Green poop and hindmilk question

990 Views 7 Replies 5 Participants Last post by beckington, Jul 7, 2004

beckington

Discussion Starter · Jul 2, 2004

Hi all

I've heard that green poop can be related to baby not getting enough hindmilk. My son has green poops and is gaining weight slowly, so I was thinking maybe he isn't getting enough hindmilk since that's also where all the fat and calories are, thus low weight gain? Might that make sense? But at the moment I feed him one side only each feed and he nurses for about 30-40 minutes a go so I would have thought he is getting enough hindmilk - but then again, I suspect a lot of that sucking is comfort sucking so maybe he really isn't getting that much hindmilk after all??? I dunno. What else could green poop be about? Due to the slow weight gain I'm also trying to increase my supply in case that's the problem, so one thing I was going to try was to start feeding from both sides at each feed, but would that make a hindmilk imbalance worse? I think I've read that to correct an imbalance you should feed from the same breast for a few feeds - if I did that, how might it affect my milk supply? Any advice? I am contacting local LLL leader but would also appreciate any of your advice - thanks very much!!!

Hope this post makes sense - I know I'm rambling!

Charmaine

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MarineWife

· #2 · Jul 2, 2004

I've never heard a thing about poop color and fore- or hindmilk. I can tell you that my ds sometimes has green poop and gained weight very rapidly. He was 20 lbs by the time he was 4 months old and he only wieghed 8 1/2 lbs when he was born. I'm beginning to think I don't make foremilk because he only nurses for about 5 minutes at a time.

I always nursed him on both sides every feeding that I could. There were times when he would fall asleep before I could switch him. I don't really know much about correcting an imbalance either. I've always nursed on both sides as evenly as possible so never really worried about it. I was told not to worry if I don't get him to nurse on both sides each time or if I start with the same side a couple times in a row because it would all even out in the end.

Do you feel your let down or can you tell by a change in swallowing when your baby is getting milk rather than just suckling for comfort?

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Icequeen_in_ak

· #3 · Jul 2, 2004

My DD got the green poo on several occasions. I asked our ped about it and he explained it as nothing more than waste passing through her system before it's completely digested. That it was nothing to be alarmed about, and was very normal.

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Electra375

· #4 · Jul 2, 2004

Okay, I have had this issue and am having it again. I was told the same thing about the hind milk. But I have to wonder if it's food allergies, non digestion thing. My son had sever bright green fothy pooes that burned his butt literally. I had to eliminate all dairy and I mean all trace amounts. It still came back every once in a while, but for weeks I was just pulling my hair out. Hmm, I'm doing it again at about the same age!

DD has yellow greenish poos, not fothy and not causing skin damage. My nursing patter hasn't changed, but something with my diet or her, I don't know. I nurse one side and then the other and when we return for the next nursing I nurse on the side last nursed on. If she doesn't nurse both sides, I nurse the same side again and at the next nursing I'll start the other. Essentially two times per side. She usually nurses at least two let downs at night she is let down queen filling up like crazy.

I never got any answers for why with my son from LLL or the doctor or a IBCLC.

I do notice that sometimes when I pump the milk has a greenish tindge(SP) to it and other times it is white white. Time of day doesn't matter and I don't eat that much green stuff to cause it to be a food thing.

I'll be checking in on this post b/c I too need some advice.

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Icequeen_in_ak

· #5 · Jul 2, 2004

Quote:

Originally Posted by Electra375
Okay, I have had this issue and am having it again. I was told the same thing about the hind milk. But I have to wonder if it's food allergies, non digestion thing. My son had sever bright green fothy pooes that burned his butt literally. I had to eliminate all dairy and I mean all trace amounts. It still came back every once in a while, but for weeks I was just pulling my hair out. Hmm, I'm doing it again at about the same age!

DD has yellow greenish poos, not fothy and not causing skin damage. My nursing patter hasn't changed, but something with my diet or her, I don't know. I nurse one side and then the other and when we return for the next nursing I nurse on the side last nursed on. If she doesn't nurse both sides, I nurse the same side again and at the next nursing I'll start the other. Essentially two times per side. She usually nurses at least two let downs at night she is let down queen filling up like crazy.

I never got any answers for why with my son from LLL or the doctor or a IBCLC.

I do notice that sometimes when I pump the milk has a greenish tindge(SP) to it and other times it is white white. Time of day doesn't matter and I don't eat that much green stuff to cause it to be a food thing.

I'll be checking in on this post b/c I too need some advice.

Your son absolutely sounds like allergies! The same ped told me that if you had poos that were causing burns (e.g. rash) that it was an allergy, but that green poo alone was nothing to worry about.

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MarineWife

· #6 · Jul 2, 2004

I have read that anything that causes any type of redness or burning or reaction around the anus is allergies. Now it's just a matter of trying to figure out what thos allergies are. And, allergies definitely run in families so it's not abnormal for all your children to have this problem to some degree.

I was told at my last LLL meeting that foremilk is a bluish clear color with a very runny consistency (I imagine like skim or fat free cow's milk) and that hindmilk is thicker, creamier looking and white (like whole cow's milk). That explanation is what made me think I don't have much, if any, foremilk because I've never seen the bluish, clear, runny milk. I know that doesn't help with the green poop but maybe it will help to determine if baby is getting hindmilk if you can get a glimpse at what she is drinking.

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plantmommy

· #7 · Jul 3, 2004

Charmaine, it does sound like you might be having a fore/hindmilk imbalance.

Green poop can be either too much foremilk/not enough hindmilk, it can be caused by a food sensitivity, or it can be a sign of baby fighting off a bug.

The baby should be getting enough hindmilk by remaining on one breast until after a letdown. That's when you can either feel a pressure in your breast, or see/hear a change in the baby's suck/swallow pattern. Before letdown, baby does sucksucksucksuckswallow, and after letdown, it's more sucksswallowsuckswallow, etc. (well, you get the idea, right?)

Some moms do make more milk by leaving the baby at one breast until s/he comes off on their own, but in other cases it can be more helpful to do what's called "switch nursing", where you make sure to swap baby back and forth from one breast to the other as soon as the suck pattern changes after letdown, or as soon as the baby seems to show signs of comfort nursing instead of nutritive nursing. This can be about every 10 mins. So, in the same 30 mins. of nursing time, s/he's gotten all the milk from both breasts, and then been switched back to the first again. (right, left, right)

Sometimes the few mins. rest time for the first breast while baby is on the second enhances production, effectively giving the breast a cue to produce more milk. Also, switching the baby back and forth can keep him more actively nursing, rather than comfort nursing, and stimulate him to take in more milk.

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beckington

Discussion Starter · #8 · Jul 7, 2004

Thanks everyone - certainly given me lots to think about! I hadn't even considered allergies. Hmmmm. I might try switch nursing because I do find he goes into comfort nursing mode a lot and I'm not convinced he's actually getting as much milk as he really should, so maybe that will help that. I usually just use one breast at a feed because I get so confused - like today, trying out something new, I fed him on one breast and after about 30 minutes he seemed done with that so I offered the other and he was finished with that one after about 15 minutes or so. So next feed, do I give him the last breast even though he was on it for a good amount of time already? I mean, I know some women that 15 minutes is considered a whole feed! Aaarrgh, tis too confusing! Thank god for his dopey little grin after a feed!

Charmaine

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