Oversupply causing green blood streaked poop?

My 4week old DS1 has been having green poop streaked with what looks like mucusy blood. This happened in this mornings nappy (biggest poop I've ever seen him do) and then a couple of times this afternoon but much smaller. You can see the blood but only if you look closely, i would have easily missed it I think if I hadn't been so intrigued by the dark green colour which is the first I've seen as well. I called the MCHN line and she said its normal for breastfed babies poop to change colour so green wasn't a concern. She said the blood if its red could be from a sore rectum, which he does have and we've been using sudocrem to help with, or she said it could also be an oversupply of milk. She explained that it bubs doesn't get enough of the fatty milk then to much sugar from the foremilk upsets babies intestines and can cause the bleeding as well. Bubs has been a bit unsettled the last few days and having more frequent feeds which aren't lasting as long so this would make sense that he's not getting enough of the fatty stuff however it's still scary seeing his nappies like that. I tried to get into the doc this afternoon but couldn't so will go tomorrow if there's still blood. I'm hoping someone may have experienced something similar and can put my mind at ease! Thanks.

Sorry I don't have any experience. But it could also possibly be something u ate upsetting his little tummy? Was it bright red coloured or older blood coloured? I'm not sure about the fore milk / hind milk stuff I always thought it wasn't as cut and dry as that through out a feed like u get a mixture of it at different times of the feed?

I know barb is great with BM questions so I'm sure she will be along soon. I u do have another happy tmrw and are seeing doctor mayb keep a hold of it and take to the go? Gross I know but atleast then u don't have to explain what it is!

Dairy allergy? That's what green and mucousy meant for us...

I had to express 40ml from each boob before every feed due to this exact problem.
Boobs never settled down for four months :/
Well done for sticking it out, if it is your oversupply that's the problem I hope things settle quickly for you both, it does get easier x

Could be a milk protein intolerance. Is your baby very unsettled and cries a lot and not a great sleeper?

Too much milk can cause tummy upsets, yes. It can present as lactose overload.
Here are some suggestions for dealing with oversupply.

The blood might be worth following up on with your CHN or GP, just in case there's an internal source and it's due to colitis, or some thing like that (which is often associated with an allergy). Keeping a nappy to show isn't a bad idea, either!

I agree the green poo sounds a lot like lactose overload. As for the blood it could be something simple like a small fissure in the rectum, to something more serious like a tear in the gut or something totally different. I would definitely go see a GP or a paediatrician.

The whole foremilk/hindmilk thing is a bit different to what a lot of people think - it isn't a simple as flicking a switch and changing from fore to hind, there is no clear distinction between the two. Rather it is better to think of the fat content in milk changing during the feed - but not simply from little fat to lots of fat.

It's better to think of it like a tap, which has hot and cold water. When you turn it on, it is initially cold and then as the water runs, it turns warm then hot. Your breasts are the same with fat content. Initially there isn't much fat in breast milk but as the feed progresses, the fat globules dislodge from where they are stored in the breast and mix into the milk, hence increasing the fat content.

But what happens if you come back to a tap not long after running the hot water? It's still hot. And breasts can be the same - if you feed frequently from one side, you can start with a higher fat content right away.

There is a great explanation (it's where I stole the tap metaphor from) on the Kelly mom website.

Hi, It’s scary seeing blood in the poo - but more commonly there is a simple explanation. How are your nipples doing? Probably the commonest reason for blood in baby’s nappies is a damaged nipple. Could that be the case? Sometimes they have a little bleed during the feed, and you don’t even realise. In that case it’s no drama. Otherwise, the info MadB sent is great. Even if it’s an allergy induced colitis (which just means irritation, really) it’s important to keep breastfeeding! There is nothing at all better. Let us know what you find out!

Thank you all so much for your replies. It is scary! I've only just got him I sleep after an unsettled couple of hours. His last nappy change was better, a bit more yellow this time but still small amount of blood. The MCHN said to feed from one side only for a couple of days to see if this fixes the problem and gives bubs more fatty milk, exactly like the tap reference!! My nipples seem ok, a little tender when he latches but give him a few seconds and he's feeding fine with no pain for me. Ill def go to my GP tomorrow even if it goes away overnight, just for price of mind. My poor DP has been googling to much and wants to go to the hospital, I can understand him being worried but I'm confident it's nothing to serious and I think the milk may be the problem. My fault as I've been settling him late evening (seems to be his fussy time) by putting him back on the boob, which works a treat but he will only feed for maybe a few minutes until he's asleep so he wouldn't be getting much fatty milk then I wouldn't think. Oh I don't know!!! Ill let you know what the doc says tomorrow. Thanks again ladies :)

How did you go?

Your milk is really, really not the fault - nor is the way you have been settling him!

:hug: It's hard when you get lots of different information!
Block feeding as the nurse suggested might help with the oversupply, yes. Feeding to settle and sleep is totally normal and probably isn't the problem. All else being equal, it actually doesn' tmatter whether they have lots of smal feeds or a few large ones - they get the same amount of fat overall.

The dr wasn't sure what it could be. DS1 had his first proper bowel movement since yesterday while we were there and it was less green but still some blood :( we are going to monitor DS1 and his nappies over the next 24 hrs and go see the dr again tomorrow. He's been so unsettled today and in obvious pain at times and it breaks my heart :( I just hope he has a good sleep through the night and we can get some answers tomorrow. Thanks for checking up :)

Hugs.
Here's hoping they find out what's going on in your little man.