Foamy poop?

[sgmom]

This is usually caused by a fore/hind milk imbalance, no?

He drinks off usually off one side at a time, and will either fall asleep or let go and refuse the other side.

I definitely do not have an oversupply (I've never been engorged, and almost never get "hard" or feel full), but he doesn't empty me either (I can still get some milk out when he's done, even if it's only half an ounce). I think I make just a bit more than "enough".

Is there a trick to help this situation out? He grunts and squirms quite a bit and is usually relieved (for a short time) by a poop, so I've often wondered if the problem is digestion related.

[artpen]

How old is your LO? My DD had foamy poop once in a while, and it was while she was swallowing a lot of saliva (teething) so I attributed it to that. It eventually went away.

[sapphire_chan]

Nursing only on one side should actually help a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance if that's what's going on. For dd, I had to nurse only on one side every feeding for about 4 hours before offering her the other side.

[dogretro]

Foamy poop is totally normal. We usually dont see it b/c the diaper soaks it up.

[sgmom]

Sorry, it's baby number 2. He's 3 weeks old.

[DevaMajka]

If it's from a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance, block feeding might help. Like a pp said, nurse on one side for a block of time (I see 4 hours a lot), then the other side for the same amount of time.

[pixiepunk]

foamy poop (and also green poop) can also be caused by yeast in the belly. if that is the problem, probiotics should clear it up, and in any case are not a bad idea to help populate baby's gut with good bacteria.

just wanted to throw that out there because we had that occur with our oldest when she was about 3 months old.

[sgmom]

Hmmm... I happen to have some on hand for myself (50 billion capsules) and my daughter (12 billion powder). The question is how much to give him, and how to administer it... Or do I take more? Does it come through breast milk?

I'm curious... Are there any symptoms for yeast in the belly? I'm not worried about it, it's just that he often seems uncomfortable (the worse the foam is, the more fussy he gets) before he poops. Lots of grunting, pushing, back arching, etc.

*shrug*

[Shanny2032]

My dd had green foamy poops MANY times a day and night when she was an infant. She was very uncomfortable and "exploded" before finally feeling relieved. She had/has food sensitivities and I took dairy, soy and egg out of my diet. i would suggest posting on the allergy section to get more information as this is definitely what it sounds like to me.

[sapphire_chan]

I'd start with block feeding because if it's the foremilk/hindmilk thing it'll only take a couple days to see an improvement (we actually saw an improvement within a day). Especially if you aren't seeing other allergy signs, like diaper rash and so forth.

[sgmom]

Originally Posted by sapphire_chan

I'd start with block feeding because if it's the foremilk/hindmilk thing it'll only take a couple days to see an improvement (we actually saw an improvement within a day). Especially if you aren't seeing other allergy signs, like diaper rash and so forth.

He only takes one breast at a time, often for a couple feedings in a row (so one breast per ever 3-4 hours). Is this not block feeding?

[pixiepunk]

lots of typical 'gassy' symptoms are indicative of yeast. i had started with colic tablets (Hyland's homeopathic ones) and they worked pretty well on the symptoms (screaming bloody murder, arching back, often a hard belly, kicking legs) but were only treating the symptoms and not the cause, which is when we went to the ped, who told me that lots of times babies are misdiagnosed with reflux when it's just yeast in their belly, but she always tries probiotics before doing anything else. sometimes it's also accompanied by a yeasty diaper rash or thrush in the mouth/mama's breast, but often it's not (and it wasn't in our case).

i'm not sure about dosage... it was my oldest and she just turned 7, i really can't remember. but i do remember my ped had me give it to her 3x per day for several weeks. i just dissolved the powder from inside the capsule in a big of water and used a syringe to shoot it into her mouth. you could also just put some on your finger and have baby lick it off (or put it on your nipple before nursing).

but lots of people give their babies probiotics, so maybe check in with one of the parenting forums here to see what amounts people are giving?

[sapphire_chan]

Originally Posted by sgmom

He only takes one breast at a time, often for a couple feedings in a row (so one breast per ever 3-4 hours). Is this not block feeding?

Yep it is. Darn.

[sgmom]

Hmmm... I feed like this.

1s feed = Left.
2nd feed = Left/Right.
3rd feed = Right.
4th feed = Right/Left.

Usually.

The poops in the diaper (when we have misses) seem fine. It's only in the potty that they look really foamy, and the sound it makes coming out just SOUNDS foamy. And it's definitely not green or yellow. It's quite brown. Maybe it's normal?

As for allergies or sensitivities, it's HIGHLY unlikely. Both our families are quite large, and no one suffers from even a hint of them.

I gave him some probiotics yesterday... just a dab on my finger and let him suck it off. I guess we'll see what happens!

[USAmma]

My baby who had the foamy, sometimes green, very gassy poops ended up being diagnosed with severe Celiac disease as a young child. I wonder how much of that was from her intolerance? I did have the milk imbalance too, but she was always gassy even when the poops looked more normal.

[jenrett]

Just wanted to say that most people are actually slightly allergic (if not full blown allergic) to dairy/gluten, but since we have eaten them our entire lives, we have no idea how good we could feel if we cut them out. You wouldn't have an allergic reaction like you would think of, but the allergies show up as autoimmune disorders most of the time.

My DS has had the same thing going on, esp. since I splurged and had some oatmeal cookies the other day. I am normally gluten/dairy/soy/legume free.

I will try the probiotics too.

[heatheresc]

foamy poop & Celiac?

Originally Posted by USAmma

My baby who had the foamy, sometimes green, very gassy poops ended up being diagnosed with severe Celiac disease as a young child. I wonder how much of that was from her intolerance? I did have the milk imbalance too, but she was always gassy even when the poops looked more normal.

USAmma, how did you find out about Celiac in your baby so early? Do you have a family history? I'm just asking b/c my 4 month old has a lot of the symptoms you're describing, and I know Celiac is something that often takes a long time to diagnose...

[Jaimee]

We had some foamy poop issues with ds when he was about 1 month old. I started him on probiotics and it hasn't been an issue since. His dry skin also cleared up and his disposition turned from continuous crying to extremely happy. I highly recommend trying it! We use Pharmax HLC neonate. They are available online for about $22 and you can find free shipping. Very reasonable for a 2-3 month supply! They are dairy and soy free human strains. And the best part is that you feed it off your finger! No pumping necessary! Works wonders for us!!

Good luck!

[jenrett]

Thank you Jaimee!

[sgmom]

*takes note*