Linda's baby with green stools reminded me that I wanted to update you on
my baby with same from last week.

I convinced the mom that, contrary to Ped's assertion, baby boy's frequent
heavily wet diapers (plus several "wall washers" a day) plus 4-5 large
stools a day did, in fact, mean that he was getting enough milk.  Mom
decided that the apple juice was the current problem. She had been totally
off dairy since early on, as she had had a severe dairy allergy as an
infant. The green stools stopped with the elimination of the apple juice.

Baby was still fussy in the evening for a couple of hours, but was
comforted by suckling.  She sometimes fell asleep with baby in bed, even
though Ped warned her that that was very dangerous.

She decided against the electronic scale since from about midnight to the
next evening baby was smiley, alert, and content. They went in for a
check-up with Ped last Thursday and, I must say, I was nervous.  All seemed
well to me, but....

Baby had gained 19 ounces in 2 weeks, after regaining his birthweight
within the first week! Baby is 1 month old now, and mom seems to be on her
way to self confidence.

Whew!! This work is hard!
-----------------------------
Linda, I would suggest a *total* elimination of dairy.  People say, "I just
had a little parmesan cheese on my salad." And, if she will keep a food
diary, you may help her find other things that she might eliminate. Look at
the usual foods that cause reaction as well as anything that she is
eating/drinking to excess.  With the chaos of the postnatal period and a
fussy baby, many mothers don't make a conscious decision about their diet.
They just grab the same things every day and eat/drink them to excess.

Is she using any soy in her diet?  Since the baby had soy formula early on,
he could be reacting to any soy in her diet.  Be sure to caution her
against going to soy as a substitute for dairy until baby's GI tract
settles and she can do a test with soy.

What about the ferrous sulfate in her prenatal vitamins?  I have more and
more babies who are bothered by that, as well as Nurta Sweet( aspertame).

Over supply certainly looks like a possibility, and often accompanies food
sensitivities because baby suckles for comfort from the GI pain, and builds
up the milk supply. So, along with what you are already doing with supply,
I would suggest the above considerations in mom's intake.

Good luck to you.  Be encouraged by my story and little E., who got it
together and helped his mother to believe in herself.

Patricia Gima, IBCLC
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA


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