Mucus Poop Wont Go Away!

[ChelseaTCT]

Hi everyone, I could really use some advice!!! My son has had horrible mucus poops for the last two months. He is 3.5 months now. I have been off Milk, Soy, beef and pork for close to 2 months. I have been off wheat and eggs for about 1.5 weeks. I am jut cutting out nuts and citrus now. I hardly eat corn or potatoes. We had one normal poop day a few days after I cut out wheat and eggs but poops are now mucusy again. I am keeping a food journal and trying to find patterns. I'm getting so frustrated!! Nothing seems to be working! I also thought it could be a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance so I've been block feeding but didn't notice a difference with that either. The thing is it's not bothering him at all. He's very happy, NEVER spits up, and is growing great (born 8.14 is now about 16.5). Pediatric GI was awful! I have an appointment with a new one but can't get in until Sept. Pediatrician isn't very helpful either. Can mucus poops ever be "normal"? Could is be a sign of something more severe no one is picking up on? I should also mention that there are the occasional VERY small specks of blood and most of his stool samples produce microscopic traces of blood. Any advice would be great!! I am looking for another dr in the meantime but not having much luck...

Thank you!!

[heidirk]

cut out corn and potatos fully. Then go back and examine your food for traces of whey protein, modified food starch, and other fillers.

what are you eating?

[ChelseaTCT]

Will try cutting out potatoes and corn fully. There is NO way there are any traces of dairy, soy, etc... I eat NOTHING prepared. Not even condiments. Chicken, Fish (mostly Salmon, once or twice a week), Rice, Veggies, Fruit, Oatmeal, Seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, flax, hemp), beans. Nothing canned frozen, boxed, etc... I occasionally drink plain tea or decaf coffee, but almost entirely water. Use only Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Limit garlic and onion to very small quantities. Do use lots of fresh and dried herbs. Pure maple syrup and vanilla extract sometimes. Raw turbano sugar. Do take calcium citrate with Vit. D. Cut out multi for the last few weeks since I was afraid there could be something in that. I may be forgetting something but like I said I don't eat anything prepared, frozen, etc.. No eating out at all or food prepared by other people. Oh, I do occasionally eat Shrimp or Scallops. Maybe once every two weeks? I think thats pretty much everything... Like I said I am just cutting out nuts and citrus now...

[jeliphish]

If he's happy otherwise, why cut out food? Mucus poop could be a sign of an intolerance but there's some suggestion that cutting out the intolerance will actually turn the intolerance worse...snd more exposure to the foods will help the intolerance. IMO and if it was me, I wouldn't cut out unless my LO was exhibiting signs of allergys and was unhappy....crying, spitting up that caused discomfort, etc.

[jeliphish]

DD1 had the same kind of stools and it was from dairy. I cut it out and she also had limited amounts when she was a younger toddler. Now though, we have started pushing more dairy since she didn't test "allergic" to it and the intolerance is gone.

[ChelseaTCT]

Originally Posted by jeliphish

If he's happy otherwise, why cut out food? Mucus poop could be a sign of an intolerance but there's some suggestion that cutting out the intolerance will actually turn the intolerance worse...snd more exposure to the foods will help the intolerance. IMO and if it was me, I wouldn't cut out unless my LO was exhibiting signs of allergys and was unhappy....crying, spitting up that caused discomfort, etc.

This is something I am wondering!! I was concerned that the mucus poops could cause long term damage? I haven't found any information as to whether or not it may cause problems... The doctor hasn't given me a clear answer either... Just that we need to figure out whats causing it...

I also questioned whether or not completely eliminating a bothersome food could cause more sensitivity... The doctor thinks I'm out of my mind but I know anything I have problems with that I completely eliminate only leaves me even more sensitive to it...

I'm getting tons of pressure from everyone around me to switch him to the Elecare hypoallergenic infant formula. Which I do NOT want to do... I'm just starting to question myself from the pressure! I firmly believe breast is best but I'm just afraid I could be damaging his stomach...

[ChelseaTCT]

I should also maybe mention that he drools like crazy. I've heard this can contribute to mucus poops too but I'm not sure how much. Although im sure it wouldn't explain the occasional small blood specks..

[earthmama4]

I noticed you are eating oatmeal. Is it gluten free? If your baby is intolerant to gluten which is very common, that could be the source. I just read a book about healing the four A's (allergies, asthma, ADD, and autism) and he says that it takes 3 weeks for dairy to get out of the system and 3 months for gluten. So if you have only been off wheat for a week and a half, you'd still have lots of gluten still processing out. I'd give that some more time.

I personally don't think mucus is normal. Its a sign of irritation to a mucus membrane, the gut. Things that look like snot should not be coming out of our baby's bums. I do think that while you TAKE OUT irritating foods you do need to concentrate also on ADDING IN nourishing whole nutrient dense foods. Many intolerances have their root in nutritional deficiencies. My baby really started turning a corner when started focusing on nutrition as well as elimination.

The formula you mentioned was something we considered as well, but it wasn't worth the risk to us. There is no guarantee a baby will tolerate hypoallergenic formula and by the time you know, you may have lost your supply and then you have a failure to thrive baby on your hands. Plus it is very expensive and it tastes awful according to our doctor. I just figured it was worth the time and expense to make my breastmilk hypoallergenic!

[KweenKrunch]

How was the birth? Hospital, home, UC? Abx? Drugs?

A lot of times birth trauma manifests itself as digestive issues.

Have you considered oversupply?

Also, if you may need to go on the TRPS diet (turkey, rice, pears, squash.) All these things can be prepared however you wish, as long as you don't add any seasonings, sauces or oils. Usually 3-5 weeks on the diet resolves issues and you can slowly add less-allergenic items back in.

[heidirk]

I hesitate to even add this, but my babies have been sensitive to turkey at that age. I mean, if I ate it, they got horrendous painful up-all-night gas.

[ChelseaTCT]

First off I wanted to thank everyone for all of the advice. I can't even begin to tell you how much time I have spent agonizing over what the right thing to do is (as I'm sure many of you mamas have also done). It doesn't help that I still haven't found a doctor I trust. Hopefully I'll click with one soon! Advice in this area seems to vary greatly!

I have decided to start the total elimination diet tomorrow (turkey, rice, squash, pears, calcium supplement). Hopefully this will help! I have an appointment with a new pediatric GI doctor on Sept. 10th. I made the appointment a month ago and that was the soonest they could squeeze me in!

He was a home birth, no antibiotics or drugs. Long labor and four hours of pushing! My midwife did recommend chiropractic care but I haven't looked into it yet. Insurance doesn't cover it and we are on a VERY tight budget. May end up looking into it if were still having problems after TED for a few weeks.

So if turkey is a problem what do you recommend? I know the Dr. Sears website recommends lamb too but that is one of the few foods I just can't force myself to eat... The taste makes me sick!! Not crazy about squash either but I think I can force myself to choke that down lol.

I'm just so confused by his symptoms! He's such a happy boy thats gaining weight so wonderfully! He NEVER spits up at all! Has anyone else experienced this? I would think he would have other problems besides mucus poops! I can't help but feel that I'm missing something...

Hopefully this is coherent! I'm finally getting a few minutes of alone time to respond but can hardly stay awake lol.

Thanks again to all of you for your helpful advice. Keep it coming!! I would love to hear about all of your experiences. I feel so alone- everyone I have talked to with similar situations had many more symptoms and all cleared up by removing milk and soy proteins. So frustrating that it hasn't worked for us!

[whirlingmama]

Me too

My almost 3 month old boy has the exact same issues. Around one month of age he started having very phelgmy poopies. We did have some issues with too much foremilk and not enough hindmilk and I corrected that (no more frothy green poopies) and I eliminated milk (no more blood in the poopies) but there is still the phelgm. Once I eliminated the milk and started block feeding he started gaining weight again. Other than that he too has been happy and giggly and making eye contact. I know the phelgm means something is going on in his digestive tract. As of today I am going to eliminate wheat/gluten. I did notice that he does better when I eat turkey and rice so I am going to try that. If you find out what is wrong I'd love to know because I am at my wits end. The pediatrician did a culture of his poopies and they came back normal too. She said maybe he just has phelgmy poopies - but I don't accept that. He also started drooling like crazy at one month of age when the phelgmy poopies started. But since saliva is part of the digestion system I don't think the answer is as simple as his drool is causing the phelgmy poopies but instead that the two are linked to something else. I just don't know what to do to make it better and I don't want to do formula because if it is a digestive issue than breastmilk simply is best.

[snowmom5]

I just posted a question about protein sources and then I saw your post. I have nothing to add, obviously, since I have my own questions and you already know so much more; I just wanted to pat you on the back for eliminating all those things. This is going to drive me crazy. Oatmeal was what I was planning to have for breakfast... whatever do you eat??

My dd has been having mucus and blood in stool since she was a few weeks old. The ped did say I didn't have to eliminate anything as long as she's happy and gaining weight. She's gaining weight fine, but unfortunately now she's not so happy - screaming after eating a small amount, refusing to eat - so now I need to eliminate things from my diet (we're trying zantac too at the same time, in case the screaming is reflux, though it's probably discomfort from her sensitive tummy). This is harder than I thought it would be. Good for you for doing all you've done. I agree that the mucus is not normal!

[mbbinsc]

You may want to check out the Allergy section of this board in Health and Healing. They have been a great resource for me in dealing with my food allergic DD.

[ChelseaTCT]

Just wanted to add a follow up for the last couple of posters to read on how things are going for us. We are still having issues but are much happier here is what went/is going on.

I found two great new doctors that I have a lot of trust in. Thats not easy for me. I question anything and everything but I have a lot of confidence in our current doctors (regular pedi and pediatric GI). They both advised me to relax and stop going crazy with the elimination diets. I am still off all dairy, beef, soy, and pork. Even in very small amount these four things cause several days of screaming and an increase in blood in his poops. I have discovered eggs and corn create problems if eaten straight but I can get away with some such as corn syrup/baked goods/etc... I know a lot of info out there says to cut out all possible allergens. I STRONGLY disagree with this. There is plenty of newer research that suggests this may not be such a good idea. But what I'm going off of is personal experience. I realize this is a very controversial statement and I'm not advising anyone to do this but I believe it 100%. Yes, we do still have mucus poops with blood specks sometimes but I'm not worried about it anymore. He's growing great, hes happy and the doctors have assured me that he will be just fine.

DS also had silent reflux which he had been on Zantac for. It didn't do very much. I wanted to avoid Prevacid since it can have more side effects but finally switched and the reflux is completely gone. I only wish I had given in and done it sooner. He will stay on this till hes about 8.5 months and then we will try taking him off and seeing if hes ok without it at that point.

We also started some food. He's getting rice cereal in his bottles (we do half nursing half expressed breast milk). This also helped the reflux. I was advised to start sooner but was dead against any food- again I probably should have since it helped so much....

At our last appointment the GI doc told me to start taking the digestive enzyme protease with every meal. This is supposed to help him digest things that I've eaten that may be problems. We just started so I can't tell you how its going but will post a follow up in a week or two.

Feel free to ask anymore questions or PM me. I'm sure every case is different but this is what is currently working really well for us. I was a complete basket case and in tears all the time because I didn't know what was wrong and our previous doctors were horrible. Thank god I finally feel like things are ok- even though were still dealing with mucus poops I'm confident he will grow out of it and be fine! Good luck to everyone else in this frustrating situation!

[ourdayourjourney]

a friend's baby had Colitis. Her story sounds similar to your story.

[heidirk]

The enzymes shpould really help.

I didn't think of it before, but Papaya contains papain a natural enyme which helps break down protein. You might try an emzyme supplement that contains a few different ones, since there are as many different enzymes as there are different protiens.

also working fermented or cultured foods into your diet would help.