I talked to the mom with the baby who was diagnosed as lactose intolerant
this noontime.  She has cut out all dairy as well as anything else she
could possibly think of that might be causing the baby's distress.

In a nutshell (I talked to her for 2 hours), here's what's up:

Baby is full term, healthy female, vaginal birth. Nursed wonderfully
immediately after birth.  Stools loose and mustardy in color following last
of meconium. Nursed every 1 1/2 to 2 hrs during day; every 3-5 hrs. at
night.  Close-knit, child-oriented, Christian family; mom wears baby in a
sling during day but baby is in crib at night. No problems with milk
supply. Mom extremely educated about bf and diet.  At 5 1/2 wks, stools
suddenly (in mom's words) "forest green" but still loose. Baby cries all
night x7 days; "bearing down" and straining, grunting when trying to have a
bowel movement. (I listened to the baby do this and it really sounds as
though the baby is in acute distress).  Stools are still loose; rectal exam
by dr. shows no sphincter problem.  At one point stomach was bloated.

No fever or vomiting; weight gain slowed from 5 1/2 oz in one week to 1 oz
in 1 week.  No blood in stool; stool sample was taken, no bacteria present.
 Had been taking 250mg calcium 3x daily plus prenatal vits (which included
additional 250 mg calcium) 1x daily; calcium on advice of chiropractor for
chronic back problems which require periodic adjustment.

Mom is drinking rice milk now. She is also on Nor Qd bcp. She does not
smoke or drink. Oldest child also had dairy sensitivity and still (at 2
yrs) cannot tolerate it well.

Dairy has been stopped for 6 days, so I think very soon she ought to see
some improvement. My only other thought is: is there such a thing as
hypercalcemia? I've heard of hypocalcemia, but I know the symptoms of
neither.

Sorry this is so long, but my heart has just gone out to this mother and I
want to help. I appreciate any info I can get.

TIA

Nancy Kramer
LLL CBPC