My baby is 4 months old and I have been breastfeeding thus far. It is going really well, except for the fact that lately every stool he has is green! Most times it is runny too. I have asked my doctor and she says it's ok. So, I let it go not worrying but like I said, lately it is more then before! EVERY diaper. Before it would only be a few diapers a day. I have done online research and what I read says that a green stool is sometimes ok, if rare. This isn't rare. I have begun eliminating all dairy products from my diet to see if that is a culprit. He also is a champion vomit er and since taking dairy away he does not vomit as much! =) I realize it may take a few weeks for dairy to get out of my system. My question is, has anyone else experienced this with there babies...and if so was there a certain food you eliminated that helped? I am not sure if I should be concerned. He is eating well, seems healthy, gaining weight. I am going to bring this up again at his next appointment and see if his doctor says anything new. I nursed my oldest son and he never had green stools. Always yellow, seedy or brown like they are supposed to be. I know runny is normal also. Thank you!
*********************THANK YOU!!!!************************************************
HEY EVERYONE! I WASN'T SURE HOW TO REPLY TO YOU ALL BUT I WANTED TO THANK YOU EACH FOR YOUR TIME AND YOUR HELPFUL ADVICE!! SEEMS THERE IS A THEME HERE...HINDMILK/FOREMILK RATIO! I HAVE HEARD ABOUT THAT AND I HAD NOT CONSIDERED THAT. I HAVE BEEN VERY FULL THIS TIME (MY FIRST IT WAS AS IF I DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH MILK) AND SOMETIMES WHEN HE EATS IT JUST SHOOTS OUT EVERYWHERE AND HE GAGS! I STARTED TO PUMP A FEW MONTHS AGO AND FEED HIM A BOTTLE EVERY FEW FEEDINGS TO HELP WITH THIS...HE PUT ON WEIGHT LIKE CRAZY THEN! I ACTUALLY DO NOT SWITCH BREASTS WHEN HE EATS..HE LATELY HAS BEEN EATING FOR A VERY SHORT TIME AND THEN HE STOPS AND DOESN'T WANT ANYMORE. IT'S LIKE HE TAKES A FEW SIPS AND IS DONE. SO THAT IS PROBABLY WHY HE IS NOT GETTING IT ALL. I AM CONSIDERING KEEPING HIM ON THE ONE SIDE FOR A FEW HOURS AS WAS SUGGESTED ADN SEE IF THAT HELPS. IF NOT I MAY JUST GO BACK TO PUMPING AND BOTTLE FEEDING SOME. AT LEAST WITH THAT I AM DRAINING MY BREAST FULLY. THANK YOU ALL AGAIN!
All 4 of my children had greenish stools while breastfeeding. They didn't get brown until they ate "food".
M.,
It sounds like what you are seeing could also be a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance. This manifests as green, runny, sometimes foamy stools. Do you have an abundent supply? Any sputtering, choking, or gasping at milk coming out quickly?
The easiest way to correct the problem is to "block nurse" by using the same breast longer, usually for multiple feedings before switching to the other side.
Here are a few links that might help:
Explanation of foremilk, hindmilk, and fat contents:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/foremilk-hindmilk.html
Description of oversupply and green stools:
http://www.llli.org/NB/LVSepOct95p71NB.html
Forceful Letdown, tips for coping with:
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/fast-letdown.html
Have the stools always been green and runny? It's unlikely that this far into the game the little one would suddenly develope an intolerance to something in your diet.
S.
I had the same problem with my son. i thought it was dairy but it wasn't. It was actually foremilk/hindmilk imbalance. Try letting your son eat on one breast for 2-3 hours meaning every feeding for those 2-3 hours are only on that one breast then switch. As long as he is gaining weight he should be fine. It took about 2 weeks for his stools to change back to normal give it some time. try this website
http://www.lowmilksupply.org/oversupply.shtml
What you want to do is to lengthen your feeding on the side you are feeding on. Don't switch so soon. He isn't getting the hind milk only the foremilk. Only then do you want to switch to the other side.
typically green stools do not indicate a food aversion/allergy. instead, it is an imbalance of carbohydrate-rich breastmilk and fat-rich breastmilk. sounds like you might be switching the baby from one breast too soon. it's weird, yes, but not necessarily a terrible thing for the baby. most pediatricians will not address this because of all the things important for the baby - like fevers, cough, ear infection, head bumps - green stools are kind of normal. the old docs especially will basically ignore it - they've see it all!
breastfeedingresourcecenter.org is a great non-profit that employs lactation consultants and works either through your insurance or they have a sliding-scale for out of pocket. they are located in Glenside, on Easton Ave walking distance from the train station (R5)
if you're really concerned, try keeping your baby on the one breast until you know it is absolutely spent. (the hind milk is the fatty milk)
good luck,
C.
It's always so difficult to figure out this stuff, isn't it? We had issues with vomiting, but only after he was eating solids. It turns out that he has a wheat intolerance (gluten intolerance? At this point, not sure). Eliminating things from your diet, if you are truly concerned, is the way to go. But, wheat that I ate didn't affect our little guy when I was breastfeeding. And, just so you know, he could eat certain foods in the beginning, and then developed allergies to them (ie, sesame -- no more hummus, which he loved!). Nuts, soy, shellfish -- all common allergens as well. Good luck!
My daughter is 6 months and her stools are always green. They have been this way since they switched from the yellow newborn ones. They tend to be dark green (and thick if it has been a few days since she has gone). My doctor said it was totally normal. If your child is acting OK as you described above, there is no need for you to eliminate anything from your diet (or to worry).
Hi M.. Don't eliminate all dairy from your diet you and the baby need it! Babypoo changes colors and is dependant on what you both eat...if you eat a lot of dark green leafy veggies your baby's poo will be green. You should have seen my face the first time I feed my daughter beets as a baby!! Yup it was redish/purple! I also turned my oldest an intresting shade of orange because all she ate at first was orange veggies (carrots, squash and sweet potatoes). I learned to rotate those nice orange veggies with other colors and she was her normal self in a week! Sure, it's funny now (17 yrs later) but at the time I paniced and decided I must be the dumbest mom ever! It really is okay to have green, yellow, brown poo...it's not okay to focus too much on it...if your doctor says it's okay and your baby is healthy, happy and growing then take a deep breath and smile. Best wishes.
Hi M.,
Contact your local La Leche League Consultant at
As you know they are the breast feeding experts.
Hope this helps. D.
It is not dairy!!! Your son is not getting enough hind milk. If you switch to only feeding on one side per feeding, the green stools will be gone tomorrow!!! I had the same thing with my son. Usually it happens when you have an overproduction of milk and there is just too much foremilk! Hope this helps! No need to change your diet!
I concur with Sarah! I had this problem and when I fed longer on one breast it virtually disapeared! :)
This happened to me with my newborn at around 4 or 5 weeks, I think. Hers were green, slimy, frothy, etc... I brought it up with the pediatrician, and she said it was probably just viral and needed to work itself out (I had already eliminated everything I could think of). I didn't appreciate the pediatrician brushing it off, either. She had gained very well in the first few weeks, but once the green BMs started, she stopped gaining altogether. And it continued. What I later learned is that it's likely to be an imbalance in the breastmilk, where the baby is getting too much fore-milk and not enough hind-milk. Perfect sense because I was a serious overproducer and had mega let-down. Wouldn't hurt to talk to your local LLL -- or otherwise to consult a lactation consultant. Good luck to you. I know how frustrating that can be!
My pediatrician said the color is based on the amount of time the waste stays in the intestines before being eliminated. I had the same concerns as you but for us there was no need to worry. As long as your baby isn't in discomfort I wouldn't spend too much time worrying about it. Enjoy your little one! -SKK
