Baby with Belly Issues

I don't know that this is tied to immunizations. It really sounds like a GI (stomach/intestine) issue that may need a specialist or second opinion.

Some nursing friends of mine in other areas of the country have swapped some info with me and here is a link and info on a new diet that some doctors are recommending for issues like this and some info from postings in other parts of the country on mamasource. You may find it helpful.

I am also including some links for other possible causes for the extended episodes of diarrhea.

http://drhull.com/EncyMaster/M/milk_intolerance.html

http://drhull.com/EncyMaster/T/teething.html

http://drhull.com/EncyMaster/S/salmonella.html

I hope your baby does better soon.

Here is a website and article that explains the causes of constipation/diarrhea in small children.

It's really one of the best articles on the subject that I have found, and one that explains things in the most thorough manner.

www.drhull.com/EncyMaster/C/constipation_infant.html

For Diarrhea:

Plenty of fluids and the B.R.A.T diet to manage diarrhea. B.R.A.T. is an acronym, which stands for:

Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, and Toast

These foods work well for controlling diarrhea because they are low in fiber and digestive residue.

Some doctors now recommend the C.R.A.M. diet (cereal, rice, milk) because the milk provides fat and protein (lacking in the B.R.A.T. diet) and the C.R.A.M. foods ease the diarrhea faster.

For Constipation:

any juice or baby food that starts with P.--- Prunes, pears, peach, etc. and apricot juice or fruit will cause a bowel movement quickly. Gerber has stage one prunes, you could mix them into cereal or use the juice form. And any form of pear (juice or fruit) can give results quickly.

3 moms found this helpful

I would try a pediatric gastroenterologist (if I spelled it right). My newborn had reflux so bad and my pediatrician acted like his projectile vomiting was no big deal. The specialist put him on medication to prevent his esophagus from burning. So my point is you may want to try a specialist on your own. Good Luck.

I'm not sure what type of doctor you took your infant to, but you should consider a pediatric gastrointerologist. You should be able to get a good referral from Childrens Hospital or Scottish Rite. I had a similar experience, but not to that degree, my daughter (when a newborn) would go through 15 to 20 diapers a day, she would have a bm from laughing, coughing, crying, anything. I had to take her several times to the doctor who didn't help, so I took her to a children ER and they sent me to a ped. gastro who discovered her problem i a timely manner so she wouldn't continue to suffer. It sounds like a problem for a specialist not a general peds dr.

Hi C.,
I'm sorry to hear of your frutration. I've never had a simular problem. I've heard of daycare babies having such problems. Surly your peditritian can do stool cultures to help pin point the problem. Hope you find a solution very soon. Sorry I couldn't be of help, except to pray for a solution today.
L.

Have you gone to a GI doctor? My biggest concern would be
dehydration. Make sure he is getting enough fluids since he is losing so much. I am a nurse hope this helps.

I just looked it up in my American Academy of Pediatrics - Birth to Age 5 book and it sounds like you need to make sure Jacob is not becoming dehydrated. It also mentioned that this is not unusual but IF diarrhea lasts longer than 2 weeks it may signify a more serious type of intestinal problem - doctor should do test to make sure Jacob is not becoming malnourished. But I'm sure your doc looked into this. It just suggests limiting sugar intake.
From my experience with our 2 yr old - to prevent dehydration the nurse suggested half water and half gatorade. She said it was just as good as pedialite. Just make sure that he is taking in more fluids than he is letting out. Hope this helps. Good luck!

Hey, I have a 8 month old who had the colic and I called Dr. Champion (Wild Oats told me about him). He told me about some medicine that I could buy at Walgreens that really worked. It worked better than anything I had heard off. He is a renown herbalist. You might want to give him a call. He is in the yellow pages under "herbs." (The bad thing he is not in the best part of town; on Elvis Presley Blvd in Memphis.) Good luck.

Is he teething? Has he lost weight? If so, then I may try another Doctor just to be on the safe side. I wish I had better answers for you. Being a Mom is a tought job!

R.

Have you had him tested for giardia? My twins had it at 20 months and had the same symptoms you describe. Medication was prescribed that cleared it up.

To learn more about giardia do a google search.

Hope this helps!

CCDHC - located At Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.
Dr. Larry Saripkin! TOP Dr. in GI problems. Excellent group.
Look up www.ccdhc.org.

E. - Ped. RN

My husband is a GI physician and I will tell you this is a very common problem. I would recommend keeping a food log and feeding him simple foods ( low is grease and sugar) so you can see if he has a food allergy. Some kids can have a hypersensitivity to wheat products or milk too...Keeping a log is probably a good way to go and then I would consult a ped GI physician to get their advice based on your logged info. Good luck.

I have a 13 month old little Boy and he just got over that problem. It lasted about a month with us too. I was sure to give him potatoes, bananas, baby rice cereal. I tried giving him things that would stop him up. After it was all over I felt one of his molars, and two about to come in. Doctors swear that they don't get diarrhea when they teethe but I definately think it had to do with the molers. Who knows I'm just glad it's over. Keep doing what you're doing- no dairy, or fruits. It won't be long he'll be over it. My son was so often with his diapers that it began to give him a BAD rash that would bleed when I wiped him. The Doctor gave me a solution for that too and it healed right up.

My son has a similair problem with loose stools in the morning the doctor suggested me giving him yogurt everyday within a couple of days his stool was back to normal. Hope this helps.

Have you tried taking him to a pediatric allergist? We did this with my son at around 15 months & they found that he had a severe peanut allergy. The skin prick test is not very pleasant, but it is worth it.

My 2 year old is doing the same thing..I took him to the dr about 3 weeks ago and he gave me this bacteria stuff(kinda like what's in yogurt) to sprinkle over his food..It never failed what ever I put it on he wouldn't eat it but I did notice he has several teeth coming in...The dr told me as long as he didn't start having more than what he was having it would just have to run it's course..My best friend's son is 2 and he just went through the same thing...Apparently, it's common..

I am not sure what could be the problem but sort of sounds like it could be a food allergy. Did they test him for celiac disease or see if he has a gluten intolerence?? I know one of my girl friends had similar problems and it ended up her baby had lots of food allergies so she had to change his diet and it helped but i believe he was also having some eczema as a result of the allergies. the BRAT diet won't help if he has gluten intolerence. hope that helps a little.

Did he recently have any health issues? When my daughter was about a year and a half she had a bout of RSV which was treated with Augmentin. Afterwards she had diarhea which of course led to diaper rash. I too made numerous calls to the nurses and was told the BRAT diet as well. After a month, and not being able to take one more nasty diaper I finally got out of them that the Augmentin had caused the loose stool even though she had been off it for weeks. So all I can really suggest is to push your doctor harder or find a second opinion.

C.,

My 6 year old is doing the exact same thing. At first I thought it was a virus and I would let it run its course. But it has been going on for 2 weeks now. We have our 1st Dr. appt today. I have done everything you have with the BRAT diet etc. And nothing has helped. Hopefully his Dr. will help. Because my little man just isn't himself!

J.

Have you ever thought of taking him to a Chiropractor. They are doing great things with pediatrics.
There is an out patient clinic at Life University on Barclay Cir in Marietta.

Hi, I am a mom of 3 yr old twins and a peds ER Nurse. Have the doctors tested the stool? There are many cultures and other stool tests that can be performed to try to find why your child is having diarrhea. Also have you looked in to a Gastroenterologist( stomach specialist). Going to a specialist might help your peace of mind.I'm new to the area so sorry I don't know any GI specialists. Hope your child gets better soon.

C. - I've heard a lot of things can cause this. Might ask the doctor to do a stool culture. Could be too much of something or too little. How about how much fiber he might have in his diet? How much juice? I've heard the sugar in juice can be a big culprit. If he is otherwise healthy then most people say it is diet... Might just have to cut a variety of things and do process of elimination. You said you cut out juice and milk - for how long? Found two articles (see links below) you might want to read.

http://pediatrics.about.com/od/weeklyquestion/a/05_tdl_di...

http://www.todaysparent.com/toddler/askus/article.jsp?con...

Hope something here helps. If all else fails, try a second opinion with another doctor.

Glad to hear he is otherwise well. Best wishes. C.

Hi C.,
My son had the same thing at 22 months and after all the standard tests turning up nothing my pediatrician sent us to a specialist for pediatric digestive issues. It turned out that my son had ulcerative colitis and we're really lucky to have been referred to Dr. Dinesh Patel. He's fabulous - and is so great with our son. He is right across from Children's Hospital in Atlanta and the website address is http://www.ccdhc.org/ If you choose to go there, be sure to book with Dr. Patel - he is just such a good dr. You can also see his bio online as well. Hope this helps!

Good morning C.,

My name is A. and I'm a single mother of two beautiful boys ages 18 months (Marques) and 3 yo ( Montae'). My first son was diagnosised with Pyloric stenosis (at three weeks old) " a condition that affects the gastrointestinal tract during infancy, isn't normal - it can cause your baby to vomit forcefully and often and may cause other problems such as dehydration and salt and fluid imbalances"---(this is it's definition) But it was very hard for me, he would spit up so much. After every feeding he will be so content then right before it's time for his next feeding he will begin to spit up, alot. His Pediatrician told me to burp him after feeding him 2oz. to changing his formula to a lactose free formula. It had got so bad that he would spit up while he was sleeping ( this happened maybe 5 or 6 times) luckly I was awoke, it was then that I knew it was time to take it into my own hands. I took him to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (off Johnson Ferry rd, in Atlanta) and the Dr's had to drawn blood from him, which was so hard due to the fact that he was soo dehydrated and ran tests...too make a long story short their last option was to have an ultrasound done on my son, and that's when they noticed he had Pyloric stenosis. After a six hour surgery he was eating fine a little cranky but it's was well worth it. He began to gain the weight he was suppose to at his age. Although we spent two weeks in the hospital for recovery it was well worth me taking it into my own hands and taking him to the hospital.

Now although I pray that your child don't have what my child had, please don't always listen to your Pediatrician, even though they are "certified" and have a couple of extra letters behind me....lol..(smile) But always go with a mothers instinct. I would recommend that you ask for your child to be referred to a Pediatric Gastroenterologist for further testing. Its well worth it.

I hope that my advice as well as story will help you make the right decsion for your child. Good Luck!

C.,the only thing I can tell you is to be persistent in demanding answers from the doctor or get a second opinion from someone else. Some doctors refuse to see what is right in front of them. When my son was three months old he kept getting chest colds and upper respiratory infections. We kept going to the doctor every time he spiked a high fever and this went on for some time. I was told that I was being an overanxious mom and that he just had a cold. I finally ended up taking him to Childrens Hospital and demanding that they do a chest x-ray on him. He had pneumonia and would not have gotten better if the doctors had not given me a breathing machine for him with medication to take. The reason I tell you this is because I have learned to follow my instincts when I feel something is wrong. Don't let anyone tell you that you are just being overanxious or overprotective. Do what you think is right. C.

I would wonder if you have a lactose intolerant baby. I had a lot of the same problems with my child until I cut out all dairy. My doctor refused to believe that was the problem until we had a second opinion.

Have you checked into the the fact your child may have food allergies? I would ask your doctor (or maybe find another doctor) who will test for them.

My son, who is now 2, used to have problems digesting sweet potatoes. Have you recently introduced a new vegetable or meat? Also, his ped said when they have loose stools, to dilute their milk and juice by half strength. It worked for him. Of course I never gave him sweet potatoes again. Hope this helps.

What about proping his crib/bed so he is slightly elevated while sleeping....could be reflux or something?
Good luck and wish you the best!
M.

Hi C.,
If I remember correctly (you think you'll never forget all of these little things...but sometimes you do!) my son had something similar around the time his molars or inscisors came in. Just a thought! I hope he's feeling better soon!

Have you ventured into food allergies? My daughter is allergic to citrus...Her poor little tummy was tore up for weeks. It took longer for us to figure out due to us focusing on the things she was eating and not me. We didn't really think much of it since she had been eating "Big People Food" for 4 months. We finally figured out that it was my drinking orange juice and then her nursing that was doing it...she was 13 months old at that time. Hope this helps!!

I had just the oppisite problem with my little one and found out some interesting facts about babyfoods. Rice cereal is binding, the meat of the apple is binding and of coarse bananas are binding. I spent tons of time trying to find babyfood without apples in it. You might want to try feeding him any of these items, they're good for him and might just firm up his stools.

hey C. so how are things going with your son?? I was just reading your post and was worried about the little guy and wanted to check on him and you also.... D.

Hi C.,
I am responding because my daughter that is 13 months old has had stomach problems for 3 weeks now as well. There really hasn't been any vomitting only a couple spit ups but every day she has three to four diapers of very loose stool. A couple of times parts of the stool were mucous like. The doctor had me get stool samples and I'm waiting for results. My doctor is checking for parasites. Her stomach sometimes gets really bloated. I am also very frustrated that she's not getting better. I hope that everything gets resolved quickly for both of our children. Stay strong......
M.

Sometimes kids' "guts" get messed up from shots. I am assuming you just got his 12 month shots a couple of months ago. The mainstream medical field may not agree with that diagnosis (hence your doctors not suggesting it) but if you go to www.nvic.org and start your own research, you might find some interesting info. By the way, the same thing happened to my firstborn and it took months to clear up. I stopped giving him more than one shot at a time because of it. It is just a lot for them to process at once...good luck.

Hi C.. I'm a stay at home mom of a 2 year old boy.

First of all, you don't want them to pass hard stools. I'm sure you're pediatrician told you that. It sounds like he's eating good and as long as he's not eating something new that he could be allergic to or hasn't been exposed to some kind of virus, and the fact that there's no fever, I would think that he's fine. The heat during summer effects some people with a little diarrhea. As a first time mom myself, I would be somewhat concerned as well only because you really never know these days with the way a lot of children in day cares for instance seem to stay sick. Maybe you should get another opinion by visiting a different pediatrician at another location all together. Have them run whatever tests are available. Sometimes you have to be insistant and even down right a pain in their butt, stressing the need to be a little more thorough in the care they give your child.

Good luck and I hope everything works out and that your little man is healthy and happy.

My son's doctor is wonderful and she's at Sandy Springs Pediatrics. Dr. Wells-Jarrett ###-###-####.

P.

the only thing i can think it might be is he's allergic to something he's eating or might even have a little reflux problem. my son and daughter did the same thing and that's what it was with them. it might not be with yours, but i wish you the best in finding out. good luck.