Constant feeding, newborn poo went darker

[takethatlady]

Hi there,

My beautiful five day-old had a crazy night of monster feeding last night - she has fed for at least 20 minutes out of every hour for the last 12 hours! I don't mind this, or being knackered, but her stools in that 12 hours went from grainy mustardy yellow, which I thought was normal, to a still grainy but also slightly sticky dark brown. I'm wondering if this means that she hasn't actually been drinking during all the latter feeds. Last night she kept spitting up milk or would come off the boob with a mouth full of milk, but the last few times she's been surprisingly clean. Do you think this is normal?

I'm not especially worried or anything but I thought I would ask (first-time mum here :)).

Ask the midwife about this, I think - are you seeing her today?

No, though my baby has the heel prick test at lunchtime. If that is administered by a midwife I could ask then? Do you think it shouldn't happen? I was hoping that the odd variation in the stools might be normal ...

Hmmm I might keep an eye on it. Some googling suggests that maybe the flow is too slow: she falls asleep at the breast (though she does let go when she doest his), has a few times pulled off the breast and attempted quite angrily to relatch (frustrated by slow flow?); sucks and swallows well at the beginning and then loses interest and falls off the breast but still wants more; and has been constantly feeding.

I think maybe all these things are normal and since it was a development which only occurred last night it may not be true, but I will watch the stools today, and the feeding, and see what happens.

not poss to tell if normal or not. honestly midwife needs to assess.

Maybe it was something in the air last night OP...I had exactly the same sort of night with my newborn last night. Am hoping it was a growth spurt fuelled feeding frenzy but am also concerned she might not be actually drinking that much milk each time as frustratingly she kept pulling off and then declaring she was starving hungry a nanosecond later. I shall watch your thread wiith interest!

Thanks tiktok and domestic. Saw the midwife today for the heel prick test and she said it does sound like the baby may be getting more foremilk than hindmilk and that I should double or triple feed from each breast before alternating to the next. She also showed me how to do breast compression by pushing down with four flat fingers onto the breast I'm feeding with and having the thumb cupped underneath - it stimulates another let down during the feed and she said to do it three or four times during each feed. I did this when I got home before the baby latched on to see what would happen and milk poured out!

Good news, though - Isobel (my LO) was 3175g (7lb0)at birth on Sunday and she now weighs 3100g, so she's only lost 2.4% of her body weight since then. So she must have been feeding really well in general. I knew she'd put on weight since the middle of the week when she went all scrawny like a chicken - she's plumping up nicely now. Hopefully these tips will help.

Hope that helps you too domestic :)

I had foremilk imbalance problems but it has now sorted itself out. Just to reassure you that it does improve if you follow the advice given.

Thanks drcoconut :) Great MN name by the way :)

takethatlady - glad to here your DD is nearly back to birth weight already. Well done

When you say the MW advised you to double or triple feed before switching sides, did she mean that for 2 or 3 feeds offer only the left side before switching to the right for the next 2 or 3 feeds (or vice versa)?

Did the MW say you had oversupply (not just of foremilk but in general)? Block nursing (feeding on the same side for multiple feeds before switching) is a way of lowering a mother's milk supply when she makes too much milk for her baby's needs and the baby is struggling with the flow or the mother is terribly engorged and has recurring plugged ducts and/or mastitis.

This article may help to explain the terms foremilk & hindmilk.

Hi truthsweet yes she did, but only because the baby was doing a bit of snack-then-sleeping, falling asleep at the breast or getting off a few minutes in. I didn't realise that this could lower supply though and have actually been offering the same breast twice in a row each time, even when she feeds for 15-20 minutes (she doesn't generally feed longer than this).

We had many yellow poo explosions yesterday so something is working, and I don't even need to do the compressing now because it seems to have stimulated the supply enough. I can immediately hear proper sucking/swallowing when I feed her now.

Thanks for the article- I'll read it now. Now I just have to worry about the blocked milk duct right next to my right nipple. One thing after another!

Oooh goodness, haven't been offering the other side either. Just accepting she's full when she rejects/falls asleep at one breast and waiting until the next feed to even contemplate offering the other. Doh.