EBF Poop? « Back to Group Discussions

[saudade]

Does your baby have the "seedy" poop? Lennon doesn't. It's also not a bright yellow like I think it should be, it's more of a brown mustard than a yellow mustard. It's runny and stinky rather than "sweet" smelling and no seediness. I've been having problems with my milk supply. It just never came in right, it seems. It came in really slow and gradual and then from the beginning I just haven't had much. She was still dropping weight at over a week old and she is peeing and pooping plenty but her poops are not the typical EBF poop, so I worry that it has something to do with her not getting enough or not getting proper hindmilk or something. I'm taking massive quantities of galactagogue herbs but I don't even see a difference. Why is my body failing me NOW? I don't have any idea why this happened. She was late to start nursing well...she was not interested at all the first 24 hrs and was super sleepy, but even with that - I can't imagine it effecting my milk coming in and my supply that much! We are nursing constantly and she doesn't seem hungry, she is content and doesn't cry. She is pooping and peeing plenty...but she is slow gaining and her poop is a darker, runny color that doesn't even smell like that sweet, seedy EBF I remember from my other kids. Also, her poops are pretty muscusy. I can't remember if that is normal. My last baby had GERD so badly, that she could never keep enough down and I remember her poops being more like Lennon's. Darker and not seedy, with mucus. Lennon rarely spits up, but I worry she isn't taking in enough.

Anyone's baby not have seedy poops, does it vary in normal from baby to baby, maybe?

Edited by saudade - 5/3/12 at 2:14am

[RosieL]

Odin had a bunch of greener mucosuy poops in his second week and I got worried about it. My MW told me to not worry so much, but I did recognize that I had just (stupidly) started switching sides according to time instead of according to baby's cues. I started only switching when he fussed (which is never on the boob), and poop went back to more yellow and less mucous. I now think that Odin just wasn't getting hindmilk when I was switching like that.

I am completely a novice at this stuff, but Odin just got diagnosed with a tongue tie. Symptoms include nursing all the time, low supply, sore nipples, etc., all because he can't get a good enough latch. Nursing takes two, it may not be all your body's fault, but rather a miscommunication between baby's suck and milk production. If Lennon cant suck as effectively as shed like, maybe your breasts aren't getting the full "make milk!" signal?

I hope you guys figure it out quickly so your stress can come down a bit. I forget, did you say you're in contact with an LLL leader or group?

[Rasa]

This baby has bright orangey mustardy colored poops but they are ?creamy? Not sure if that's the right word, they are not mucousy at all, they are like a thinned out pudding but they don't seem seedy. Ok, that was way too many food words used in relation to poop.

I think (horrible I can't remember but DH reminded me) with last baby they often were greenish but I was eating dairy and wheat then and most likely she had undiagnosed posterior tongue tie and lip restriction and hindmilk/foremilk imbalance could have been present with all her other issues.

Lennon was a pretty big baby for you, right? Could her continued loss past week 1 be that she had lots of extra reserve or if her body was using whatever it set aside it just took longer to do it? Not sure if my brain is conveying that right, sorry.

I had one day of fullness this time but no other big signs of 'whoa, milk!' and kinda wondered about my supply but I think my breasts just got into their groove way faster than last time. If she's still pooping/peeing and gaining, maybe it's just a bit of foremilk/hindmilk imbalance at play? I'm not that familiar with herbal galactogogues except that one friend credits her use of fenugreek with her child's deadly peanut allergy (no other peanut allergies in her family and this was only child she used fenugreek with) apparently fenugreek and peanuts are seen as similar by the immune system (consider this anecdotal at best, I never looked into it much).

[flavorfull1]

our poops are just like you described, DS's were too. the ped said there was nothing wrong w it at all.  Evidently my kids get the breast milk poop/the seedy look for a couple of days then no more. i dont know, it is what they do. as far as the wt loss, if mw isnt worried i wouldnt? i didnt have the same crazy fullness this time either. does lennon seem frantic or hungry or does she seem content?  i would go most by what baby is telling you. 

[saudade]

She doesn't act hungry...ever. She will cluster feed where for a large part of the day she wants to nurse really frequently, usually before she tries to sleep a long stretch. I am trying not to allow her to sleep more than 3-4 hours straight because I don't want anything to compromise my supply. She is a sleepy baby. All the info on the internet, even the "reputable" sources is so conflicting, it seems. I read somewhere (kellymom.com or something by Jack Newman, not sure) that said don't assume baby is getting enough milk because she is sleeping long stretches because a "sleepy" baby can mean baby is not getting enough milk. She seems content and not starving, she is soaking diapers (I can really tell how much she pees in cloth!) and pooping at least 1-3 times per day. I just haven't had a chance to take her into the birth center for another weight check yet because of transportation issues this week, so I'm guessing/worrying about how she is doing without knowledge of her weight gain in the last week.

It's interesting that even being my fifth breastfed baby, I still worry and question everything!

[flavorfull1]

I agree stuff is conflicting out there and it is annoying. I think what I mean by the what is she telling you thing  is that usually babies that are having issues with weight gain can be fussy or just not seem content, not have good diapers, seem dehydrated, etc.  DS was a sleepy baby and I had to wake him up bc he would get tired nursing with his tongue tie so I do know what you mean about figuring out if she is tired bc of needing calories or if she is just a sleeper.  Do you hear her swallowing when she is nursing?  It sounds like her poops and pees are indicating some good milk coming in from you.  I am sorry this is stressful. I hope you can get a weight check soon to make you feel better. hugs.

[saudade]

She was weighed today and she is not gaining. She was 9.2 lbs at birth and today at 17 days old she is only 8.1 lbs. She seems normal in every way (pooping, peeing, doesn't cry very much, doesn't act hungry, alert when she is awake...not OVERLY sleepy, seems content after a feeding etc) but she just isn't gaining. My milk supply really does feel and seem low, like it just never came in with very much to begin with. I don't want to have to supplement her because I'm scared that will compromise my milk supply even more. I'm taking massive quantities of fenugreek and blessed thistle and it doesn't seem to work at all. We will see the midwife again on Monday and figure out what to do. They do baby care the first 6 weeks, so she hasn't yet seen a doctor. I'm so sad that I can't seem to create enough milk for her. She nurses constantly, and even that doesn't seem to encourage more milk production. I'm just at a loss. It doesn't seem like something is WRONG with her, just that she isn't gaining.

[flavorfull1]

:( I am sorry mama, I was really hoping she would have gained to make you feel better.  Any way a midwife could see you before monday or an LC and try to help?  Hope this gets sorted out soon. Many hugs. Keep us posted.

[saudade]

My gut is telling me she is okay. She isn't gaining, but she isn't losing any more and she isn't starving. She seems fine, otherwise. I have a Medela Pump In Style coming in a couple days that I found an awesome deal on used so I'm going to pump after every feed and see if I can stimulate more milk production that way, and whatever I'm able to pump I'll give her too. In the meantime, I'm going to just nurse her constantly and hope the scale goes up by monday. Even just an ounce or two would be great! Thanks for "listening".

[Aletheia]

My first was FTT and it was devastating.  It's hard not to take personally, somehow.  Feeding a baby with your body is about so much more than the physical elements.  

I am glad you are paying attention to how she seems, and what your gut is telling you.  It can be easy to lose sight of those things, and I think they are just as significant as the numbers on the scale or the advice of the (conflicted) "experts."

My FTT baby ended up having multiple food allergies, and was reacting to stuff in my milk.  He had other symptoms, though-- he was not content, he was not sleepy, and his stools were green.  But the mucous in the stools you mentioned does worry me.  Does she have a pronounced red ring around her anus?  Any rashes?  Do you have an idea of how often she is peeing?  (Anecdotally it seems that many food allergic babies pee more frequently-- upwards of every 15 minutes in the morning-- as their bodies are perhaps trying to clear out allergens.)  

Once we got the food allergies out of his gut and started supping with some probiotics, he began gaining again... if slowly.  

Wishing you luck and fortitude.

[Jessimaca]

Saudade-  My baby's poo looks exactly as you described!  I was worried too-- not what i've seen with other ebf babies.  Her weight is ok so far- watching closely cause we had some issues (jaundice, not latching, finger feeding and pumping, now nipple shield).  I go to a really good IBCLC and she said my baby's poo was a normal variation.  Lets keep each other posted if we learn anything new :-)

[saudade]

I read mucus can be normal...hmmm...and I noticed yesterday as I was throwing her diapers into the washer that her poop looked green. It didn't look green when it was fresh, but as it kinda dried on the diapers, it turned green. She isnt really having mucus anymore now, they are just runny and a dark burnt orange color instead of bright yellow. i dont know how often she pees but i change her about every 3 hours and her cloth diapers will be totally soaked completely and she will either poop numerous little poops all day long or have a couple little and then one BIG one. my almost 10 year old was a FTT baby but that was because of severe GERD and she was very sick. She cried constantly for 5 months straight, she spit up everything she took in and couldn't gain and she also had food allergies we struggled with (dairy AND soy). It was very apparent that something was very, very wrong with her. With Lennon, she doesn't spit up but very, very rarely and it's the "good" kind of spit up, the digested, stinky, curdled spit up. Whereas my FTT baby would immediately spit up fresh milk and never hold anything down long enough to get any nutrition. :( She doesn't have colicky symptoms or reflux symptoms...she is a happy, content baby. I just don't make enough milk. She is normal in every way other than just not gaining well.

So, at this point...I'm not supplementing her, because my gut tells me she is fine and will be better when I can increase my milk supply...so all my focus is on increase instead of supplementing which would probably make matters  worse for my supply. If she seemed not well in all the other regards, then that would be a different story. I'll update after she's weighed again tomorrow and we see the midwife and lactation consultant again.

[flavorfull1]

about the green poo- same here with both my kids, something about being exposed to air and the drying that turns it from the burnt orange brown to the green, but only some times and sometimes it has just green flecks.  DS had/s a dairy allergy and I am cutting out dairy now with DD.  Hope that helps you sift through symptoms?  Both have been fine weight wise.  DD seems to have some reflux issues that we are figuring out, it might be an overactive letdown on my part.  Either way, I figure it is normal, and it isn't every single poo.  DD poops maybe every other day or so and then does either a really big one or several smaller ones. I figure as long as she is peeing and pooping within the normal frame it is ok.  sorry you are having to figure all of this out, let us know how tomorrow's weight check goes.

[saudade]

Lennon gained 3-4 ounces since Friday!!! She isn't back up to her birth weight yet but she is doing better!!! What a relief! I also finally got my encapsulated placenta pills today! So, hopefully taking them will help my milk supply, too!

[RosieL]

SO glad to hear it!

[Aletheia]

hooray!

[Jessimaca]

Yay that's great to hear!  I'm going to way Gracen today to see how we are doing-- her poo sounds just exactly like your kiddos.

[flavorfull1]

yay! I am curious about the placenta pills' effects. I have told DH I want to do that next time to limit pp bleeding.

[Jessimaca]

Gracen is still gaining ok-- even with the weird poo and a nipple shield.  She gained 2 oz in 3 days.  I started taking my probiotics again too-- maybe that will help some.

[Rasa]

Glad to hear your babies are gaining!!

About placenta pills (beware long term raw consumption affecting milk supply) : I wanted to take them to ward off any severe post-partum anxiety like I had before so I figured it would be best to take raw or as close to raw as I could to try and preserve hormone function. So I asked that they be prepared from raw dehydrated placenta with no herbs. I took them for two weeks starting 1week postpartum and then stopped. As I was taking them my awesome lactation consultant asked about them and said she preferred the steaming method to inactivate the hormones because the hormones can decrease milk supply. I realize there are several reasons to take placenta (raw, immediately to help with hemorrhage or heavy bleeding is another, for example). I wasn't really thinking about taking them for my milk supply, it came in so fast! But when I stopped taking them, I noticed a change rather quickly where it seemed like my milk production really increased. My breasts had to totally readjust. I really think I was dampening my milk production by taking the raw pills.