Hi, Jeanette.
       If my memory of biology classes from oh-so-long-ago serves correctly,
"leukocytes" is just the scientific name for "white blood cells".  If that's
right, please read the rest of this note.  If I've remembered incorrectly, then
the rest of this note is useless, so skip it!
       I had a situation come up a couple years ago where some testing was
done (don't remember why) on a baby's stool, and mom was told the stool
contained white blood cells.  Drs. of course advised her to wean. Sigh.  Breastmilk
contains lots of white blood cells, which provide some of the immunities (they
gobble up germs--Jeanette, I know you know that as an RN, but thought I'd add
that for the non-RN members).  Sometimes those white blood cells pass through
the baby's digestive tract unchanged.  White blood cells in the baby's stool
are nothing to worry about.  I saw that in print, too, but unfortunately don't
remember where.  *Red* blood cells in the stool are a totally different matter.
 Red blood cells don't belong in the stool.  If they are there, the reason
needs to be discovered and dealt with.
       Actually, you might need to explore a little more with the mom the
definition of "diarrhea" that's being used.  We know that a stool every 4-7 days
is not all that uncommon, and we generally don't get upset as long as the
stool is still easy to pass; the right color, consistency and smell; and there is
4-7 days worth of stool there when baby finally does let loose.  However,
there are some HCPs that feel that this is still a marker for something not
working as it should in the body, even in babies.  In adults, holding toxins in the
body for long periods of time like that can increase the risk of colon cancer.
  And our environment being what it is, mother's milk does contain toxins.
If this baby's stool is not at all seedy, is mucous-y, or smells bad, then we
might really be dealing with diarrhea.  But if the color, consistency and smell
are appropriate for an exclusively breastfed baby, perhaps something wasn't
right with the baby when it was stooling only once every 4-7 days, and now the
"problem" has abated, and baby is actually better.
       Dee

Dee Kassing, BS, MLS, IBCLC
Collinsville, Illinois, in central USA

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