Watery poo and fighting at the breast... related?

[Mossy]

Ds (three and a half months) has started fighting at the breast this last week. He grabs the breast and pulls so hard the nipple comes out of his mouth. And then he fusses for it back again!

It was funny the first few times but now it's getting a bit annoying as it is taking me forever to feed him...

Also since he's started doing it, his poos have gone really watery; they just soak into his nappy (they're usually like chip shop curry sauce, iykwim); same colour, but like it's just coloured water.

Lots of wet nappies mind.

Are the two related? Should I be concerned? And if so, what should I do?

[tiktok]

Sounds like he is fighting a bug, Mossy....maybe ask your HV to check him over.

[harpsichordcarrier]

or maybe teething? that can make poos very watery and explosive sometimes?
worth going to the GO though or the clinic

[Mossy]

Will ask the HV tomorrow afternoon then, he seems okay in himself like (well, as okay as he normally is, he's a grumpy soul!) so I didn't think it could be a bug.

Thanks xx

[tiktok]

Yes - teething could be a possibility, as it does create a lot of saliva in some babies, and this could be making poos watery.

[squiffy]

If he has a bug, is it possible he might be getting affected by lactose in your milk? If you are having lots of dairy in your diet maybe you could try cutting it down for a few days to see if that helps until his bacteria levels settle back down?

[tiktok]

squiffy, the lactose proportion of the breastmilk is unaffected by the mother's diet.

If you have read something different, then the book is wrong

[Mossy]

I've certainly not been having any more milk than usual; if anything slightly less as I'm trying to cut down on tea and coffee!

I thought babies didn't teethe until they were a bit older but there you go! He has been a little bit more "shouty" lately... not crying or anything, not more than usual anyway, but demanding much more attention, but I thought this was just because he was older and no longer content to sit watching what was going on! Would this be a symptom of teething too?

Will ask HV when I see her anyway.

[squiffy]

Personal experience, close friend had nightmare six months on a dairy-free diet herself so she could carry on bf her DS, though admittedly that was due to a severe lactose allergy rather than an intolerance.

[Beachcomber]

Squiffy are you sure it wasn't an intolerance to the protein in cow's milk as this can enter breastmilk relatively untransformed and affect the baby.

[tiktok]

It had to have been cows milk protein allergy, squiffy....a few babies (very, very few) are born with congenital lactose intolerance, but their mother's diet while bf would not make any difference to this. In fact, these babies actually can't be breastfed as there is lactose in breastmilk whatever you do!

[squiffy]

It's rare but it happens - my friend had exactly the same problem as described here and it took ages to get diagnosed: her DS was very poorly for a long time. Saying that I have had a quick flip round the internet and it looks to be much rarer than I thought, so unlikely to be an answer for OP.

[Pannacotta]

COuld the problem be fast let down? This causes fussing at the breast. I have this prob and DS2's nappiea are very watery.
App clamping down on the breast in the baby's attempts to slow the flow.
See info here from kellymom:
breastfeeding.hypermart.net/toomuchmilk.html
www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/fa st-letdown.html

[tiktok]

squiffy, the answer in that link is, I think, wrong. Lactose is in breastmilk whatever the mother does - it's part and parcel of milk from any mammal. Cutting down dairy will not affect the proportion of lactose in the milk, so will not help a baby who has LI.

[jessicaandoliviamummy]

my baby is 10 weeks B/f with 8-10 watery explosive nappies. I am considering to take her to the HV as i think she has a lactose intolerance just like my first born had. Does anyones babies have these many nappies at this age and like water?

[jessicaandoliviamummy]

mossy - my baby is also having the same trouble as yours. My first born had a lactose int from my milk which is nothing you can do to help as lactose is natrually in breast milk - cutting out dairy yourself just wont help matters. But i think my second baby has the same problems they are just not as bad. She is like a little poo factory is in alot of pain is very sicky and does not put on alot of weight each week. I find the HV dont know much about lactose intol. and put it down to a paranoid mother. But you just know if something is not quite right with your baby.