Blood in spitup!!!

[Zacsmom]

My ds is 5 mnths. and bf. We suspect some sort of allergy/intolerance as he has occasional blood/mucous in stool since 2 months.  We are doing an elimination diet to try to figure out what it is (my decision).  My ped. said she's not a fan of elimination diets and doesn't think the occasional blood and mucous is a problem and I should eat normally.  I ate normally for 3 days and he started to poop alot (no blood, but mucousy).  He now hasn't pooped for almost 3 days (not normal) and today he's been spitting up a lot.  I noticed two small streaks of blood in his spit-up and am now concerned.  Could this be part of an intolerance to something I've eaten?

[Samuel's mum]

I'm not sure why your ped isn't a fan because we know that cow's milk protein through the mother's milk can give a baby disgestive problems which lead to blood in the stools and mucus.
If you are bf it might also be due to a nipple injury - have you got any cracked or sore nipples at the moment?

It might be that if he really has a cow's milk protein problem the blood in stools is a sign of intestinal bleeding although the bleeding usually happens in the bowel so it would be odd for it to come back out the 'top end'.
Blood in spit-up is more likely to be down to a nipple injury or if it is related to intolerance it might be more about increased spit-up (which is also a sign of dairy protein intolerance (BTW not the same thing as 'lactose' intolerance)) and with the increased spit-up he has broken a tiny blood vessel in his oesophagus.

This is quite a good overview of the issue:
http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/food-sensitivity.

Bottom line - yes, it could be related to the intolerance. However blood in spit-up is one of things you want to get a doctor's opinion on so I would get it checked out when you can. And if you see a lot more blood take him to the hospital to be super safe. Best Wishes.

[lawnseed]

or if he has a cough at the mo it can be from irritation. unlikely that if no cough!!!

[chezzie8]

If he has reflux, it could be from inflammation from the oesophagus.

I would def get it investigated quickly though.

Chez x

[Zacsmom]

Thanks for all the replies.  I do have one very sore nipple at the moment, with a small crack with blood.  He seems to treat it like an elastic at the moment and it doesn't feel very good.  It could be that! He does not have reflux as he is generally a happy spitter and sleeps well.  I have his 5 mnth. appt. in a week and I'm going to talk with his family doctor about getting a second opinion from a ped. or a GI ped.  Thanks for the help.  He has since pooped several times over the last few days, no blood, but mucousy.

[Samuel's mum]

If you know you have a cracked nipple that is a very likely cause. There's some stuff about nipple healing here:
https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=70305.0

(BTW it doesn't cause him any harm to swallow any blood.) Do visit the bf board if you'd like any advice about the 'elastic' thing.