Green poo and slow weight gain in breasted baby

[ReluctantCamper]

Hello, I wondered if anyone has had any experience of this or has advice to offer? My DS is 3.5 weeks old. In the first 12 days he had OK weight gain, but in the last 13 days he has only gained 3oz, and his nappies have been green and runny.

I always let him stay on the boob until he's finished, so hopefully he's getting hind milk.....

He was 11lb at birth, and the hospital insisted on topping him up with formula as they were worried about his blood sugar, which he was fine with, so I'm pretty sure there's no lactose intolerance.

Thanks for any help you can give.....

How often does your baby feed in 24 hrs? Generally, more feeds means more milk going in and more weight gain, but it can be helpful to Google for videos that show what 'drinking milk' looks like as opposed to just latching on.

You mention green poo - but is it very smelly or otherwise different from normal poo? Usually the colour just shows the milk the baby was drinking was high in milk sugars but it can also be a sign of infection so if it seems nasty as well as just green maybe get your GP to check it out.

Hi, I had a green poop problem with my first one, but she was otherwise healthy (apart from reflux) and I never got to the bottom of it. Asked HV, GP and nobody seemed to know or be bothered by it. At some point it just went away, but it kept reappearing at randpm until she was about 7 months. I was on dairy free diet with her as well.
So far no green poo with second one.
What is the poo like? Is it mucosy? Haveva read of this articleon kellymom, hope this helps!
kellymom.com/health/growth/weight-gain_increase/

Green poo can be a sign of only getting the fore milk. Put him back on the same breast for the next feed to help get the fatty hind milk.

This sounds a bit like what we had with dd. Through trial and error I ended up timing her on the boob and she went back on the same boob each feed until she had clocked 30 mins on that boob. If she was still going I would let her finish (so sometimes we would get to 50 mins total on one boob over maybe 3-4 feeds) but otherwise I would put her on the other boob until she had done 30 mins on that one. She fed a lot so I had no troubles with engorgement etc. - I think this just ensured she got the hind milk. We are now 7 months in, still EBF and weight gain and poos fine. I never checked my BF 'tactics' with anyone medical but it seems to work for us. Good luck and congrats!

I had this and at 8 weeks my dd had tongue tie division. She couldn't compress the breast so it was like she was drinking through a straw, made it very hard work for her to get the hind milk and impacted my supply. I'm not saying that this is the only cause of green poo and slow weight gain, that's just my experience. Have you been referred to an infant feeding coordinator for support? Or could you see a lactation consultant from nct or LLL?
It was really bloody hard work for me but the combination of receiving great support and being very stubborn meant we got there in the end and I'm pleased we did.
I hope things improve quickly for you

Dd2 had a spell of green poo in the first two weeks. It smelt like normal BF poos, but resembled pesto- grass coloured. After googling and posting here the consensus seemed to be that green poo on its own is not a concern, but you have a slow weight gain too. But it is still a gain and your supply will still be building up. I know how worrying it is!
Both of my DDs were big/ long babies (90+) and they kept dropping down centiles for the first couple of months on weight as had poor weight gain until they found "their" curve. I would keep putting to the breast as often as you can and get weighed regularly.

Thanks for the answers. I will try your technique to get more hind milk into him orangedaisy. It's nice to hear that other people have had this and managed to keep breast feeding.

Can understand why you are concerned about this, Camper.

The green poo could be nothing but the worrying thing is the slow weight gain. Of course, it could be 'catch down' growth - your baby started at 11 pounds and would not be expected to gain weight quickly. You really need someone in real life to assess your situation - I think you will get confusing stuff on a talkboard.

The advice to keep your baby on one side only is wrong, I'm afraid. This is the opposite of what you should be doing and I do wish the myth that babies should stay on the same side to 'get the hindmilk' would die a death.....it is volume of milk that drives weight gain, and you reduce the volume of milk deliberately keeping the baby on one side.

Babies who are gaining well and mothers who have a good milk supply don't need to worry too much about this, one way or the other, but where there is slow weight gain and also, as here, a history of formula supplements which will have driven down supply, it is vital to make sure each breast is used frequently in order to ensure a good supply and a good intake.

Please don't do what orangedaisy said - it might have been ok for her, but her situation was not the same as yours. Even worse would be to do what Angus said, and actually use the same breast over two feeds. This is what mothers have to do when they have over-supply issues, because it reduces the milk production.

Honestly, the best thing to do is to find someone who can observe you feed and who understands about how breastfeeding works.

This blogpost might help you and others understand better about fore/hindmilk:

thefunnyshapedwoman.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/foremilk-and-hindmilk-in-quest-of.html

tiktok that advice goes against everything I was told by my lactation consultant just 10 months ago.

I'm not saying you're wrong, but neither am I. That advice worked for us. Please don't bulldoze other people's experiences.

OP, I'd suggest getting advice from your midwife, GP and possibly a lactation consultant. Good luck

Angus, sorry you were offended. I am not 'bulldozing other people's experiences', really, I'm not:)

You had an experience. You told a mother who may have had an entirely different experience to do the same as you did, assuming it would also help her.

I just can't support you in that, and pointing out, as I did, that if the OP followed what you told her to do she would make things worse is not 'bulldozing' you. It is making sure the OP and anyone else who reads this thread is not misled into making their situation worse.

If the lactation consultant told you that the rule is for babies who need to gain weight more quickly to be put on the same side twice in succession 'to get the hindmilk' she is in sore need of updating.

However, there may be individual scenarios where non-textbook solutions might apply, and of course I don't know your full story.

But I am glad you are not saying I am wrong! I am not wrong - I feel as sure as I can possibly be that my information was correct :) If you want to know more detail, happy to post it here, or you can PM me.

I think you could have put your point across in a less abrasive way. Everyone that posted is just trying to help the OP, whether or not it's the advice you would have given.

I am very glad you have your convictions and thank you for the offer of the pm.

I still think the OP should see a healthcare professional to assess HER individual situation.

Angus, sorry you thought my point was made abrasively. When people challenge something we 'know' to be true, it can feel abrasive. I wasn't actually nasty or personal to you in any way - I didn't accuse you of anything, for example 'bulldozing' :)

Of course the OP should see someone appropriate and knowledgeable in real life - just as I said. I hope she does.

My experience of feeding hospital breast pumps is that the milk first comes out like cloudy water, then as soon as you get your let-down reflex, it all goes white, like magic. So you are getting hind milk right from let-down.

So the best thing to do is to get nice and comfy, with cushions and foot and leg rest, cup of tea & nibble, put something nice on the television, and relax and let it all happen.

One SCBU nurse told me it is easy to get extra milk into bottle fed babies, but not with breast fed babies - they are under control and will take what they want.

My first was 7lb 12oz when he was born, lost 1/2oz, then rapidly went up to 10lb 3oz at 4 weeks. At 6 weeks, he was 10lb 4oz and eventually just followed a much lower centile on the chart. I don't think it is that unusual, but if you are unhappy, see your doctor or a breast feeding counsellor.

Hi, thanks for the further replies. I have seen a HV and an NCT BF advisor, but the advice always seems to be so vague, I thought I'd see if anyone had any experiences to offer.

I have started doing breast compressions which are helping to keep him drinking. Next weigh in on Monday so will see if it makes any difference.