Endless green poo... When to worry? What to do?

[coveredinsnot]

My DD is 8 weeks old and has been producing green poos for the last 4 weeks. Initially they weren't all green but now they are, so definitely not getting better!

I did take antibiotics at 3 weeks pp so I initially thought it was this triggering the poos. However I was advised by a lactation consultant at my local breastfeeding drop in that this should have cleared up after a couple of weeks if related to the antibiotics.

At the 8 week gp visit today she said it could be lactose intolerance, and suggested we try colief. I'm willing to do this however I am ebf and not really expressing regularly and the administration of colief seems like a giant faff! (you have to put the drops into warm expressed milk then give this to baby on a small spoon before commencing with the rest of the feed... For every feed. Sounds torturous!)

I'm wondering several things -

1. could the green poos just be 'normal' for my DD? (she is otherwise very healthy and well and putting on weight)

2. anyone else had a similar experience and what did you do to resolve it?

3. should I cut out dairy from my diet or will it not make any difference?

Any advice welcome

It can be entirely normal. If she's happy and putting on weight I wouldn't worry.

I agree. DS1 had green poos for the entire time he was exclusively breastfed. He was otherwise well like your DD. I spent so much time wondering if there was something wrong.

I saw a pediatrician just a few weeks ago for something entirely unconnected (re: DS2) and the topic of green poos came up and he said it can be totally normal for breastfed babies and is just a reflection of how quickly breast milk moves through the baby's gut.

Two of my babies had this. Kellymom had some v helpful info and advice. Oversupply and them getting far too much foremilk was the issue and block feeding sorted it out fast.

Had very similar with DS2. Poos got green around 6 weeks, when I took antibiotics. Then got even greener after 8 weeks vaccination. Got a bit better by 12 weeks, but back to green after 12 weeks vaccination. Now, at 13 weeks, occasional yellow, but mostly greenish. Neither HV, nor pediatrician (saw for other reasons) were concerned - it seems it doesn't matter if everything else is fine. He is ebf, so giving colief or anything else seems a hassle, especially since there is now clinical evidence that they help (see NHS website). I was told it is not a problem if there are no other symptoms.

Daluze the rotavirus vaccine gave my DS green poos

My DD is also 8.5 weeks and EBF, she went from having yellow poo with the occasional greenish one to all green dead on 6 weeks, some of them were had mucous in them too. she was otherwise fine though. She has a small tongue tie and BF consultants suggested that she may not be getting enough fatty hind milk. I wondered why she hadn't had the problem before hand and the consultant said that as my milk supply settled there wasn't enough milk readily available. She was otherwise latching well, feeding well, gaining well, and seemed pretty happy and healthy but she wasn't sleeping for long periods of time so I have started expressing bottles of BF and giving those to her at night (as well as Bf) and her poos have mainly returned to yellow. I have also been doing breast compressions at the end of the feed to make sure that she is getting the hind milk.
However there is a lot of debate around the for milk/hind milk issue so it may not be that. I'm just trying everything (mainly so that she'll sleep a bit more!)
The HV said that it could just be anything to do with their digestion, a bit of colic etc and not to worry too much if they're otherwise fine, but I worried about it non stop for two weeks!

Sorry also to say that I thought of cutting out dairy in case she was intolerant but the BF consultant said that it's actually very rare (thankfully because I love cheese)

If she's happy and putting on weight I don't think i'd worry.

Mostly been covered already. DD2 (EBF for 6 months) had this from the first vaccination cycle on. It took about 4 weeks to clear by which time of course she was just about ready for the next set. I did try lots of things to try to better regulate her feeding but it made no difference. She is now 13 and none the worse for a babyhood of green poo.

Try feeding for longer from one boob, or starting the next feed from the same one you finished on.

DS had green poo for a while - also had a tongue tie - and they went away after a while with a combination of these things and god knows probably something else!

If you are worried see the Dr again.

My gp wasn't remotely worried when dd1 had green poos - she was gaining well and not v fussy so like others I'd not worry. In our case it did resolve after weeks we never really knew why.

There is no real debate about green poo. There are ill informed people who think there is something definitely wrong, and people who correctly identify this as perfectly NORMAL in a baby who is healthy and growing well.

I despair at a breastfeeding consultant (a meaningless title btw - anyone can call themselves this!) telling a mother there is something inadequate in the baby's intake of hindmilk. Unless there is more going on than you have written here, plant pot, this is very poor advice :(

It is not a problem in a baby who is healthy and growing well. Sorry that's what I said before, but it is so true!

Just to note - green poos definitely do not affect my son's night sleep. He is a miracle in that respect, and sleeps through the night 8-9 hours stretches from 8 weeks (at least for now, dreading famous "4 month regression"). His brother, although had yellow poos, never slept through until he was 2, and still wakes us up most night although he is nearly 3 now. Both ebf on demand.

Sorry ! What I was trying to say is that DS's poos were very dark green between about 6-12 weeks and they now have returned to mustard although sometimes a bit greenish. I was quite concerned, esp by the abrupt change and the fact I had oversupply issues too but HV and GP not worried and it seems to have resolved naturally as they said it would.

DS had green poos from 6wks until he started solids. No other issues, good feeder, good sleeper, no reflux, etc. it can be perfectly normal for some babies.

Oh dear tiktok.
With two different children and definite oversupply, block feeding, designed to ensure the baby gets more hindmilk and lesd foremilk, sorted out green poos, so I'm pretty damn sure there was a problem and the action I took was right.
I am a bit confused by your aggressive post tbh.

Honestly not aggressive, really :) just a tad sad that mothers are still worried about this and think it should be treated.

If a baby is not healthy and thriving and I could have added not showing signs of being distressed by over supply green poo does not need treating.

If a baby is showing signs of being distressed by over supply then of course try block feeding. Green poo of itself is not a problem. It's the distress of over supply that s the problem.

Hope this clears up the impression of my reaction. I stand by the fact there is no actual debate - not in the sense that plantpot meant :)

DD2 had mostly green poos that were quite mucousy. She fed a lot - had reflux - and I did worry about the foremilk thing and also convinced myself that she had some kind of dairy intolerance not that I was able to give up dairy

I just chose to ignore it seeing as she was OK. Her poos have been very normal since solids. She doesn't have a dairy allergy but she does have an egg allergy.

DD's allergist told me that the big indicator of a dairy allergy is eczema, and DD actually has beautifully clear skin so I'm glad I didn't cut out dairy unnecessarily.

Thanks so much for all your thoughtful replies. How do you know if you have oversupply issues?

Found out that DD has posterior tongue tie so I'm wondering if that has anything to do with it...

Anyway I'm not overly worried and am less so now after reading your replies! DD has gone from the 50th centile to the 90th and has stayed there since week 2 so I'm really not worried about her weight gain.

Gp is sending off a poo sample just to rule anything else out so we'll see what the outcome of that is... In the meantime I'll go back to ignoring it!

Over supply is unusual. It's characterised by huge weight gains, copious leaking from the breast, baby being overwhelmed with the flow , colicky screaming....and yes, often green poo.

Most green poo has nothing to do with over supply.

Definitely no oversupply here then thanks, I know I could have Googled that myself. Gosh I'm lazy sometimes.