foremilk/hindmilk imbalance, green foamy poos - when to give up breastfeeding and switch to formula instead?

[thesmallestpotato]

EBF 9 week old has had foamy green poos a few times a day for the last couple of weeks, morning nappies are usually yellow with curds but as the day goes on they become increasingly foamy, mucousy and green

I've tried cutting out dairy but it didn't make much difference so I think it must be a milk imbalance

I've tried expressing a bit of the foremilk off before feeds, I've tried stopping her from comfort suckling but the poos are still green, she seems perfectly happy so I don't think she's ill, I'm still bf my toddler on request (a few times a day but not at regular times), I wondered if this could be messing up my milk production?

As an experiment, I expressed some milk into a glass and left it to separate - it was about 2/3 watery, 1/3 creamy - is this about the right ratio?

I don't want to take her for her first immunisations until the green poo problem is fixed (I've heard immunising with an upset tummy is a bad idea), so obviously I want her to get better asap - I'm terrified of this whooping cough that's around at the moment so I'm anxious she gets immunised soon, but I don't want to risk damaging her gut by getting her immunised when her digestive system isn't right

I'm wondering much longer I should persevere with breastfeeding? Should I just switch to formula now, as two weeks is a long time for her not to be 'right', I'm also concerned that if it's a milk imbalance she isn't getting the nutrition that she needs, ideally I'd like to keep breast feeding but am not averse to formula feeding if it'll solve the problem quickly and make her better

I had this exact same problem. Do you switch sides halfway through a feed op? You need to keep to one side until that breast is empty. If thatsnot the case, you should feed your baby from one side for two feeds and then do the same for the other side. This will balance out the hind/foremilk. It will take about a week for your breasts to adjust.

(thanks tiktok)

(Sorry to hijack but, I was just reflecting on how confusing it can all be - one HV told me to empty the breast - another to offer both....some people adamant re hind/fore milk and some not.....think we'll go back to the emptying thing and we'll just not worry about it all!)

Happy nappies to all xx

here this is helpful.

If there is nothing obvious (like your dh with his heart shaped tongue), it could still be the case that she is tied. Tongue ties come in lots of different shapes and sizes and sometimes the frenulum can be buried in the membranes and not be visible at all.

shows how to examine for posterior tongue tie (there's no sound on the video btw). Many babies with posterior ties have tongues that look normal to the untrained eye, they can often stick them out or lift them fairly high, it is the back of the tongue that is tethered. Another thing that can happen is that the floor of the mouth is stretchy enough and it hikes up along with the tongue as it lifts.

Trouble is about posterior ties is that they are often missed because of insufficient knowledge.

Have a look under her lip too. pics of lip ties in this article There will be somebody out there who has a lip tie and no tongue tie, but they most often come hand in hand. And also have a look at her palate.

Milk Matters who I linked to earlier are experts in tongue tie and would be able to give you an indication as to whether there is a tie or not.

HairyToothbrush - that advice is for women who have an oversupply and need to reduce their supply. It won't balance foremilk and hindmilk.

A baby can't "empty a breast". Just feed on one side until the baby comes off, then offer the other side til they come off, then go back to the first until they don't want anymore. It's better to offer both breasts at each feed - you baby will only take the second one if they need it.

Sorry sam (and op) I didn't realise. This was the advice my gp gave me and told me i had an hind/foremilk imbalance. Didn't mean to give wrong advice.