Hi again moms! I need to give some background so bear with me...ever since my little girl started eating solid food at about 7 months old she has had the foulest diapers. They frequently smell like rotten meat(no exaggeration) and are usually very loose. She poops about 4 times a day and is always bloated after meals so much so she looks pregnant. She isn't usually fussy after eating and she DOES NOT get junk food-she ate a twinkie once and had lurid green stools the color of mountain dew for 3 days. Twice this morning she had mucous in her poop. It looked like yellow and clear snot and there was a tablespoon in each one. Naturally I have brought this up to her pediatrician and he hasn't been concerned. Well we moved and I want to tell her new doctor(once we find one) but I was wondering if you all had ideas about what is going on. I should also mention she has always been very skinny-she us currently in the 3rd percentile for weight for height(she is very long). At her pediatricians advice she has butter on everything and two tablespoons of vegatable oil a day to get her to gain weight to no avail. I suspect her skinniness and foul poop are connected. But wht does mucous in poop mean? Is it bad? I am concerned but frustrated that doctors won't listen! I have also brought this up to ER doctors when she was being seen for something else, they have told me to 'discuss it with her doctor'. I thought at one time that it might be a malabsorption issue but he told me if shezhad that she would be much sicker and not as active. Does anyone have experience with malabsorbtion? Have your kids had poop issues like this?
I should clarify that she has had nasty feces since she started solids. I don't see mucous often about once a month or so, but this week has been especially gross.
This is the best "guide to poop" I've ever found:
http://drjaygordon.com/pediatricks/general/poop.html
I would definitely get this checked out by a specialist! Sounds to me like a food allergy and/or she's not digesting something correctly. I do think this is probably related to her being skinny. The pro-biotics someone else suggested are a good idea too. Please, get her a second opinion.
I would definately get a second opion since she is so young, You should always trust your gut. If you feel the doctor is dismissing a legimate concern you have you should seek another doctor. I do want to add though that mucous in the poop is often caused by too much fat in a diet. So if she is eating foods high in fat like butter and vegtable oil, and having too much of these foods they could be causing the poop problem.. Definately get another opinion, or push the current doctor harder for further testing. Best of luck!
Hi K. - I cant imagine why your doc isnt concerned about this. She is obviously having a severe inflammation response in her bowel that is especially concerning since she isnt gaining weight.
I would definitely recommend that you set up an appt with a pediatric gastroenterologist that works with your insurance and find that new pediatrician ASAP.
When my daughter had this issue, we saw a pediatric gastro doc and she was tested for celiac disease. She didn't end up having that. What she did have was a C. Difficile infection from an antibiotic that destroyed all of the good bacteria in her stomach. She was a mess for months and lost tons of weight until they figured it out and treated her for it. I'm not saying that your daughter has either of these conditions, but I would be concerned enough to get a second opinion and perhaps get a referral to a pedi gastro. Better safe than sorry in these situations. I would certainly bring it up to your new pediatrician and if they don't seem concerned, I would ask to be referred (if you need a referral) to see a specialist. It can be something as simple as a lactose problem, but you won't know until you get it checked out more thoroughly. Try not to look up symptoms on the internet (as much as it seems like that could help you be informed) because she likely doesn't have the VERY serious things you may find out there and all it will do is scare you. Have her seen by a specialist or her new pedi as soon as possible. I hope you get to the bottom of it! Best of luck.
I would totally hate to subject such a little person to GI diagnostic tests.
But clearly there's something not working right in her digestive system.
Meanwhile, THAT doctor didn't listen.
He recommended butter and vegetable oil but, other than that,
"wasn't concerned".
Don't presume that all pediatricians will take the same attitude.
I imagine you'll find a pediatrician who will want to find out
just what is wrong with DD's GI system.
Have you tried different foods and then observed differences,
if any, in resulting poop?
I'm wondering what would happen if you gave her ONLY,
for example, oatmeal or rice cereal for a couple of days.
With maybe a little vegetable and fruit.
Good luck in finding a wonderful pediatrician!
I wouldn't be to concerned either. It seems like a tummy cold and ur doc pry thinks the same thing. my 14 mnth old had the exact same symptoms a couple weeks ago. we cut down on the milk and juice, my mom said that when we use to get that when we were little the doc said no pasta or cheese, or fruit except for bananas (they tend to bind you up more than most fruit) and in place of juice give pedialyte. rice is a good thing to feed a child who has these problems. mucous comes from the throat and nasl passages if its in her stool its getting digested (ie stomach cold)
I would also look into Celiac disease... it is a condition in which the body can not tolerate wheat, rye, barley (basically carbs)...my mother has it. Many people develop symptoms when they are older (like irratible bowl syndrom) but in kids it can be more dramatic. It is a simple blood test.
I wish you and your daughter the best.
Hi K.,
How old is your daughter now? I am just trying to gauge how long your daughter has had nasty poop. I assume it's been a couple months. If it has been that long I would want a second opinion.
I would start using probiotics immediately. I get the powder kind for kids which is what I would recommend for you and I would stick some in every meal. Try a yogurt a day as well for the good bacteria.
My son had mucous-y poo for a few days while he was on antibiotics and it scared me but it was explainable with the antibiotics and subsequent diarreah it causes.
I've not tried this myself, but if you can't get a doctor to listen to you, what about a homeopathic doctor to advise how to alter her diet to help her digestive system?
Good luck and I hope things improve for your daughter soon!
Oh my gosh, you definitely to see that new pediatrician. And someone who will guide you in an elimination diet to see if she is blatantly allergic to something. Also, you didn't mention if she was breastfed or not. You might need to switch formulas if she is formula fed.
I am not a doctor, but there are all kinds of things that could be going on, hopefully nothing serious. Foul, smelly mucousy poops are sometimes an indication of cystic fibrosis even. I think a simple blood test can rule that out.
HOWEVER, the yellow mucousy poops she has been having for just the past two days might be a virus. My daughter is just getting over it, and a bunch of other toddlers we know had the same symptoms, green or yellow mucousy poops for days, some had vomiting, fevers, etc. etc. There is a nasty virus going around, and for my daughter it lasted 7 days! She either picked it up in the church nursery, or my older sons gave it to her I am guessing, but they only had like a mild sore throat for a couple days and one loose bowel episode and that was it.
