8 Month Old - Tarry, Gummy BM???

It wouldnt hurt to consult your doctor

C.,
Why are you giving a child this age cantaloupe? I guess I've never heard of doing that with babies. You might check with your doctor as to what is appropriate food at that age. I know that ideas have changed since I had my daughter. It kind of sounds like the fruit may be cleaning out some other stuff that needed to be cleaned out!
Don't worry too much about it!

It is so scary when things change with babies.She may have gotten a hold of something you don't realize. One funny colored BM won't hurt her but if the next few are that dark you should really call her Dr.

The fact that you say it is charcoal colored would make me a little concerned. I just remember from when my son was a baby, and I was worried about really dark stools...he told me that the times I would need to be worried would be if it was black like the ink on a piece of paper, or white like the paper itself.

A black and/or tarry stool can indicate blood in the stool, but it may not be anything serious.

adam.about.com says "In children, a small amount of blood in the stool is usually not serious. The most common causes are constipation and milk allergies. But it is still worth reporting to your doctor, even if no workup is necessary." (full link: http://adam.about.com/encyclopedia/003130trt.htm)

So, I would probably call your doctor to be on the safe side. I would guess they may want to know if there are any other symptoms such as vomiting or abdominal pain (insomuch as you can tell w/ an 8-mo old) or fever..whether it's happened more than once..perhaps what she's eaten..

Hopefully it's nothing :)

My son has had some strange colored poo as well. The last nurse I talked to said that the colors that they most worry about are: black (could be blood in the feces), white, gray and red. You may want to call a nurse or doctor to talk it through with them. Good luck!

Get that girl some prunes! If you don't see an improvement in a couple of days, definitely call the doctor's office.
Deb.

Hi C.
I would call the nurse at your clinic and just ask if this is normal. They are really good at making you feel better. :)T.

First of all especialy for a frist time mom there is no such thing as a dumb question, It could be because of the cantalope. If she does not seem in distress and everything else is normal I wouldn't worry about it.:)

Oddly enough, it sounds just like what my friends experience when the do a colon cleanse (or an actual colonic). I can't really give you advice on this one, but I do know one bit of information. Melons, such as cantaloupe, should be eaten alone. That is, don't mix it with other foods. This is because (from what I've read in Food Combining Works by Lee Dubelle) melons require their own special enzymes for digestion. Mix them together and they interfere with each other. Food Combining has gotten mixed reviews, but I still think the information is very interesting and probably worth knowing. I don't know if this helps at all, but take it for whatever it's worth. :)

C.,

Call your pediatrician right away! If her bm was truly black as well as tarry that can be an indication of internal bleeding in the stomach/gi tract. However if you gave her Pepto-bismol or anything with the same ingredients that can cause black stools. I'm assuming this is not the case. Save the diaper and its contents and call your doctor right away.

I wonder if your daughter is eating a lot of cheerios, or formula with Iron? When this happened to my son, they said he was most likely getting too much iron and getting a little constipated. Try more fruits, less grains, more water and some prunes to see if that helps. I think cantaloupe should be fine if you don't see any skin irritations.

C.,

Stop the cantaloupe and see if it goes back to normal. It sounds like it softened her stools. If it doesn't get better in a couple of days, call the doctor. It could be a food allergy. Don't worry...although you probably will. We all do when our children are sick!

L. :)

Well that happened to my son when I made his cereal to thick. When I used the Rice Bananna cereal it cleared him up. Her body is probably not adjusted to that type of thickness yet. That would be my guess. Hope this is helpful.
-A.-

My middle child experienced her first bout of constipation at nine months - and it sounds like that - hers was soooo bad they did two enemas, and had to dig it out ! sounds terrible! it was! she was primarily nursed, and seemed hydrated to me - but was starting to eat 'drier' foods - and the change must have been a shock to her little body - anyway - all of my kids have had constipation issues - watch the bananas, cheeses, and even dairy as she moves into that - and like others said - keep her hydrated - lots and lots of sips of water -
T.

That sounds really strange. I know that cantaloupe really made my little guy poop. It was a good way to end constipation. The color and texture of Gabrielle's is something I might call the doctor about, just to feel better.

I think it is all ok. When the babies first eat new foods the poop goes CRAZY!!!! Just one of those unpleasantries of motherhood!
Rebecca

If it continues I would ask your doctor. Is it smellier then normal? Does she seem like she is uncomfortable? If it's dark, smellier, and she seems uncomfortable - it might be a good idea to ask your clinic nurse about it.

Probably just a little constipation. Try some cooked apricots or pears or prunes if she'll eat it. Keep her well hydradeted and a bath will help as well. Only worry if you see that for a few days. Cooking your own apricots is really easy - check out this web site...
http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/