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What Causes Frothy And Watery Stool When Sufferingfrom GERD?

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Posted on Wed, 23 Jul 2014
Question: hi my baby has had trouble with spit up and was diagnosed with gerd and we have been trying to find the right formual. she was doing ok on the similac advanced but had mucus in her poop. so I put her on similac alimentum and now its frothy and a little watery what does that mean she has only been on the alimentum for about 3 days
doctor
Answered by Dr. Eric Goldstein (56 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
GERD

Detailed Answer:
Hello. I just read through your question. GERD is often difficult for the children and finding the right diet for them can often take time.
The most important thing here is your daughter's comfort. If she is gaining weight appropriately and is comfortable, we do not have to worry.
Typically, when we change a baby's formula, it can take several days or a week before they adjust. During this time there can be irritability and change in bowel pattern. The change in bowel pattern is what you are seeing with the alimentum. In a few days, her system will most likely become more accustomed to the alimentum. At that point her bowel movements will take on a more typical form. Meanwhile, as long as you don't see blood in her stool, her GERD symptoms improve, and she continues to gain weight, you do not have to worry.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Eric Goldstein (5 minutes later)
so was I wrong to change her formula because she had mucus in her poop? I have just always heard that was not good. she was on the similac advanced for about 2 months and it never went away I was trying to see if it would but it didn't.
doctor
Answered by Dr. Eric Goldstein (22 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
Follow up

Detailed Answer:
Thank you for the follow up question.
I don't think you were wrong for changing the formula. Your instincts were correct. Now we have to see if she does better on the alimentum. If she does, she can continue on it. If not, we would have to look for something else. At this point, however, it's a bit early to tell.
As always, though, appropriate weight gain and her comfort, are most important. That will be how we measure success with the alimentum.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Eric Goldstein (8 minutes later)
ok thank you very much. so i should wait a week and see if her bowel movements normalize before i go to her regular dr? and also i am a first time mom and i don't really know what regular baby poop looks like because we have had so many problems with the gerd and switching formulas she has either been constipated or had mucus in it so what should it look like?
doctor
Answered by Dr. Eric Goldstein (13 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
follow up

Detailed Answer:
You are very welcome.

Yes, I believe a week is a good amount of time to wait.

As far as bowel movements, there are a lot of normals. It can be soft or hard and it can be several different colors. We don't, as you already know, want to see mucus. We also don't want to see blood. Outside of that, the only other important factor is her comfort. If she passes her bowel movements with reasonable comfort, there is no concern.
Note: For further queries related to your child health, Talk to a Pediatrician. Click here to Book a Consultation.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Eric Goldstein

Pediatrician

Practicing since :1999

Answered : 1303 Questions

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What Causes Frothy And Watery Stool When Sufferingfrom GERD?

Brief Answer: GERD Detailed Answer: Hello. I just read through your question. GERD is often difficult for the children and finding the right diet for them can often take time. The most important thing here is your daughter's comfort. If she is gaining weight appropriately and is comfortable, we do not have to worry. Typically, when we change a baby's formula, it can take several days or a week before they adjust. During this time there can be irritability and change in bowel pattern. The change in bowel pattern is what you are seeing with the alimentum. In a few days, her system will most likely become more accustomed to the alimentum. At that point her bowel movements will take on a more typical form. Meanwhile, as long as you don't see blood in her stool, her GERD symptoms improve, and she continues to gain weight, you do not have to worry.