to eat more calories worth of food. Somehow, I am doing it too. He is only 2 mo. now but some days I go out to eat and forget to ask what is in things, and just try to pump it out. It’s challenging. I wanted to quit breastfeeding this week, but he keeps me going. I never would have imagined after 9 mo. of not eating feta or sushi I would be actually waiting 18mo. or longer possibly. I am thankful I am not alone in this! I hope you keep sharing, because there are so many of us out there.
Thanks
Krista,
I know how challenging it is. Hang in there! ~Maryea
Hi!
Thank you so much for sharing! I feel so alone in this journey and it’s nice to know I’m not.
Mine LO was diagnosed with MSPI at 3 weeks due to blood in her stool. She is my first so I’m learning what is normal baby behavior and what is not due to her intolerances.
It will be 2 weeks tomorrow since I cut dairy/soy/eggs almost a week for wheat. How long does it take for wheat?
I also started to cut nuts and fish. She’s still having the occasional dot of blood but poops are green now and then and mucousy. I’m guessing it’s going to take a month to see a real difference. I just want to see a difference now but I’m sure everyone feels that way. Did you cut beef and coffee?
Thank you!
Kori
It takes 2-4 weeks for wheat. The waiting is the hardest part! I didn’t cut out beef or coffee. I didn’t eat a ton of beef, but sometimes at a restaurant steak was the only thing on the menu I could get!
Hello,
My baby girl is currently 6 weeks and struggling with green poops, rash on bottom and extreme discomfort. I have cut out dairy, soy, gluten, eggs, peanuts, citrus fruits, and certain veggies. I saw your post stating you cut out nuts except coconut, did you see this effect your son at all? i’m wondering if I should stop drinking coconut milk. At this point i’ll do anything to help my little one feel better!
My son’s stools were mostly clear while I had coconut in my diet. He seemed to tolerate it okay. Every baby is different, though! Did you cut out treenuts? I couldn’t have any tree nuts.
hi. how did they diagnose your son with MPSI?
What are the symptoms.
My 2 month old baby has mucous all the time and sometimes has small specks of blood. Dr says its normal? he has explosive poops after or during his feed. I thought by his age it should slow down.i am so worried but doctors arent. There is so much mucous.
The main symptoms were the mucous in the stools as well as blood and explosive poops. There was also reflux/spit up that could have been related. I don’t think mucous or blood in stools are ever normal. I would get a second opinion!
Hi Rose, just wanted to pop in and say blood in stools in NEVER normal! My baby also has MSPI so dairy, soy, and now eggs free and finally no more blood. He sees six different doctors and all said blood is never normal. I hope your babe is better now!
Hello!
My baby boy Easton is currently going through the exact same thing! He is about to be 2 months old & this has just started around 3 weeks ago. I wasn’t sure what was causing all the congestion and the mucus and blood in his stool until I came across your post. I’m going to try to cut out dairy and soy first to see what happens. The only problem is I’m not to sure as to what I can eat. If you could just give me some ideas of different meals to help with my transition to this new diet.
Thanks!!
Julianne
Hi Julianne! Here’s a post that shows what I ate in a day when I was breastfeeding Luke: https://happyhealthymama.com/what-this-breastfeeding-mama-eats-in-a-day.html Also, if you go to my recipe page, you will find a lot of dairy and soy free recipes!