Hi Lyla,
I have worked with a few moms that had this happening. It took much
dedication on their parts AND being very very vigilant with their diet. In
all cases, after the gut had time to heal, the blood completely stopped and
over time mom was able to introduce foods slowly back into her diet. I
would be happy to put you in touch with some of them, one of them is an
LLLLeader and has talked with quite a few other dyads experiencing this.
Another is a close friend and she did have a scope check out the colon etc,
so she might be able to offer some insight from that perspective.
BTW, I think the white potatoes would be suspect. It's from the nightshade
family and that clearly caused blood in the babies I saw. I would guess
that this mom will need to be on the strict diet for at least 2 weeks--some
see immediate improvement, some do not. If you find a doc that knows more
than some of us on Lactnet, please let us know. I would have driven the
moms myself to a knowledgeable and empathetic practitioner.
I have some ideas I really wish these moms had been willing to try. Because
while we do have some understanding of what is going on - we still really
don't know why/how this all happens AND I am not aware of anyone who has
tried.......
Testing the mothers milk to see how it compares to other breastmilk. Is
something deficient, too much of something??? Before anyone yells at me for
blaming breastmilk :-), it is one thing I wasn't able to rule out due to
lack of data. One mom I worked with was doing scheduled feedings the first
few weeks AND baby was clearly getting mostly foremilk, hardly any hindmilk.
Classic green frothy stools that started to clear as soon as nursing on
demand was introduced, but that is when the blood started. Most mothers see
the blood come about the same time--about 2 weeks from birth.
I had suggested feeding baby donor breastmilk from a mother whose family
does not have a history of allergies AND eats extremely healthy. My
thinking on this is that as much as I don't want to suggest this, these
mothers might have something going on in their milk that might be the
problem. Since I haven't been able to rule this out, it lingers in my mind.
(If it had worked it would have been much cheaper than going on neocate.)
Also I would like to see some bloodwork done and both mother and baby. I
find it funny that many of these women went to extreme measures (like the
huge diet change and undergoing medical procedures) but balked at getting
bloodwork done and other simpler tests.
One thing I had to repeat over and over to these mothers is that babies
don't die from this and while the blood is unsettling to see, in many cases
it is not enough to even cause anemia (though I have seen it happen). These
moms need lots of hand holding, it is scary and since we don't have any
clear cut answers their frustration will often come out on you--the only
sympathetic ear.
I would encourage you to take copious notes and lots of history. The one
thing I see in common is that all these women had antibiotics while pregnant
or during labor. I wonder if it is enough to mess with the babies healthy
gut flora?
Not much help, but I am with you all in spirit,
Warmly,
Nikki Simmons in Missouri
-----Original Message-----
I wrote a while back about a mom and baby with whom i am working, and i
continue to be stumped by this situation and could use some help. Brief
history:
2nd baby, 5 months old
mom has oversupply, and has taken measures to reduce
baby colicky from very beginning, gassy, unhappy.
progressively worse, developed blood in stool, allergy ring on anus,
circles around eyes, and fussier than ever
mom eliminated dairy, then wheat, soy, corn, and several other allergens -
no improvement
pediatrician recommended trial of hydrolized formula
2 week trial, baby seemed somewhat better but not entirely
went back to bottle feeding ebm to rule out oversupply / oald induced
colic, at this point mom had been dairy free for several weeks, baby got
worse almost immediately, and continued to do worse at breast (mom works
and dad bottle feeds ebm while mom is gone), including vomiting with some
blood, a few bloody stools, and very colicky
ND muscle testing indicated a cow's milk allergy but nothing else.
allergist skin test indicated no allergies!
mom started taking pancreatic enzymes, eliminated all her other
supplements, is on no medications, eliminated her pnv with iron, and went
on a complete elimination diet
2 weeks ago, limited to pears, rice, lamb, turkey and white potatoes.
no improvement.
gi doc suggested reflux, and prescribed zantac and said the blood in stool
was probably due to "allergy to mom's milk - it could be anything"
baby is now on another 2 week trial of formula (to "heal the gut") and
everyone's support for this mom's desire to bf is dropping away. She is
very committed, but feeling overwhelmed and unsupported.
What could be going on here. She knows it could possibly be the rice, or
anything else that isn't a common allergen, and is prepared to try those
next. Is there a knowledgeable specialist ANYWHERE that would be willing
to talk to her who wouldn't just prescribe formula and send her on her way?
Anyone else experience this or work with a mom experiencing this type of
allergically behaving baby who didn't respond to any of the above attempts
to decipher the allergy or treat it?
what next steps would you all suggest?
Thanks so much!
Lyla Wolfenstein, B.S., IBCLC, RLC
www.beyondbirthservices.com
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