7 Month Old with Severe Diarrhea

Well J., from my own experience it can last to 7 days, the important thing is to keep him hydrated with fluids. Do not feed him so much, no milk, and preferably starchy foods, rice and potatoes and carrots are starchy. Also, a mashed raw apple is so good for them. Do not give any juice that is not home made because they have lots of sugar and the diarrhea gets worse...and patience and love...good luck.

Hi. As far as the diarrhea goes, sounds like your pediatrician thought it was viral. This means you dont need any antibiotics, but he is sick. Biggest thing to do is to keep up with his fluid losses. ie give him lots of pedilyte, like it sounds like you are doing. These infections unfortunately have to run their course and giving medications like imodium or other anti-diarrheals are not a good idea as they WILL stop the diarrhea (clog him up), but it will cause the bug to take longer to "get out" of his system ... so, bear with it, and keep up with his fluids. If he looks dehydrated (not urinating as much, poor skin tugor, dry mouth and nose) and you cant give him enough fluids be sure to go back to see your doc as he might need fluids by IV. Hopefully it will run a similar course as it did in you and your husband as far as how long. Esp if more than a week definitely go back to see his peditrician again. Hope this helps.

This has happened to my baby (now 15 mos old) on a couple of occasions. We were told (and did) exactly what you are doing -- actually, he had diarrhea and vomiting. I think it was the vomiting that was of most concern. We gave him only small amounts of pedialyte for a certain amount of time. Then very slowly introduced small amounts of formula (breastmilk) back to see how he did with it. It lasted about a day. He never got dehydrated.

But yours just has the diarrhea it sounds, then it's not as much of an issue, though I'm betting his tummy is hurting too. I would just continue to offer pedialyte and maybe some bland food (at this age though all they eat is rice cereal). So, you could offer some rice cereal at dinner. Then just offer the pedialyte and normal formula.

I was told that it would take a lot of vomiting and diarrhea to dehydrate a baby. But you are also right that you need to keep giving him stuff to drink! If he keeps having wet diapers, then he isn't dehydrated.

And my 15 mos old baby is a POOP machine. Let me just tell you that YESTERDAY he pooped 7 times - BIG time each time. He's on an antibiotic and must be irritated by it. Anyway, that's just to tell you that sometimes they just poop A LOT in one day!

If your baby is acting okay & not sluggish, having wet diapers, and you can get him to drink pedialyte and his normal formula for meals, then it sounds like you're doing all you can do and I would not think he would get dehydrated. If this continues at this pace, I'd just call your doc back and say, look, he's pooped 15 times today and I just wanted to make sure I'm doing all I can.

I know it can make you nervous. I think that just like us, just keep offering something to drink and remember they are small, so any fluid intake is good.

Good Luck!
My 10 month old had as well and last about 10-12 days with a fever of 102.9 but there is nothing that they can give babies for diarreah, he lost his appetite and lost 2 1/2 pounds. Coming out everytime I turned around all over to his back and he got a rash on his back and legs from the diarreah. It got all over his pack and play, exersaucer.

Bananas, Applesauce and Carrots only to eat.
Danactive and pedialite to drink in between.

Make sure you let the doctor know that he has had that many bowel movements. How is the baby doing now?

Do not hesitate to take him to another doctor or the hospital if you feel you need to do so.

Let me know how the baby is doing.

E.

Hi J. -

You poor thing! I know what you're going through. It's scary and exhausting! Here is a link to Dr. Sear's advice on Diarrhea. http://www.askdrsears.com/html/8/T081500.asp

I found this advice very straightforward and comforting - whenever my son would have bouts of it, I always referred back to this advice to help me "organize" the illness and take care of him. I sure hope it helps.

Good luck - S.

Been there done that! Keep the fluids going and you might ask your doctor if you can give him a very very small dose of kaopectate very small

it will probably last about 2 days and be sure to get zinc cream for the bottom he will need it or you will have a whole other problem

Hope this helps

Oh I'm so sorry your little one is not feeling well.
About 4 months ago my DS had something similar, it was horrible. He was also vomiting.

Our pedi suggested we give him Culturelle. Found it at Walgreens, over the counter stuff. It's similar to yogurt but stronger. It helps the intestines get back to normal. I put half a capsule in his bottles or oatmeal. The virus did have to run its course but I believe the Culturelle helped. You could also check your local health foods store like Sprouts.

Good luck!

Have you given your baby anything like Tylenol or Motrin? Also, I haven't had great success with pedialyte (he didn't like the taste) sometimes I would just put water or diluted juice in a bottle for my son when he was sick. When they have diarrhea they get dehydrated so quickly because they are so little. Depending on how long the baby has been sick, I would get a second opinion if you think that the doctor wasn't thorough. The 24 hour places aren't perfect, but they are much more quick to respond to urgent care situations. Please let me know if this helps or if you need additional information. I really feel for you. I hope that your child gets well very soon.

Hi J.,

I haven't passed a stomach bug to my daughter, but I've sure received lots from her. :) The key is to keep your baby hydrated, and wait it out. If your child is immediately losing everything you're putting in, then try smaller quantities, more frequently. I know I was frustrated when the nurse said to just keep after it, but it eventually runs its course, and as long as you can keep fluids going in, even if only a teaspoon at a time [sometimes less], you'll get through it. If your baby is still producing wet diapers, you're on the right track - that shows that s/he is hydrating.

NOW, and this is IMPORTANT, if s/he becomes lethargic, limp, or has a low-grade fever that won't break, or a high-spiking fever, call the doctor's office and/or get to the emergency room ASAP. Babies can be sort of run-down, but if s/he's largely non-responsive and just like a doll baby, seek help. And to be honest, just call and tell your child's doctor's office the symptoms, anyway. They've heard it a million times, and they know how scared parents get with these things. They'll assure you of what to do, and let you know the signs for when you need to do more.

Good luck! I know how awful tummy bugs can be, but I have to say, my daughter always snapped back pretty quickly, and then I was the one feeling like I'd been hit by a Mack truck!

J.

I was worried once when my baby went through severe diarrhea for days. I called the nurse and she suggested giving him baby yogurt that contained active cultures -- like acidofilus, which is normal bacteria that live in our intestines (flora). Our intestinal flora helps regulate our digestion and stool patterns. Yeast also lives in our intestines. The yeast and the bacterial flora are constantly competing for space, and generally they keep each other in check. Sometimes, however, our bacterial flora can get depleted, such as when taking antibiotics. This allows the yeast to overgrow, which can then lead to a variety of problems. Taking acidophilus replenishes our bacterial flora and reduces overgrowth of yeast.

I'd recommend trying YoBaby organic baby yogurt usually found in the yogurt section or the refrigerated organic foods section of your grocery store. This yogurt contains 6 live active cultures including (L. acidophilus, Bifidus, L. casei and L. reuteri.) Other major yogurt brands have only four or fewer live active cultures. These cultures, known as probiotics, are beneficial bacteria that naturally inhabit the digestive tract.

Studies have shown that these cultures benefit health in a variety of ways:
enhance digestion
improve nutrient absorption
boost the immune system
inhibit the growth and activity of disease-producing organisms.

Anyway, It worked for my son!!! I noticed a difference after giving him the baby yogurt almost immediately after it was digested. His next diaper was less runny. Now, whenever anyone in the family has a stomach bug we attack it with yogurt that contains active cultures. Usually helps almost 100% of the time. Good luck!

Also, if the diaper rash gets out of hand, the nurse also recommended liberally applying Aquaphor healing ointment on top of rash site and then putting the diaper rash cream on top of that. That really helped, too! Aquaphor is found in the baby aisle with the other rash creams or with the hand lotions.
-A. :-)

You are doing the right thing by giving peidalyte. Babies can dehydrate very quickly. Watch your child closely, his mouth should be moist, and he should still make tears when he cries. (Ideally you would count the number of wet diapers too- but this is difficult knowing what's wet with diarhea. If he stops making tears or his mouth starts to look dry, you will need to take him back to the doctor. Otherwise, just offer fluids as often as possible. Stay away from fruit juice as this can make matters worse. Good luck. I hope you all feel better soon!

My daughter (14 months) is just getting over the stomach flu. She gave it to me now :( The first 24 hours are the worst. Keep him hydrated by giving him pedialyte every 1/2 hour to an hour (at least 2 oz is fine) Once the vomiting and diarrhea stop, you can start him on the BRAT diet if he is already eating solids at his age. Bananas, Rice Cereal, Applesauce, and Toast. Introduce slowly and keep an eye on his bowel movements. From what I was told it takes 7 to 10 days for the virus to leave your system but he may start feeling better by the 3rd day. Just don't introduce to much food or anything heavy too soon because he may start vomiting again.
Hope that helps! I guess we all got this nasty virus.

Hi J.
My 11 month old has had this twice already- it is called rota vitus. There isn't any medicine they can take - it has to pass on its own. Keep doing the pedialyte as much as possible. If he won't take it, you can give him it by a syringe (shoot it in his mouth). Don't give a whole bunch at once - that is hard on the stomach. Just like an ounce every 10 minutes. Watch for severe dehydration - the skin will look bad and he will be really lethargic. If this happens, take him to the er. That is what your doc will tell you to do because he will need an IV. But this is the most severe situation. As long as you can keep him hydrated that is most important.
Hope this helps. You are more than welcome to email any other questions to me!

J.,

I am so sorry you have to see your baby going through this. It is a virus called Rota virus and my son had it as well when he was about 5 months old. It was bad and I got it too. I know it will sound painful to you but I would suggest you not to give him any breastmilk or formula right now because that makes it even worse and he could get dhydrated very easily. That is what happened to my son and he had to be hospitalized for 3 days. It was awful. And also try to give him the tasteless pedialite.

It will be over soon, hang in there!
Hope it helpes!
Bibi

Hi - I just went through this with my ten month old and my 2 1/2 yr old. I lasted for several days with my little one and a week with my older child. My doc said keep giving the Pedialyte and watch for signs of dehydration. Call the doc immediately if you suspect that your baby is dehydrated. Otherwise, they told us to wait it out till it passes. Good luck.

Hi there! We went through this about a month ago with our 6 month old. He had Rotavirus....yuck! Severe diarrhea for 9 days. Of course there are no meds for to treat the virus, it just had to run its course. He did not like the pedialyte at all so I ended up buying the unflavored and would make his formula using that. At least he would drink that.

Hope this helps,

J.,
I have been there. My son was 7 mos old and had multiple dirty diapers during the day. It got so bad that he had a perpetual diaper rash. The pediatrician finally recommended that I give him a pill that facilitates good bacteria growth in his tummy. The same bacteria is also found in yogurt so if he can eat yogurt that should help too. I bought the pills at Walgreens (over the counter) -- sorry don't remember the name. They are a bit expensive. I think it was around $17. I took apart the capsule and there is powder inside and I just poured it in his milk bottle. He was better within a day! You can ask the pharmacist at Walgreens and I am sure they can help.

Along with pedilalit , make sure u also give him a 1:2 prportion of salt and sugar water so that he doent get dehydrated..and if things don;t satrt lookin ok in 24 hrs more..u shud go to u doc..my son had it when he was 18 mths and I had to run to emergency...they wud give him phenargen thru anus.

all the best

Along with the pedialyte you need to start him on the "BRAT" diet. Shame on your pediatrician for not telling you about it! Always remember they only give you educated guesses by the information you give them. Someone else is at home raising their children, :o)!

B...Bananas
R...Rice cereal (plain)
A...Applesauce
T...Toast (dry)

This will keep some nuitrition in his diet and should begin to tighten his bowels after the virus is out of his system. There's also a formula with diarrhea nutrients and thickening in it, if you look at the grocery store. I can't think of which one it is now.

Good luck and God Bless.

Hi J.,

When my son was sick, my doctor recommended using Isomil DF Soy Formula for Diarrhea. His cold was never that bad so I did not have to use it. I hope that your son gets better very soon.

M.

I have a six year old daughter and we went through this many times. The doctor says that it will pass, but make sure you give them nothing with red dye in it. Look at everything you are giving him. For some reason the dye makes it worse. Haley's always went away in about a day and a half. Wish you the best.