Need help determining if poop is a sign of allergy (long)

[downwarddog]

I know, this is so gross, but I'm a little lost & don't want to call our Ped just yet!

So it all started about a month ago, about the time:
1) Cadi fell, broke her leg & was put in a full leg cast
2) We started weaning to sippy cups for noon & afternoon milk
3) I changed detergent to Wisk because I still had stink from Tide

So it seems her poop went from occasionally formed (ball-like, or else all rolled of fleece in one plop), to large amounts of stinky, messy really soft poop which had to be mini-showered off the dipes, almost all the time. And it seems like they were more frequent, although this past week it has slowed down again to almost normal. Oh yeah, she's had diaper rash for most of this time, of varying degrees.

My question is whether this is occasionally normal, is just the sign of changing poop to that of a toddler & not a baby, or whether it could be a sign of a food allergy (like to soy).

While weaning during the day, it appeared she didn't like cold soy milk so I went back & gave her soy formula with increasing amounts of soy milk (though it could have been temp she didn't like, in retrospect). She gets soy yogurt, tofu & vegan cheese too. I was just thinking that the addition of soy milk put her digestive system in an uproar -- whether the switch was too fast, or whether it's just too much soy.

So I just took her off ALL soy except for the soy formula to see if she gets back to "normal." But in the meantime, does anyone have any thoughts? Anyone else been through this? There are so many variables, it's driving me crazy!

~Lenore
Mom to Acadia (Cadi), born 9/28/04;
dogs Loka & Colby

[lizajane]

i would bet you three million dollars that it is the soy.

when i started giving schuyler soy milk, his poop went from "normal" to nassssssss-tttttttty. my friend with a lactose intolerant kiddo has the same nasty poop problem. the MOMENT i dropped the soy, the poop went right back to normal. and this was after a YEAR of soymilk. (i thought i was doing him a favor by avoiding dairy... now i don't know WHAT to do with dylan when we wean! i think i will BF a little longer and go to dairy...)

FWIW, i don't think it "hurt" him.

[mudder17]

Liza, I don't know how long you want to nurse Dylan, but with Kaya, I'm just planning on letting her BF'd for as long as possible and not introduce her to Cow's milk at all. However, she is doing just fine on regular yogurt, cheese, butter and other things that contain (usually cooked) milk. And she drank soy milk for a short time, but it was never very consistent and she gave up on drinking any thing except nursing and water at around 13 months or so. Since I am lactose intolerant (but can have dairy with lactase pills, but I don't drink cow's milk), I don't plan on giving her cow's milk straight at all.


Eileen

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Kaya's a cousin! 10/1/05, 5lb13oz

[downwarddog]

Hi Liza & Eileen,

Well, the poop is normal again & the rash almost gone! Wahoo! Granted, I just took away ALL those factors I was talking about, so now I'll methodically add them in one at a time & wait about 5 days or so before adding in anything else. And also, her leg cast is finally off so she's back to having real & more frequent baths, which will probably help clear up any remaining rash as well.

My DH is a Type 1 diabetic so the current theory is that cow's milk given at a young age could be triggering it. So, we're trying to not do dairy. At this point I've got to wean her during the day because I'm a working dog trainer & just can't pump anymore. She's still on soy formula so at least this amount of soy is fine for her. We'll see if it's an increased amount that gives her trouble. And there's always rice milk to try, too (I often forget that).

And Liza, I'll send you the measurements of those wipes... Thanks!

~Lenore

[lizajane]

sorry for the hyjack! eileen- the idea with schuyler was to skip dairy milk entirely. and he didn't have it until around 2. so i am not sure what to do with dylan. i don't intend to go past 18 months because, well, frankly, i don't want to. i have been pregnant or nursing for 3.5 straight years and i am tired. i want my body back. i want to go on vacation and sit on my tush all day. and i can't do that while nursing. i do NOT want to lug a pump on vacation when the whole point is to celebrate a mommy-break! (flamers can start flaming. i am selfish. i own my faults. but at least i am honest!)

[mudder17]

Liza, no flames at all! I gave up on pumping at 12 months because frankly, it was such a pain and my LC basically looked at me and said, "Why are you pumping after 12 months? You don't have to do that to yourself!" :)

And even if you stop nursing at 18 months, according to my Pede, it's still okay for them to not have cow's milk. Just make sure they have plenty of yogurt, cheese, and other calcium containing foods and there's no reason they ever have to have cow's milk.


Eileen

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Kaya's a cousin! 10/1/05, 5lb13oz

[daniele_ut]

Sorry to hijack, but I was interested to see the answers to this question, since DS pretty much always has messy soft poop. It only became stinky when solids were introduced. The one exception to this was when he weaned from EBM to formula when it was formed and dark and dry for a couple of weeks. This has been the one major thing that is keeping me from considering CDs. I would definitely need a minishower or have to use some great flushable liners for his "normal" poops.

He has been weaned to cow's milk and we've seen no change. His pedi asked about his BMs at his last appointment and didn't seem concerned when I told him what they were like. Now I wonder. Does anyone else's 1 year old have similar poop?

[downwarddog]

Hi Eileen,
So are you avoiding cow's milk because you're afraid Kaya might be lactose-intolerant as well?

I wish they knew more about the dairy/diabetes connection. My understanding is that the protein is the problem, not sugar like lactose. So to solve that problem I tried vegan cheese -- which we all think is gross except for a vegan ww mac & chreese I found & stick to soy yogurt.

I'm still conducting my experiment so I'll tell you what my findings are! Please everyone keep their fingers crossed it is NOT the soy!

~Lenore

[mudder17]

Yes, although I have no true signs of it, since she eats yogurt and cheese without any apparent problems. But I can eat yogurt with no problems, get gassy with cheese unless I take a supplement and I don't drink milk at all. So I'm lactose intolerant, but it's not as bad as some people (I'm thinking Lori or Liza's DH?...can't quite remember).

I truly hope it's not the soy, but please keep us updated.


Eileen

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Kaya's a cousin! 10/1/05, 5lb13oz

[mudder17]

Well, Kaya's poop was very sticky off and on for a very long time, but she's also still BF'd. Right now, when it comes out of her (sorry, but I've been looking in the potty or on the floor) it looks formed, but it's still pretty soft. So I think it's becoming more formed.
When it gets too formed, though, I do worry because of constipation issues. I've done some reading and "normal" in adults and children really should be soft ploppy things and not the super formed things that they seem to be on average (sorry about TMI, but you asked). Most of us don't have a very good diet overall, and definitely don't have enough fiber, among other things, so we tend to have harder stuff. From a conversation I had with my pede, while they're being introduced to solids, their poop will probably be between sticky and slightly more formed, but it's not uncommon for it to never be formed. I figure that the soft ploppy ones Kaya has been having sans diaper would be mushy and sticky in her diaper. Several months ago, it was much stickier and much messier. So I suspect your DC's poop is pretty normal.

You could always start slowly and try a couple things and use it with flushable liners to see if it's for you. If you decide you like it, you could then invest in a minishower, or just continue using the liners. I like using the liners, but even when I use the liners, inevitably, I get a little bit on the diaper that I like to spray off. But that's just me--I even sprayed off newborn poop, which you don't really need to do so. You could also use fleece liners or get fleece-lined diapers, which are easier to clean off.


Eileen

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Kaya's a cousin! 10/1/05, 5lb13oz

[downwarddog]

Hi all,
You were all so gracious to respond to my pleas for help!

I wanted to update: it appears my DD is NOT allergic to soy! Yippee! I still don't know what caused her horrible reaction that month -- maybe it was just stress from her leg fracture, who knows?! BUT, since she weaned herself out of the blue last week & is on all soymilk, everything has been fine. Tofu is no problem, soy yogurt & vegan cheese are no problem. I'm still going slow introducing the pinto beans back into her diet -- it may be that she just can't eat lots of beans over the course of a week. She's not liking meat at all (org chix & turkey so far) which is fine by me, so maybe beans as a protein source 1 or 2x a week is good enough for her. She sure loves eggs & tofu, especially, so those will work in well for her preferred veggie diet.

Oh, I'm so glad she's not allergic to soy!
Thanks to all,
~Lenore
Mama to Acadia, 9/04

[mudder17]

Woo hoo! Yay! Thanks for the update!

Eileen

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Kaya's a cousin! 10/1/05, 5lb13oz

[niccig]

Glad to hear things are back to normal for you. We're going through something similar. Since DH has had a stomach bug, our ped is testing for infection/giardi (sp.) etc. I also suspect soy or diary. DS has been having a little more of each, so I've cut out both and I'll start to introduce one at a time. A friend's DS drinks a combination of goat's milk and rice milk - just another option for no soy, no cow's milk diet.

Nicci