Mucus in Infant Poo

Updated on February 03, 2012
L.O. asks from San Jose, CA
11 answers

Our daughter is almost 4-months-old. She is EBF and poops on average, every 5-days. She has seemed comfortable until about her 3-month mark, when she started to spit up more and started writhing away from my breasts and crying as if she's in pain. We suspect that she has some mild reflux, albeit a little late to start. When she has a BM, it's normally fine. However, the other day I noticed some slimy mucus (almost clear) in her stool. I've been poking around on the internet because I feel bad emailing her pediatrician yet again, like the annoying parent I am. :) Have been reading that sometimes this is a symptom of an allergy or food intolerance. Any moms have a similar experience?

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So What Happened?

Thanks all! Good reminder that I do need to advocate for my daughter and not feel bad about it. It's my job. Just emailed the doc. We have Kaiser and I mostly like it. However, sometimes I think they are coached to tell you everything is fine. My cousin's daughter has severe food allergies and her dad is a partner ER physician at Kaiser. Took months to see a specialist even though my cousin pressed and pressed and pressed to have testing done. Her husband had to pull some strings to have his daughter checked out more thoroughly. Now I'm on a tangent but honestly, if my daughter has food allergies, thinking of what I'm battling to get a correct diagnosis tires me. Thanks for the push, everybody. :)

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J.G.

answers from Minneapolis on

Yes, if I ate something that upset his stomach...dairy and onions in my case (from elimination diet)...then he would get mucus in his stool as well. There's a list online of the usual suspects for this type of thing. I think if you google "common breastfeeding allergens" or something to that effect, you can come up with it. You can also call La Leche League http://www.llli.org/ and speak to a lactation consultant who can give you good breastfeeding advice. Good luck!

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L.G.

answers from Eugene on

Yes, It could be celiac. Get her tested. Most Celiacs cannot tolerate breast milk after the age of 4 months. If you pediatrician doesn't like the e-mails get another one.

3 moms found this helpful

✿.*.

answers from Los Angeles on

My 3.5 yo daughter had mucus in her stool and it turned out to be a milk protein allergy and intolerance. The Ped GI used a swab to test her stool for blood that was not visible. Her symptoms were extended belly, lots of spitting up, gas, crying, wanted to eat constantly and reflux that we treated with liquid Tagamet. I think her case was more severe, but the mucus in her stool with her other symptoms raised a flag for me. My son also had mucus around his stools, but his was due to constipation. You can't win :) I would email away...

3 moms found this helpful

A.L.

answers from Dothan on

It's your job to call/email the Doc, it's his/her job to answer, if he/she is irritated with your calls/email then I agree with Laeh, get another Doc. You alwayz need to go with your 'gut' instinct with your child, if something doesn't feel right then question it!

Best!

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E.T.

answers from Albuquerque on

Don't feel bad emailing her pediatrician. Mucus in a baby's poop, especially if you think she also has reflux -- can be a sign of something more serious like a food allergy. Please talk to her pedi. The worst they can do is tell you that it's nothing.

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M.P.

answers from Raleigh on

I recall mucousy, green stools being the first clue that my son had allergies. And boy- the allergies he had. Multiple severe food allergies forced me to stop breastfeeding, even after a stringent elimination diet.
Take a look at your diet, and think about cutting out the high allergen foods. Milk, wheat, nuts, eggs.
Hope this helps.

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D..

answers from Charlotte on

Email the doctor. He/she needs to know about this.

I wonder if it might have something to do with what you are eating.

Dawn

1 mom found this helpful

K.M.

answers from Chicago on

Ok, also understand that THERE IS ALWAYS mucus in and around our stool it is the body's natural lubrication. My son has had "skid marks" of just mucus on his underwear before - dr advised me of this said it's perfectly natural for your body to over produce and expell in this manner. Should baby do this frequently I would then become concerned - otherwise monitor, take notes and see if you can find any patterns in YOUR diet if you are nursing still as well as formula for supplementation. Again, it could be perfectly normal and her body is just producing extra (or did) or there could be an additional issue, the only way to have evidence for this would be to track what goes into you and her as well as what comes out.

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K.L.

answers from Savannah on

It definitely could be an allergy, but when my son was that age, he would get that because he had started to teeth. He was drooling so much and would swallow more saliva than before, so mucus showed up in his diaper. Better to be safe than sorry though and talk to the doc.

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K.N.

answers from Cleveland on

Could be, the bigger thing here is that you mention reflux type issues as well. reflux is often an allergy issue. try keeping track of what you eat and any symptoms, then you have something to take to the doctor.

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A.H.

answers from San Francisco on

I'll mention this because I havent' seen this in previous posts-- I have two children, both of whom started to have trouble at the breast at 4 months. The first time my daughter was diagnosed wtih reflux and she was prescribed Zantac which did exactly nothing to stop the arching and crying at feeding time. She also had mucous in her poop on and off. It passed with time and I never figured it out.
Second child three years later and same pattern started at the same time. My pediatrician friend mentioned a website to me and said two things that made so much sense I knew she was right: I had a forceful letdown of milk and the arching and crying was a protest at being drowned in milk! As a result of a difficult feeding, babies would often only drink foremilk, which is lower in fat and higher in sugar and can cause the mucous in the stool. There's no cure for this situation, just patience and some possible modifications to breastfeeding. Knowing what the problem was helped me empathize with my baby and also gently coach them through. The problem lasted for a few months, then they grew big enough to cope with the intense letdown.

As a follow up, my daughter does have environmental allergies (dust mites, cats, dogs) but my son so far has no allergies. I think there was no relationship to the mucous in their stool and allergies. My daughter didn't show allergic symptoms until she was two.

And we also have Kaiser. The pediatrician will be more inclined to prescribe Zantac and diagnose for GERD. Try getting an appointment with a lactation consultant. Kaiser employs many of them and they're great. The pediatricians seems to have little or poor knowledge about breastfeeding.

The website is: http://kellymom.com/

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