What do green poos mean in a bf baby?

[rubles]

I thought it meant too much foremilk. If so, does that mean that the baby is still getting some calories? What makes the poo green?

My baby is poorly with bronchiolitis, and she lost 10oz in one week, to my absolute horror and distress.
I am trying really hard to get her to feed, but she won't take much at all from a bottle, cup or breast. Now she has started to do green poos.
Do you think this is to do with the fact that at most she only starts on a breast for about a minute and then falls asleep, so it is only foremilk she is getting. That's better than nothing isn't it??? Is a green poo so very bad??

GP wasn't particularly helpful on the topic of feeding, he just said to get her reweighed in a week and didn't know much about the green poo. He said to give her water if she seems dehydrated, but I don't know how i'll get water down her if milk won't go down.

Green poo in BF babies AFAIK is normal.

is it like pesto? If so it's fine. Breastfed baby poo is alwyas a very peculiar colour - yellowy and green I seem to remember!

Try and talk to a BF counsellor if you can - they wil be more helpful than GP

How old is babe?
I wouldn't stress too much about the foremilk / hindmilk thing (I don't think it is as clear cut as some people think), though you could try feeding off the same breast for 2 feeds

I seem to recall someone saying that green poo may be a sign of not enough food.

Hang on and will get some links for you

yes kind of pesto colour

She is 8 weeks and she only feeds for about 1 minute MAX before falling asleep. I do try her off the same breast again, but she just never takes much at the moment.
It probably is not enough food.....

I have just been to the chemist though, and they have given me a tiny syringe which holds 5ml - not much but I could try squirting some expressed milk in her mouth. They were more help than the bloody GP, who was just arrogant and patronising.

Must first of all say this is only based on reading and not personal experience - currently 35wks pregnant so have been trying to find out as much as I can about feeding.

My NCT antenatal teacher said that green poo is a sign that the baby is getting too much foremilk - which fits with what you've said about the lengths of her feeds. Giving her water may interfere with your breastfeeding and also it's the foremilk that keeps her rehydrated, what she might be missing is the calories from the hindmilk. Have you tried waking her and offering her the same breast again?

She is impossible to wake. Really. She is quite poorly I think, the poor mite.

Foremilk has calories too, though, doesn't it?

My DD had a lot of green poo periods when she was tiny. The nurse at the baby clinic told me not to worry about it, the too much foremilk/not enough hindmilk theory is a myth, apparently.

I think so but the hindmilk is richer and provides more nutritionally. I'm sorry, I think I've used up everything helpful that I know. Have you contacted a BF adviser? I don't want to make guesses that might be completely misleading. Hopefully someone more experienced/knowledgeable will come along.

Yes it does have calories too - and if she is ill she probably does want more hydration than food. According to kellymom I think it is not unusal to have the occasional green one anyway

kelly mom is a great site

There is a link on there to this

Have you started taking a supplement by any chance e.g. vitamins, cod liver oil?

Both my bf babies' poo was always greeny-yellow and like pesto, a real dungy khaki colour I seem to remember, often very mustardy (whole-grain). Sorry anyone eating their lunch! If I was you I would ring for advice:

La Leche League 0845 120 2918 or
Breastfeeding Network 0870 900 8787 or
Assoc of Breastfeeding Mothers 0870 401 7711

I only have first-hand experience of LLL but it could be worth trying the others?

rubles, you need medical help with this.

Green poo in a healthy bf baby is not normally an issue but green poo in a sick baby who is falling asleep at the breast and whose weight has dropped is a real concern....
This is not a talkboard question, sorry, but one for your health visitor today and if your baby continues to be poorly and to feed ineffectively as the day goes on, A&E.

And please, everybody, stop trying to reassure rubles....her baby is ill and needs medical attention. I know everyone means well, but this really gets to me, sorry!

well said, tiktok.

good luck, rubles.

Dear Rubles

i too got a little concerned with how your baby was doing, can you let us know how things have gone and if shes ok now ?

Glad you're here, tiktok, look forward to hearing how everything goes, Rubles.

Well it's good news (I think - touch wood).
I had actually already been to the GP on Thursday prior to posting on here. He rang the Paediatric A&E and they said it sounded like Bronchiolitis (sp?) that I could treat at home. The GP told me to come back in a week to re-weigh.
I was asking on Mumsnet yesterday because dd was still not wakeful enough for my liking and had started doing the green poos regularly. I wasn't sure if the gP was being too complacent about the weight loss, he wasn't really sympathetic or helpful and seemed more concerned with giving her the BCG injection. I was wary of a telephone diagnosis, I felt quite alone trying to feed a baby that clearly didn't want to feed and yet really needed to, wanting to know if I was doing the right things and if things were improving. I was also assessing whether to go back to A&E directly - whether there was any point etc.

As it happened she did start to show signs of feeding properly again last night, and this morning was awake for a 3 hour stretch during which time I have managed to feed her. Her poos are now turning more luminous and runny, although there have also still been little green ones too. I now have her lying on my knee smiling lots and lots and generally being more of a normal baby again. We are probably not out of the woods yet, but hopefully we have turned a corner.

Thanks for your concern & thanks for asking after me.

Mine all had green poos - the health visitor said it was because they were 'snacking', ie having too much foremilk. They all thrived, so no biggie.

Really glad your baby is doing better, Rubles.