Block Feeding

[FarrenSquare]

Dez has been having frothy green poops for the past seven days or so. He occasionally has the normal yellow poops, like maybe once a day. I cut out dairy for a long time but went back to it recently when I felt I wasn't seeing any improvement. (I'll admit it was really hard and I'm willing to try again if that is what it takes) I recently stopped eating eggs, too. I was having at least one hardboiled egg a day, eggnog on some days, and then one day had an additional three scrambled eggs and he had the WORST gas, the greenest poops, his 'acne' became ten times worse and spread across his neck and a bit on his chest. He also developed cradle cap, but I'm unsure if that is related? I've since completely stopped eating eggs and seen almost all of his 'acne' disappear, as well as the cradle cap. The green poop remains.

So I am aware that my letdown, while before he could handle it, seems to be stronger and stronger. Right now sometimes it is so strong he chokes on it. I've started taking him off the breast and letting my breasts leak into a cloth diaper before reattaching him. I try to feed him repeatedly from one side until that breast feels empty or "floppier" But right now I am constantly feeling engorged. I think it is because he just had a growth spurt and was feeding once an hour for three days, and now he only wants to feed every three hours or so. Today I hand-expressed some milk in the shower hoping he would be ready to eat when I got out but he was fast asleep and didn't want to feed until two hours later, again I was already engorged.

And the green poop remains! Am I doing this block feeding thing right? Do I need to pump or express RIGHT BEFORE offering him the breast? I'm already eating significantly less dairy since christmas (chocolate and cheese are all that remains in my diet right now), but could that be the culprit as well?

ETA: I forgot to ask, the websites I've read on block feeding say that it can cause supply to drop in a negative way, is this something to worry about, even with my (what I think may be) over supply?

[~Demeter~]

My nurslings all block fed... I have crazy oversupply especially in the left breast. My first daughter had green, frothy poops for a few months and there really was no reason but I truly think my OS was the biggest issue. Mainly that she was getting way too much foremilk. I'm sure this won't be the popular opinion but I'll give you my experience (I've nursed 4 babies now...) in the next few weeks (maybe even in the next couple months) things will level out and won't be as much of an issue.... the green poops will disappear, the foremilk/hindmilk imbalance will lessen, the milk supply will balance out however it needs.... I'm not saying not to do anything, just don't stress over it too much because really your body will level out very soon and so will his. :)

sorry.. i feel scattered, dealing with babe and kids while posting this

[karen1968]

It sounds like you are doing everything right. With oversupply, it could just be a fore/hind milk imbalance, as Nic said. How long are your "blocks"? Could you pump just a little on the "off" side to minimize the engorgement? While it's possible that block feeding can negatively impact supply, I've never had that experience, and doubt it would be a problem with over supply like you have.

Also, hand expressing before he feeds will (1) reduce his amount of choking, as the let down will happen before he latches and (2) increase the amount of hind milk he gets.  You could pump or hand express just an ounce, or even less, and that might help a bit.

[FarrenSquare]

Thanks, Ladies. I'm now Block feeding in 3-4 hour blocks and it seems to be working about halfway. The runny frothy poops are gone, thank goodness. I've already started eliminating dairy to go all the way and see if we can't get rid of this green, though. I'm definitely seeing mucous in it now.