Green poo in 5 week old. Getting foremilk but not hindmilk? Mummy feeling upset.

[Totality22]

Seriously fed up as to be honest bf'ing has been a nightmare so far.

I'm just getting into the swing of things but we've had a few days of green poo's so I've Googled and baby fits the bill of getting foremilk but not hindmilk.

What can I do? I'll ring bf'ing people but I can't get to HV (sick toddler)

Am so disheartened right now and upset my poor baby isn't getting all her nutrients.

The foremilk/hindmilk thing is a bit of a misunderstood concept. Your baby is getting the nutrients she needs, there aren't two different types of milk like that.

Green poo can simply be a slight tummy bug or other small illness, or just be one of those things. Don't be downhearted or dispirited, you're not doing anything wrong.

This is a good explanation

Breastfeedings hard, but it gets easier as the weeks go on. Don't worry, your baby is getting exactly what it needs

Ds (9 weeks) has the odd green poo every so often, after speaking to a hv and a gp they weren't concerned at all and told me not to worry as its normal.

I agree. The foremilk/hind milk thinking is outdated. Speak to your gp if concerned but green poo in an otherwise well baby is not that concerning.

congratulations on your new baby. Was gonna link to the same article!
Sometimes if baby only has a quick feed they are getting more 'foremilk' BUT this will prob balance out on the next feed (providing you start that feed from the same breast) as the more frequent the feeds ie the less time imbetween feeding the more 'hindmilk' (fattier) there is. This is why its suggested to make sure baby has finished on one side before offering the other(this doesn't mean they have to stay on 1 side for a certain amount of mins just that when they come off themselves will they go back on that side? if not offer the other side(they may or may not want the other side)) Also if they have both 'sides' at a feed start the next feed with the side you finished on.
It might just be that as your toddler is sick the baby might have a bit of the same bug and so is just havin few bad nappies!
I wouldn't worry about the green poos at the mo. Mybe if they are consistent for a long time then get some advice. HV's can be great but some of them haven't had up to date training on breastfeeding (no budget!!) so sometimes they're bf advice isn't always accurate. however they can physically see your baby whereas people on talk forums cant! So never just dismiss their advice but double check it yourself.

Mine had green poo at this age. Once asked the health visitor about it. She said she had been to a conference about it! The upshot was that it was OK as long as the baby was gaining weight and otherwise healthy.

Is there anything else you're worried about with the bf'ing or baby? Is weight gain OK? Are you in pain? Is baby generally settled?

Sometimes they get green poo. If there are no issues I just ignore it.

Pain, frothy or slimy poo or bloody poo indicate problems (though they could be as simple as teething or a tiny cut/chafe on the bum I always get tge gp to look).

Green on its own is ok.

Thanks for the replies. Baby has gained a lot of weight (still in her centile but she's gained almost 2lbs in 3 weeks).

She gets a bit cranky at night and can be a bit fussy on boobs at this time as well. She is also a bit sicky (but she can go days without any real sickness and then have a few feeds where she is a bit sicky after). It's not every day or every feed. She is very alert and seems healthy in my non expert opinion. We saw HV recently but her poos weren't green then.

Toddler has a cough and cold not a tummy bug so I don't think its that [baby been mucusy / sicky since birth].

There is no pain when feeding so I don't think its a latch issue. But I have been swapping boobs incorrectly and with toddler I do sometimes have to stop feeds to attend to him get him out of whatever he has climbed on / got stuck in

I expressed and bottle fed DS so I'm a complete novice about bf'ing.

It sounds like you are doing fine, and green poo can be normal. I wouldn't bother with HV, but when your toddler is better I'd go along to a feeding support group to chat it through and hopefully get some reassurance and confidence. I can't say for your area but all the bf groups I've volunteered at would be fine with you bringing your toddler, some are well set up for it with toys etc.

Totally agree with everyone else that it's wvey easy to overthink the foremilk/hindmilk thing. Your baby sounds perfectly normal to me but I know how disheartening bf can be when you feel it's not going right. Have you tried phoning one of the national bf helplines?

I'm glad there's nothing else worrying you .
Sounds like it should all resolve itself, but keep and eye and ask for prof help if you remain concerned (as always).

My ds1 had green algae type poo at this stage & someone mentioned the whole fore/hind milk thing. I was very beaten down by bfing at that point & just gave up for I couldn't figure out how I could control what was coming out of my boobs!
If bfing is suiting you, keep going, & seek out some decent advice.

My DD had this several times. I said to the HV and she said "That's because her daddy is a (Glasgow) Celtic supporter" Took a minute to sink in she was joking (but accurate and we were living in England).

Absolutely nothing to worry about.

This happens to my dd too. I asked the HV and she said nothing to worry about if the baby is otherwise doing well and gaining weight.