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Lactation Information and Discussion

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Subject:
From:
Gary Bovey <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Lactation Information and Discussion <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Mon, 28 Aug 1995 22:45:06 +1000
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Dear Sarah Barnett and everyone,
We're not sure that anyone has responded to your question about what blood
and mucous in stools might mean. The mucous is a nonspecific symptom of
irritation to the gut lining, and the blood is usually a sign of damage to it.
In our experience the most common reasons for these symptoms are:
* a food allergan attacking the intestinal lining, causing tissue damage or
* a gastrointestinal infection and similarly causing tissue breakdown.

You have suggested that she remove cow milk products from her diet, so you
have already thought along the lines of allergy problems. We've had other
babies over the years who had protozoan infections such as giardia -
especially if they had siblings who had similar infections (not necessarily
at the same time as the baby).

Lactose intolerance (or more correctly lactase insufficiency in these cases)
arises as a secondary problem  because of the damage to the gut lining which
is only one cell thick and is responsible for making the lactase, the enzyme
that splits the chemical bond joining the two sugar units that comprise the
lactose molecule.

Hope she gets to the bottom (pun not necessarily intended!) of the problem soon.

Anne Bovey and Robyn Noble, Brisbane, Australia

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