Allergies?

[Mum2my2boys]

My DS is ~4 months old and has been increasingly fussy lately. Hes definately thriving and growing well, but is just unhappy otherwise. He has reflux, and has gotten a little better on the Zantac (hes been on it for over a month now) but the past 2 days hes had mucousy stools. My ped. suggested to stop nursing (of course) and to try him on Nutramigen. I really dont want to wean him but weve had one problem after another nursing (hes my third baby and definately the hardest so far.) The other thing she suggested was to take out all dairy fromy my diet (so to start an elimination diet) and see if he improves with that. The thing Im wondering is if it is a food allergy why did the mucous in the stools just start up all of a sudden? I would think that it would have been happening all along? And also he has a runny nose and a lot of phelm, is it possible that hes just swallowing it and its coming out in his BMs? Any help or advice is appreciated.

[Mum2my2boys]

[MyLil'Mountaineers]

I don't know what the mucusy stool is. Both of my boys had/have food allergies. They were diagnosed within months of being born (oldest was 3 months and youngest was 1 day old. He was diagnosed early because they have such extreme allergies that they knew what to look for). Their symptoms were:
extreme fussiness during and after eating
explosive diarrhea usually during feading or right after
excessive bm diapers~more than 4 a day
excessive spit up~ my oldest would spit up all of the time constantly. It will also smell horrible.

If I were you, I would try the elimination diet. If it is food allergies, he will feel and be doing a lot better within a day. If it continues, it has to be something else.

Good luck!!!

[rachaelmomma]

I agree with pp. My first son had a horrible food allergy (milk), but we didn't figure out that was what was causing his horrible symptoms for months. That is because he didn't have "classic" symptoms (i.e. blood in poo), and he didn't seem so bad all the time. Try the elimination diet for a few days, you should see results fairly quickly if that is truley an allergy.

[mom2kdmb]

I agree on the elimination diet because that's what I have to do. My dd is 17 months old and still gets food allergies so I am holding out trying anything new until she gets older.

[Mum2my2boys]

Thanks for the replies...so if I was to start with dairy, I have to cut out all milk, cheese, yogurt etc. Im just curious of where to draw the line? Like is bread made with small amounts of milk ok, or is it absolutely no dairy at all?

[dolphingirl]

To truly eliminate all dairy, you would also need to cut out any foods that have dairy derivatives, like casein, whey, any ingredient that starts with "lacto". Unfortunately, you'll be amazed to find that tons of foods have dairy in them! If you feel like that's too difficult to handle right now, you could try just eliminating the main dairy foods to see if there's a change. But if there's no change, you couldn't eliminate the possibility of a dairy intolerance all together because he may be one of those babies who's sensitive to even small amounts. So then you'd need to try eliminating the dairy ingredients too. It's up to you if you want to just bite the bullet and eliminate everything right away, then you'd know for sure.
BTW, it can take up to 2-3 weeks to get all the dairy proteins out of your body, so it's wise not to judge the results until then. Those dairy proteins stick around in your system longer than most other foods!
The mucousy stools and congestion can certainly be indicative of an allergy. Though, do you think it's possible he just has a cold too? Then the extra mucus would show up in his stool.
Kristin

[dolphingirl]

Went back and reread your post. I forgot about the reflux part---yes, babies who have a food sensitivity are often misdiagnosed with reflux, so that makes the possiblity of a food sensitivity even more likely. Does he have any signs on his skin, such as eczema or frequent diaper rash? That can be another sign.
Just wanted to mention too, that oftentimes babies have an intolerance to foods but not a true allergy. My babies have had intolerances to many foods and thankfully outgrew them in their second year! So, even if it is a food such as dairy (wheat, soy, corn are other common ones), it doesn't necessarily mean it is an allergy that will stick around, thank goodness!
Kristin

[babygirlsmom1005]

Originally Posted by Mum2my2boys Thanks for the replies...so if I was to start with dairy, I have to cut out all milk, cheese, yogurt etc. Im just curious of where to draw the line? Like is bread made with small amounts of milk ok, or is it absolutely no dairy at all?

Here is a list that my DD's nutricinst gave us (I'm just posting the dairy part of it). My DD is allergic to Dairy, Soy, Wheat/Gluten and Eggs and both her and I are free of those things. With the dairy, it can take up to 3 weeks for the dairy protien to get completly out of your system and another 2 to clear from babies system, you must give it some time to work, at least 6 weeks to see changes!!!


This is just a idea, you must read all lables to make sure there is no dairy in it!!!!

Milk/Dairy
Milk to Avoid:
Artifical Butter Flavor
Butter, Butter Fat, Butter Oil
Casein
Caseinates
Cheese Curds
Custard
Ghee
Half & Half
Lactalbumin, Lactalbumin Phosphate
Lactoferrin
Lactulose
Milk
Ice Cream
Nougat
Pudding Rennet Casein
Sour Cream, Sour Cream Solids
Whey
Yogurt

Milk may be present in:
Caramel Candies
Chocolate
Flavorings
High Protien Flour
Lactic Acid Starter Culture
Lactose
Luncheon Meat
Hot Dogs
Sausages
French Fries
Margarine
Non-Dairy Products

[rachaelmomma]

Originally Posted by dolphingirl Went back and reread your post. I forgot about the reflux part---yes, babies who have a food sensitivity are often misdiagnosed with reflux, so that makes the possiblity of a food sensitivity even more likely. Does he have any signs on his skin, such as eczema or frequent diaper rash? That can be another sign. Just wanted to mention too, that oftentimes babies have an intolerance to foods but not a true allergy. My babies have had intolerances to many foods and thankfully outgrew them in their second year! So, even if it is a food such as dairy (wheat, soy, corn are other common ones), it doesn't necessarily mean it is an allergy that will stick around, thank goodness! Kristin

That is how it was with my son. First they thought he had reflux, but he always had horrible eczema and a diaper rash. Once they did the testing, and got treatment for his allergies, all his diaper rash and most of the eczema went away!