Green Poo

[Lolasmum]

My daughter is 9 weeks old and has been having lovely yellow poos since she was born. Since last Tuesday, all of her poos have been green, and she has started to get nappy rash as a result. She seems to be feeding well, normally for 1/2 an hour on each boob, so she must be getting lots of hind milk. In fact, her feeding pattern hasn't changed. Could there be a problem with my milk and I've stopped producing hind milk? She needs to put on weight as she was only 6lb 6oz when born and since then has only been putting on 3 ozs a week.

I'm staying with my parents at the moment so I haven't been able to see my health visitor but I've spoken to her on the phone. She seems to think that the green poo is due to her feeding too much (!). Can this be the case?

I can't wait to go back home and get her weighed.....

Not sure I can help, Lolasmum, but my dd had green poo at a bit younger than 9 weeks. I never really worked out the cause, but if your dd has nappy rash, my guess would be she's being irritated by something you're eating/drinking - I guessed that my dd was upset by me drinking fizzy drinks, things improved when I cut them out. My mil says my bil had terrible green nappies due to a chocolate allergy (he still can't eat chocolate !)

I did read somewhere that green poo can be a sign of underfeeding not overfeeding as your hv said, but this may well be wrong. Sorry this isn't much help, hope the yellow poo returns soon!

Lolasmum,... this question sounds like a good one for a BF counsellor.... why don't you give any of the (free) helpline a ring...
Association of Breastfeeding mothers -
24h helpline - 020.7813.1481

Breastfeeding Network - 0870.900.8787

La Leche League -
24h helpline - 020.7242.1275

National Childbirth Trust (NCT)
7 days a week 8AM to 10PM helpline
0870.444.8707

Hi

I contacted La Leche when I had a similar problem with my b/f ds - he was about 6-7 weeks. Here is her answer:

Zoe,
I looked in The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding and on page 77 found something about the color of the baby's stools. At birth the stool is a dark greenish black color and sticky. A baby who is only breastfed will have a stool that changes to a yellow to yellow-green to tan color as baby gets bigger. It is usually quite loose and unformed, often of a pea-soup consistency. The book also says that an occasional green, watery stool is nothing to worry about in an otherwise healthy baby. If I haven't answered your question fully or if there is something else you would like to know, just ring me or write an e-mail.

I took that as a "wait and see" which I did and all was fine, HTH

Lolasmum, my dd had the same thing probably around the same age. The lactation consultant I was seeing at the time told me that because a baby's stomach is immature, sometimes they have a bit of trouble digesting properly. Apparently it is quite normal as long as everything else with your dd is normal (as Zoe said in her message). Anything different is always a bit of a worry at first, we were worried at first too. As long as she is weeing enough and everything else is ok...don't worry.

Repeating what others have said.... green poo is normal, and not a sign of anything wrong, if everything else is ok. Babies sometimes get rid of their poo a bit more quickly and the residue doesn't change from green to tellow first. One solution I have heard to the problem is to wear sunglasses when changing nappies so you don't see the colour!!

In a baby who is otherwise fine there is nothing to be worried about and your HV has it quite wrong.

BTW, you can't stop producing hindmilk - hindmilk and foremilk are not two different sorts of milk. It's the same milk, but foremilk is the waterier components which trickle down to the front of the breast, leaving the creamier parts to be brought down under the stimulus of the let dwn reflex which makes the storage cells contract and push milk out.

One thought - do you take her off one side to put her on the other or does she let go on her own?
Babies often spend differing lengths of time at the breast and therefore should finish feeding spontaneously - that can make a difference to the amount of milk they take in. She might take 40mins on one and 10 on the other. She might not want the second side at all .

I think what your HV was referring to was babies who feed frequently, taking both sides , sometimes are only taking the foremilk on each breast which can cause frothy green poos. That is corrected by allowing the baby to feed longer on the one side.

I would not be concerned by your baby's weight gain - 3oz a week is 12oz in a month. A gain is a gain. They are all individuals. Weight is not an indicator of anything on it's own.
If she feeds well, has wet and dirty nappies, settles after feeds then she is fine. She does not need weighed every week. If you feel you must get her weighed then go fortnightly

NCT Breastfeeding Line is 0870 444 8708.

The other number quoted is an Enquiry line - not sure if there's a recorded msg but it won't be manned for the length of time the BF line is.

I had periods of green poo with my ds at that age. He ate like a horse and gained weight normally and is now 2 years and healthy and happy. As everyone else has said, don't worry. Save your energy for when she is 16 and comes home with a guy with 24 piercings and mom tatooed on his forehead...

We had episodes of green poo, too.
Baby just ate all the time. Definitely feeding too much!
What resolved it for me was mainly feeding off of the same side for long periods (so, only left breast for 3 hours, only rt breast for 4 hours, etc.), so that I knew the baby would get more fatty milk.

We've had two yellow poos today! (Well, Lola has, not me!)

I'm back at home now and my husband thinks that the green poos are a sign of her missing her Dad!

I do try to keep her on one side for as long as possible - sometimes 45 mins of sucking before she demands the next one. I'm going to speak to the HV tomorrow and see what she says. If Lola has put on weight I'll be happy. If not, and the green poos come back I'll try one of the help lines Pupuce suggested.

Thank you for all your comments.

Now for the next problem, how on earth can I get my strong willed daughter to take a bottle of EBM....... Husband is currently battling with her and I can hear the screams whilst I type....

About the bottles... if you wait another few weeks you may find she'll take a spout instead. Mine didn't really take to teats, but got soft beakers fine, from about 2.5 months in DDs case.