TBH Lulu, I have no idea LOL!! But it is true - I had an oversupply and it was only later that I found out at an ABA meeting that was what had been causing the green poos. Now I've heard it lots of places wouldn't you know!
It's something to do with an imbalance of foremilk/hindmilk, and the sugars.......I think! I should be able to explain this better, but I'm too tired! With an oversupply a baby will often get a lot of foremilk, but not much hindmilk. I shouldn't talk about these things, because really, the whole fore/hindmilk thing shouldn't be paid much attention But that's my understanding of it anyway.
And hopefully now Barb will come in here and correct me, and we'll all really know why oversupply has that effect on poo
I had the same problem with Jordan around that time. I had/have a forceful let down and I think I had an oversupply too at that stage. Best advice I can give from what worked for me was to ensure he had fully drained that side - often this meant he only fed (and still does) from one side per feed.
I would let him feed till he came off, burp him, offer that side again and when he came off again shortly I'd know it was empty.
He is now a very efficient feeder and one whole feed is about 3 minutes ( he is nearly 6 months) on one side. He weighs about 9kg already too, so I have never felt the need to feed off both sides as he gains weight and our poos are the right colour now heheheh
Janie, you are spot on with the compostion of the foremilk and hindmilk!
Foremilk is very high in lactose and the more watery part of the milk. the more foremilk he is getting the more his intestines need to work, and he made not be making quite enough of the enzyme that breaks it down - Lactase. In truly lactose intolerant bubs even the smallest bit of foremilk can send their poo to the state that Vixstar is dealing with.
Hindmilk has more fat and less sugars (lactose is a sugar) and is the part that returns the poo to yellow.
Vixstar, try expressing until a few minutes after your letdown as this will take more foremilk than hindmilk, and make sure he stays on until you are empty. you will feel very soft and floppy when you are empty.
Keep an eye on his weight though because if he is struggling with the lactose it can give diahorreah, and mucousy poo. mucousy poo is always a cause for concern, just as much as diahorreah.
vixstar, your baby sounds much like mine. dd has had green poo for months. mch nurses told me about the foremilk/hindmilk thing, so i started making absolutely sure she drained a breast at each feed. had no impact. i did notice, though, that at night, when she pooed less frequently, her poo was normal (or closer to normal) colour. when i saw the paed for 6 week checkup she said it had to do with bile and rapid excretion after feeding, which explained why it was green in the day and brown at night (when it had remained in her stomach longer). she said not to worry about it - that all shades of green were normal. still, i can't help being concerned since she's 4 months and still has some green poos; they are a bit mucousy sometimes too. she's otherwise happy and healthy though...
one thing that might help you (and me): dd had blood in her nappy a couple of times and i'm fairly sure this is to do with the amount of milk/milk products in my diet. i've gone off dairy (as of a few days ago) and time will tell whether the irritation caused by the milk proteins is what's made dd's poo so green and stinky.
i look forward to hearing what your GP says - but be warned, green poo is one of those things everyone seems to have a different explanation for!!
LOL have noticed that about it being a 'hot' topic but have found I have learn't so much. I feel more relaxed now about his green-age. he is still a happy chappy, sleeping through etc Might see CHN next week though.....
Thanks all for your help. I am on a BIG learning curve!
Hi
My DS had a lot of explosive green poo at around 6-8 weeks of age, it was quite watery and mucosy too. The Paed suggested expressing off the foremilk before feeds for a few days and that cleared it right up. In our case, i'd been on antibiotics a week before and that had given him diahorreah. This can strip the lactase from the gut, making them temporarily 'lactose intolerent', which can cause this sort of green poo 'squirts' (as opposed to regular green poo). Basically, expressing the foremilk gives the gut a chance to recover as it's not having to process so much of the high-sugar stuff.
Have fun with the poos everyone
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But that's my understanding of it anyway.
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