Blood in baby's stool

[@llli*ck]

Hi,
Thanks a lot for sharing your experience.
- How long did it take for your supply to get regulated after you started 4 hour block feeding ?
- And then once your supply was regulated, how long before the blood and green poop disappeared?

I have a similar story where we saw a strand of blood (red, not brownish) in my 6 week old's stool. I have been off dairy for 4 week now and if anything the frequency of seeing blood in his stool has increased over last 4 weeks. I do go thru cycles of oversupply, optimal supply and undersupply. I still have to find a mechanism for the supply to be optimal always. I have noticed the stool color changing from green to yellow when oversupply stops, however I still keep seeing strands of blood even in yellow poop. What was your experience? How long before the blood disappeared?
Any suggestions you would have from your experience for me would be great.
(Baby is EBF)
Thanks a lot!

[@llli*mommal]

Hi,
Thanks a lot for sharing your experience.
- How long did it take for your supply to get regulated after you started 4 hour block feeding ?
- And then once your supply was regulated, how long before the blood and green poop disappeared?

I have a similar story where we saw a strand of blood (red, not brownish) in my 6 week old's stool. I have been off dairy for 4 week now and if anything the frequency of seeing blood in his stool has increased over last 4 weeks. I do go thru cycles of oversupply, optimal supply and undersupply. I still have to find a mechanism for the supply to be optimal always. I have noticed the stool color changing from green to yellow when oversupply stops, however I still keep seeing strands of blood even in yellow poop. What was your experience? How long before the blood disappeared?
Any suggestions you would have from your experience for me would be great.
(Baby is EBF)
Thanks a lot!

Hey mama, welcome to the forum!

This is kind of an old thread, so you might not get the answers you're looking for. I suggest posting a new thread- I think your questions will get more attention that way.

My experience with bloody poop was that it was intermittently present from about 3 weeks until around 6 months. I never was entirely sure what the cause was- it might have been my daughter's egg allergy, it could have been dairy, or it could have been a lingering effect of the extreme oversupply I had in the early weeks/months. Regardless of what caused it, the bloody poop never impacted her health in any way.

This is the best link I have on bloody poop: http://www.bfmed.org/Media/Files/Pro...d%20Infant.pdf

[@llli*lllmeg]

Hi I agree with mommal it is usually best to start your own thread, and you are very welcome to do so!

But I just wanted to reply about block nursing because there is a great deal of misunderstanding about it, when it is appropriate, and what it does.

Block nursing does NOT "regulate" milk production. It REDUCES milk production. So it should probably only be considered when mom has consistent (and serious problem causing) OVERPRODUCTION, AND baby is gaining at an unusually fast rate. And even then, how long a mom should nurse on each side for block feeding to work is entirely individual.

In the normal course of breastfeeding, if baby is nursed when baby wishes rather than scheduled, and baby nurses with normal frequency (10-15 times a day, typically) and normal effectiveness (latch is comfortable for mom and baby is gaining as much as baby should,) milk production 'regulates' on its own to be enough but not more than enough for baby by about 6-12 weeks.

I do go thru cycles of oversupply, optimal supply and undersupply. I still have to find a mechanism for the supply to be optimal always.

Can you please explain what the indicators of such cycles are? how long they are, etc? When you think you have undersupply, does baby get a supplement?

Cycling from under to overproduction and back is very, very unusual. Are you on some medication that might cause this? Aside from the dairy any unusual diet changes? Have you seen or is there any way you can see an IBCLC for a one on one consult?

[@llli*ck]

Hi,
I will share some more details to the best I remember . My baby is 2 and a half months old. And has been gaining normal weight (approximately 4 pounds over his birth weight in little over 2 months) The first month or rather month and a half I thought I was overproducing somewhat ( Breasts were rock solid in the mornings and sometimes even later in the day. Atleast in few feedings a day, there would be a fountain coming out from nipple during feeding on which the baby may gag, He would rarely completely empty a breast in single feeding, tho may come close at times, etc..).

Around when he was month and a half, what I call oversupply seemed to decrease. Breasts were not rock hard, or painful. Since then in last month, twice I have had 2 spells of oversupply lasting 4, 5 days.. I try sort of block feeding and it decreases, i.e. breasts are not rock hard, or painful. Baby finishes a breast and may at times feed a bit on the second one too in a feeding.
Once in a while I have undersupply ( maybe 4, 5 days in entire period) and by that I mean that the last feed of the day is perhaps not enough for him. He keeps sucking. But since he has had some (just not ideal amount) he falls asleep. Also it could be that I am not as short as I think because I am used to not empty breasts, I think I may be short when they get really really empty at the end of the day.
I did not give any supplement and usually in a day or two this situation resolved (maybe because I let him suck as much as he wanted)

I am on no medication now (except first 3 weeks of painkillers etc as I had a c section). Except well mothers milk tea

ANyways, I hope I made myself clear. I am a first time mom and sometimes struggle with the definitions of oversupply etc. Hope you understand.

Anyways the issue is that we saw blood (small strand) around when he was 6 weeks. I have been off dairy since (1 month now), but the appearance of blood has become more regular lately. Dr. thinks I should continue to be off dairy which I am fine, but I am not seeing improvement and hence I hit this email thread and am wondering if baby is facing lactose overload.

Baby is somewhat gassy and takes a long times to burp and may have many burps in a single feeding at times. But in general he is a happy baby. I have to admit there are bad days here and there tho.
Thanks a lot. I will consider meeting an IBCLC.

Hi I agree with mommal it is usually best to start your own thread, and you are very welcome to do so!

But I just wanted to reply about block nursing because there is a great deal of misunderstanding about it, when it is appropriate, and what it does.



Block nursing does NOT "regulate" milk production. It REDUCES milk production. So it should probably only be considered when mom has consistent (and serious problem causing) OVERPRODUCTION, AND baby is gaining at an unusually fast rate. And even then, how long a mom should nurse on each side for block feeding to work is entirely individual.

In the normal course of breastfeeding, if baby is nursed when baby wishes rather than scheduled, and baby nurses with normal frequency (10-15 times a day, typically) and normal effectiveness (latch is comfortable for mom and baby is gaining as much as baby should,) milk production 'regulates' on its own to be enough but not more than enough for baby by about 6-12 weeks.



Can you please explain what the indicators of such cycles are? how long they are, etc? When you think you have undersupply, does baby get a supplement?

Cycling from under to overproduction and back is very, very unusual. Are you on some medication that might cause this? Aside from the dairy any unusual diet changes? Have you seen or is there any way you can see an IBCLC for a one on one consult?

[@llli*lllmeg]

ANyways, I hope I made myself clear. I am a first time mom and sometimes struggle with the definitions of oversupply etc. Hope you understand.

I think I understand. From what you describe, your have a baby who has been gaining normally while exclusively breastfed. This suggests you have normla milk production, neither too much or too little.

What you describe of feeling engorged, spraying, baby having difficulty handling the flow etc. are considered signs of overproduction. But they also are entirely normal esp. in the early weeks, and even later, in particular if baby has slept a little longer or you got busy or for whatever reason it has been a little longer since the last feeding.

Once in a while I have undersupply ( maybe 4, 5 days in entire period) and by that I mean that the last feed of the day is perhaps not enough for him. He keeps sucking. But since he has had some (just not ideal amount) he falls asleep. Also it could be that I am not as short as I think because I am used to not empty breasts, I think I may be short when they get really really empty at the end of the day.

This is a common concern but I very much doubt you are coming up "short" at the end of the day. Breasts typically feel softer and baby typically nurses lots toward the end of the 'day' (the exact times will vary.) How long or short a normally gaining baby sleeps at night has nothing to do with there not being enough milk or not having gotten an 'ideal amount" at one particular nursing session. You do not have low milk production, so an ideal amount for your baby is what baby takes from the breasts at a session, and if baby wants more, baby nurses again. It is normal for babies to wake and nurse frequently, sometimes very frequently, day and night, for the first several months.

did not give any supplement and usually in a day or two this situation resolved (maybe because I let him suck as much as he wanted)

Great! yes letting baby nurse as much as baby wishes is the best thing you can do for your milk production.

Also you do not need to worry about baby "emptying" your breasts. Your body is always making milk so this is impossible. Yes, breasts may feel softer after a feeding and really soft and even 'empty' if baby has been nursing a ton. All normal. Your breasts will also soften generally and stop feeling full or as full as baby gets older, for most moms this happens sometime around 3 months. Also normal. Babies typically staty slowing in gain rate around the same time, also normal.

I don’t know what to say about the blood. That is scary but as mommal says, it may not be a serious issue. It sounds like you had some overproduction before but not now, at least, not very severe. So I would not suggest block nursing. If the dairy elimination has not helped, indeed, if things are worse, I do not know that you should keep eliminating dairy. Perhaps there is another allergen that causes this issue, and you can talk to your doctor about bringing dairy back into your diet while eliminating that other allergen?

Here is some good info on how to handle suspected food allergies in the breastfed baby, written by and for doctors. http://www.bfmed.org/Media/Files/Pro...ish_120211.pdf

[@llli*lllmeg]

btw nursing frequently is also the best way to prevent lactose overload if that is in any way part of the problem. Also does baby normally nurse one side at a time?

[@llli*ck]

Also does baby normally nurse one side at a time?

Yes, he normally nurses on one side only. Is that an issue?

[@llli*lllmeg]

Yes, he normally nurses on one side only. Is that an issue?

No that is fine. I asked this because it might have been an issue if you were actively encouraging baby to nurse both side at a time and/or timing feeds (limiting time at one breast or both) so baby would take both at a session—those things done when mom has normal or high milk production lead to OP and lactose overload. What baby is doing-nursing one side at a time, is typically helpful if the issue is OP or forceful letdown (the things that may cause lactose overload.)

BTW lactose overload is not a medical concern. Even if it is the cause of blood in the stool. All breastmilk is good for baby. However, OP and forceful letdown can cause nursing related issues for mom or baby and sometimes, intestinal discomfort for baby, so that is why it is best to minimize the effects.