blood in newborn stool possible causes?

[nycmom18]

Hi mamas,

My 2 week old started two days ago having bloody stools.  Some just 1 or 2 strings of blood other times it seems as though the stool is stained blood colored like it would be if a wet diaper were beet colored.  His wet diapers are fine though.  Im going to give a sample of stool to a lab, but in the meantime, im just trying to figure it out myself so he can feel better.  He started a diaper rash about a week ago, and at the same time became very fussy after eating or having a bowel movement.  

I dont eat dairy, and since the blood started, two days ago, have eliminated wheat and eggs. Could it also be a healthy fiber rich diet thats hurting him?  Hes had 6 bloody stools in 2 days and has approximately a bowel movement after every feeding, 8-12 in a day.  

I know it can be normal, but i dont like him in pain, nor the high amount of bloody stools.

Does anyone have any experience with this?  Any suggestions that could help us?  Im just really concerned....

[Mosaic]

I doubt it's fiber... is there soy in your diet?

[jgallagher66]

For us it was dairy that caused this. Many babies that are intolerant of milk protein are also intolerant of soy. It's harder to cut out the soy because it's in more food but once you get used to it it' s not so bad. The less processed food you eat the easier it is of course. Make sure you read labels very carefully and look for all of the hidden forms of dairy like whey and casein. Same goes for soy if you decide to eliminate that.

Two days isn't enough time to tell if it's eggs or wheat. You may want to try an elimination diet like Martha Sears' diet. It helps you to eliminate all offenders and then methodically add things back in so you can figure out what is causing the problem.

A healthy high fiber diet for you is unlikely to cause problems for your baby. There is some allergen like milk protein that may be the culprit but not fiber. Good luck.

[nycmom18]

thanks for the replies, i actually dont consume dairy or soy or processed foods.  could it be almonds?  because i do eat almond butter and almond milk regularly.  

[nycmom18]

im going to start the martha sears elimination diet as soon as i can get enough of the foods and see how that goes.  

in your experiences, when the stools had blood in them, was it every bowel movement or random?  because when it started 3 days ago it was just 2 bm and today it was basically every bowel movement.  just curious.

[jgallagher66]

We had a similar experience. It got to be every time and it got worse until the offending food was completely removed from his system

[nycmom18]

thats positive to hear.  the blood is always bright red, so im really wondering if its an anal fissure, however, i cant seem to see anything on his bottom... does anyone know how stool blood tests are able to determine where the blood is coming from?  

[nycmom18]

update:  my midwives found a anal fissure, im so happy!  they also showed me how to relax it for him to help heal the fissure.  thanks again for all the replies:)

[jgallagher66]

I don't know anything about anal fissure but I'm glad that it's good news. Enjoy your little one.