Blood in Diaper for 2Mths Now

Did that Dr. rule out everything else that could be wrong. How does he know this is happening because of what you are eating? It could be something that is a birth defect in his colon/intestines or even right in his anus. Who knows, but, something has to be looked at besides what you are eating. Like Ladybug said, get him to Children's Hosp. to be seen. Now.

I would get a 2nd opinion, but do not feel badly if you have to switch to formula. The formulas they have today are just as good for babies as breast milk and formula babies are just as healthy. All that stuff about more ear infections and getting sick easier is just plain not true. It may have been true back when they used karo syrup and powdered milk to supplement, but not now with the new formulas they have.

Get yourself to a pediatric GI specialist and do not try formula until then. Even specialized formulas like alimentum are MORE LIKELY to either make no difference or even worsen the condition.
To be very honest with you, it sounds like your pediatrician doesn't know what he's doing and simply fishing in murky waters. You son needs a complete diagnostic work up by a specialist. Blood samples, stool samples, diagnostic imaging of his GI tract, maybe a colonoscopy (and yes, they can be done on infants).
It does not seem that there has been an effort to make sure that this indeed is a dietary thing, it may be something pathological that needs to be taken care of. Even newborns can have polyps, ulcers and a host of other causes for intestinal bleeding. Another possible thing to look into is blood/clotting disorders which make him more susceptible for loosing larger amounts of blood.
GET A SECOND OPINION!

Please get a second opinion and please, please, please do not switch to formula. Breastmilk is not only food, it is *medicine* it has antibodies, antibacterial properties, ant-fungal properties. It is incredible the number of things that are beneficial about breastmilk. Formula is made from either cow's milk or soy and both of those are very common allergens for babies. If your son's problem is indeed caused by food allergies (and I'm not convinced of that) formula will not help!

Tell your doctor you want to be refered to a pediatric GI doctor immediately. 2 months is rediculous for this to go on.

Don't wait!

Lots of things in life are hard, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't do them. It's a very short time in your life to follow an elimination diet and it's for a very good cause. I have a feeling if you stop breast-feeding and switch to formula that the issue could get worse..

Formula causes the digestive system to slow down and the stools to become hard. If your baby has intestinal damage the formula could seriously cause lifelong issues. Not to mention the lifelong guilt that you'll feel for not trying your hardest. I read the threads from formula feeders every day and most of them are guilty!

You can do it! Good luck.

If you really want to continue to nurse him then you really, really have to be strict about the elimination diet. That is the only way you will know if it works and is the solution to your problem. If you can't do that then you need to switch to formula. I really hate to say that because I am very pro-breastfeeding but if it's going to cause harm to a little one then a significant change has to be made. You need to decide today if you are going to make the commitment to stick strictly to the elimination diet and see if that helps and continue breastfeeding or go the formula route. It's unfair to your son to do it any other way.

Has he been seen by a pediatric hematologist? That is blood doctor. I would request to see a hematologist along with seeing a pediatric allergist.

IMO, if you are unable to commit to dietary changes in order to find out what is wrong with your son, you need to quit breastfeeding and start him on formula. He is losing blood! How terrible for him if all that needs to change is his diet. I am also with the consensus to get a 2nd opinion. Although, I assert that 5 opinions won't matter if you are not going to follow the advice that is given.

I have an incredibly hard time believing that a chemical made in a lab (formula) could possibly be better for your son than breastmilk. If your baby is losing so much blood that he's looking at a transfusion, there is probably something more seriously wrong than food allergies. I ditto what a couple of other moms have said: get him to a children's hospital quickly, or at least get a second opinion from another pedi.

Okay....don't take this wrong, but your baby is bleeding out his hiney.
You tried the elimination diet for one day and couldn't do it. They weren't asking you to starve yourself.
That said, you DO need a second opinion because regardless of what you do or do not eat, you baby is having blood in his diaper.
Is he constipated and straining to the point it makes his tushy bleed or is it an intestinal thing?
I personally wouldn't mess around with waiting to see if it was something I was eating. I mean, if that's the case, put your baby on formula and see if it clears up. I'm pro breast feeding, but your baby having blood in his stool to the point he may need a transfusion?....and you're tired of the diet?.....
Give him some formula. If it clears up, you know it helped, but in the meantime, get him to another doctor. Right away. This sounds serious.

I am going to be brief and to the point. Think went you have something in front of you that is not on the diet that your baby's doctor wants you to avoid, "this could be hurting my baby," and I am sure that you will easily avoid that food. Just as you would not put him in a scalding bath, you would not endanger him by eating food that is dangerous to him.

I was on a rice only diet for 6 weeks so I know how hard it is to eat only rice. Try brown rice, it is much more tasty and easier to eat for a week or two. And try rice milk--it is very delicious. Always provide snacks for yourself when preparing for guests or going somewhere. I have learned to do that because of my own allergies. I never cheat because I get terribly sick, sick, sick, and even sicker.

Remember baby first--mother second.

Get your baby to the nearest children's hospital.
Do NOT wait.
Just go.
LBC

I agree, you need a second opinion and you NEED to stick to the elimination diet. I am sure it is difficult, but this is putting your baby's health at risk because you don't want to stick to it. If you really can't, then switch to formula. I believe in breastfeeding when it is best for baby, which is almost always, but in your case it may not be, and continuing to harm him for the sake of breastfeeding is not right. I think he needs to see a specialist immediately and let them make recommendations on diet and formula and make sure nothing else is going on. Bleeding out to the point of needing a transfusion is a really big deal. Go see a specialist and get him some help.

Yikes! At the point my newborn might get a blood transfusion, that's when I would completely stop doing whatever I had been doing and switch to a method that absolutely ensured only certain ingredients were introduced to him. I wouldn't mess around with a 2-month old and my doctor's advice.

If it were me, and I was questioning the doctor or my gut said second opinion, I would get one.

I hope your baby feels better soon,
M.

I am confused by the people telling you that under no circumstances should you give up breastfeeding! I agree 100% that breastfeeding is best but you are unwilling to cut out foods that are making your child bleed out so in your case I would have to say that breastmilk is not best. Formula is made from cow's milk or soy it is not a chemical made up in a lab it is a food. It is definitely inferior to breast milk for most babies but since you would rather eat what you please than do the diet that could save your baby from a transfusion in your case breast is not best, as clearly it is nearly killing your baby. If your child is bleeding enough to make it necessry to have a blood transfusion then the matter is quite serious. Get a second opinion but in the meantime try formula.

I would get a second opinion and an xray of his abdomen. He needs to be throughly examined to ensure his intestines remain healthy.

You should switch to formula as breast milk could be the cause of the bleeding. You should continue to pump your breast milk and freeze it.

If the bleeding subsides on the formula you should continue the formula for several weeks and then slowly reintroduce the breast milk back in his diet. If the symptoms do not recur you can switch back to breast milk.

Please consider a pediatric internal medicine doc. Please continue breastfeeding until there is compelling evidence not to do so. Baby receives so many good things from it and is more likely to have an allergic reaction to formula.

For your consideration, rather than having your doctor who has been "treating" him, you might wish to find your own pediatric internal medicine doc, so that you can avoid the "good OK boy, watch each others back" mentality and get someone focused primarily on your babies health.

Please keep us updated.

Best of luck,
T. Nelson

definately second opinion if not a third too.

Switch to formual to see if that helps and get a second opinion! You have cheated on the diet and are tired of it and need to do what is right for your son and do anything possible to make him better! Whats stopping you from doing what is right for your son? Your desire to breast feed? What if thats what is hurting him? Just try the formula immediatly and call the pedi and get a referal to see whoever you need to find out what is wrong! One of my friends son is allergic to breast milk, milk based and soy. He had to be put on alimentum! Do not wait another minute and do whatever to make your son feel better! A blood transfussion? Come on thats to long, formula should have been introduced a long time ago and so should a referal bc obviously your pedi is clueless and needs a wake up call!

Put the kid on formula and eat something before you starve to death..that's what I would do. I realize you want to nurse..but how much more can you cut out without ending up hurting your own health? A multivitamin won't help you if your body starts burning fat stores to help you produce and to keep you on your feet. Do what's best for both and the least stressful. You can bond just as well with a bottle..just ask his dad..I'm sure he knows all about that. If formula is something that will work than why not go for it? Give it a try..you can pump to keep some supply up and to give him if things improve..its freezable and good for two to three months in the freezer.

Get a second opinion from a pediatric specialist immediately! And I would try formula immediately too. Your son is BLEEDING intestinally! That overrides and far outweighs your desire to breastfeed or anything else, especially if you haven't completely followed the dietary restrictions for the tests needed. Personally, I would have him at the hospital or call his doctor tomorrow and tell them something had to be done RIGHT NOW. This is going on too long.

i would ask them to do a stool culture on your son ASAP. They take the stool and see if any bacterias , fungus , or yeast etc.. is growing in there. I picked up an infection when I had my son. If you have any history they may want to check you also maybe the baby picked up something in the delivery, did you pass any stool in the delivery? That is very common and the doc usually whipes it up after you have pushed. you can check your records or call your OB and ask them to check. You will have answers.
If it is somethign they use antibiotics with your son make sure you get plenty of probiotics for babies/children. Kids on lots of antibiotics whip out the intestinal flora or good bacteria in the GI tract then the kids do not absorp food correctly and they do not gain weight. make sure he has enough good bacteria in there. Good Luck.
My daughter was allerlgic to milk and we did only rice milk. good luck.

If your insurance will cover a naturopath, go. Either that or a specialist for baby GI tract. It is time to go a step further and figure out what is wrong.

My son was started on a probiotic at 2 weeks per his Naturpath. I finger fed him Bifidus, a good probiotic for little systems. His reflux improved tremendously within a few days. He had less gas and spitting up, too.

I can't believe a formula would be good if you are trying to eliminate dairy and soy. But, you definitely need to read labels. Even bread has lactose. It is hard at first, but you will get used to it.

Stay strong for the little man.
D.

I had the same issue when my daughter was born. In our case, it ended up being the dairy (casein protein). However, it didn't clear up in the 3 -4 week time period, so I then also had to eliminate soy. I don't know how "good" you are being, but cutting out dairy means cutting out the protein called casein and you have to read ALL ingredient labels. It is do-able. You can even eat Duncan Heins brownies. There are Soy Delicious ice cream sandwiches that are to die for. If you have to end up eliminating soy, you also have to read ALL labels because soy lecithin seems to be in everything. You can do it.... I did.

It sounds like you can't stay away from food and I've been there and I know how hard it is. You also sound like you are really stressed out, so why don't you give up and put him on formula. The special formulas are quite expensive but may be you can afford it? The brest is the best, but in your situation, it might be best for your son if you are more happy and relaxed. Good luck!

It sounds like you have a choice between switching to formula and truly doing the elimination diet. Which do you want more? I have many friends who've done elimination diets for a month or so and then they were able to figure out what the problem food was and avoid it.

I only know of one mom who was on mung beans and rice for months. It was hard for her, but it was easier than seeing blood in her sons diaper all the time.

You said it yourself, it's hard to stop eating some things. Those things might be hurting him, so why not switch to formula? If it's better for him, that's what you should do. Good luck...