BF 2 week old - green poos - should i be worried?

[pulapula]

DS has been breastfed since birth, and had the odd green nappy, but mostly they have been yellow. However for the last few days, all have been green.

I have just introduced bottles of expressed milk and although I'm sterilising (sometimes just in boiling water for speed), I'm worried that it could be related.

Are constant green nappies OK?

Although I've got an older DD, I don't remember that many green nappies...

[octo]

I was told it was normal - there was a post about this the other day. My hosp gave us a leaflet with photos on the colour of poo!!!

[TheChamberofCarrots]

I'm sure green poo is normal too, but you could ring your midwife and ask. Are still under their care?

[Jomaja]

Ds had those when I had loads of chocolate as he reacted to it with a bad tummy. I noticed when I did not eat chocolate for a while his poos changed colour too.
Not sure whether that was a coincidence although it happened more than once (I just could not go four months without any chocolate )

[daisyandbabybootoo]

i was told it was normal as long as it wasn't stringy and mucousy (sp?)

[TheChamberofCarrots]

What does stringy and mucousy mean then, my six month old often has mucousy nappies?

[octo]

Yes - think is some kind of intolerance thing?

[JodieG1]

Green poo usually means too more fore milk and not enough hind milk. Feeding too short on one side can cause this.

[pulapula]

Thanks for the messages.

I have been avoiding chocolate as heard it could trigger digestive problems.

Poos are stringy/mucousy too, so maybe i should check with my HV. When he had the odd green poo, i asked the MW and she thought it could be a sign of wind, but now its constant, it's a bit more worrying.

I wondered if it could be a sign of too much foremilk and not enough hindmilk? DS does fall asleep feeding but does manage 20 minutes single-sided usually, but sometimes just 10 min.

Thanks for the advice

[octo]

Avoiding chocolate - are you mad? I have eaten 12 plain choc digestives today Think ds3 getting addicted

[JodieG1]

My first thought would be yes too much fore milk. Try putting him back on the same side for 2 feeds in a row and see if it makes a difference.

[pulapula]

well, when i say avoiding chocolate, i mean it in the loosest terms- i had stopped, but here i am BF eating my second giant choc chip cookie of the day, but at least its not the box of milk tray, lindt truffles and thortons i was eating a week or so ago. and the constant green nappies didn't start for some time after, so not sure its directly linked.

I think the foremilk thing could be the culprit. i tend to use breast shells to collect milk for his one bottle a day, as i can leak up to 2 oz a feed from the other breast! I then pump a few oz to top it up, but guess most will be foremilk. I may have to pump more following feeds to get more hindmilk for the bottle and see if that helps.

[daisyandbabybootoo]

I was told by my MW that stringy/mucousy is a sign of diahorrea in a baby.

My 5.5 week old DD had green stringy poos when I was taking anti-biotics for an infection in my CS wound when she was two weeks old. MW said it was diahorrea due to the anti biotics upsetting her system. It cleared up three days after I stopped the tablets.

Could your DC have a tummy bug?

[JodieG1]

From your last post I'd go with the too much fore milk. It doesn't take long to remedy so see how you go.

[mummypig]

hi my ds2 had green poo constantly for months and mw, hv and gp were not very concerned. BUT it took me months to realise that he had reflux and I think (looking back) that it was linked to the whole foremilk/hindmilk imbalance thing (he didn't feed for very long because he was in pain and for a while I mistakenly made him wait for too long between feeds in the hope that he would feed more).

If you are waiting a while between expressing sessions then I personally think you might be giving more 'foremilk' (high carb and lower fat) than 'hindmilk' in the bottles. I would suggest expressing 'little and often' and also talking to someone who really knows about breastmilk (like a LLL leader or a trained breastfeeding counsellor) and seeing what they think. Imho and experience many MWs, HVs and GPs don't really know what they are talking about in this area (and have not received any breastfeeding specific training either).

[JodieG1]

I'm hoping to start my training as a mother supporter with the ABM and then go on to a bf consellor, have submitted my application and am waiting to hear back so I've been reading up on everything

[octo]

How do you know if your baby is getting enough hindmilk? (apologies for hijack!)

[JodieG1]

Lack of green poo is a good sign.

[TheChamberofCarrots]

I think the mucous might tally with his allergies, I avoid wheat and dairy but sometimes I have it by mistake and it sets his wheeziness off. Would be interesting to see if the weird nappies are at the same time.