Our 3 month old has recently started having bowel movements that are greenish in color and also far less seedy - in fact they are more watery than not. For a day his diaper changes were more in number, however that has decreased back to the normal rate. He is breastfed only, and doesn't show any signs of dehydration. In fact he is very perky and healthy. I do notice that he is constantly chewing on his fingers. Does anyone have any thoughts?
It sounds like teething to me. And if he starts to get very uncomfortable, by the symptoms of biting his fingers and green/watery stool, he may respond well to homeopathic Chamomilla.
Let me know if you have any questions :)
Liz
my daughter started doing that. I was told my my Pedia that it was teething symptoms and sometimes their poo just changes. it's just the way it goes. And trust me you would no if he was dehydrated. my daughter got dehydrated and she wouldn't eat sleep or pee for almost three days.
If the bsby is still happy and perky like normal, nothing is wrong with him. It's just their bodies adapting to growing...
I agree foremilk/hindmilk imbalance or oversupply. The baby should nurse as long as they want on the first side and the second side is like dessert they may or may not want the second side, if not you can start with that side next time. If they other side is too full for you, you can express a little so you're comfortable.
Another possibility that something you're eating he is sensitive to.
My youngest daughter had this problem as well and I consulted my pediatrician which referred me off to the lactation nurse. To make a long story short, she recommended to either pump or hand express for a bit before placing the baby to breast. This allows the foremilk (which can have high levels of lactic acid) to bleed off a bit so baby can get the creamier hind milk. She also suggested to stop consuming dairy products in my diet. I don't know which of the 2 things worked (or the combination of both) but my daughter's tummy problems dramatically improved and she quit pooping that frothy green goo! Good luck.
I second the possibility of getting too much fore milk (what comes out of your breast first) and not enough hind milk (the creamier milk that comes out after). I had the same problem and researched it well. Basically they need a balance of the sugary (fore) and fatty (hind) to be able to digest well. I had been feeding on both sides a lot, and I switched to just one breast for as much as he needed to feed in a two-hour period, then the other breast for the next two-hour period. My milk production eventually worked itself out. Here's the awesome link that helped tremendously: http://www.llli.org/FAQ/oversupply.html
Good luck!
L.
The same thing happened with my son, now one year old, when he was about the same age. Our doctor said it was probably due to the fact that he was getting more fore-milk and not enough hind-milk while nursing. That is a side-effect of having very high milk production - he was filling up on the first half of my milk, which has more sugar in it (I think), and not getting as much of the second half, which I think has more protein. Anyway, she suggested I concentrate on getting him to drain one full side (nursing on one side for 20 minutes at least) and then let him take whatever he wanted from the other side. That fixed the green poops within 2 days. Hope this helps!
My vote is for too much foremilk. The high sugar content makes for green, frothy poo. I had this problem with my daughter at around 2-3 months, I had oversupply so she was never getting any creamy, rich hind milk. She also had a bloated tummy and gas problems. Try switching to one breast per feeding, making sure he empties the whole thing.
Chewing on his fingers might be because they are great toys!
Way to go, mama, on nursing! Good luck!
A.
I have a child with a bowel disease. Does the chewing of his fingers come before the bowel movement, like he's working through pain? My child had a routine of "pain management" that we didn't figure out for a while was right before a bowel movement. We thought she was colicky since birth, but by the time she was 2 we had a major bowel problem. A pediatric GI DR told us the green bowel movement was bile, because of the bowel disease and whole messed up digestion problem.
I am not saying your son has a bowel problem. You are the mom, you have a gut feeling. I agree with the advice you have received from others with the foremilk and teething. If you notice your son in pain, then I would see a DR.
Sounds like he might be teething :) That's my guess!
Sounds like he is getting too much fore milk and not enough hind milk. He needs to nurse longer on only one side, that usually clears up that problem.
my kids have had this on and off. According to our pediatrician, it's totally fine and totally normal. Give your's a call. You can ask the nurse on the phone and they'll tell you if it's okay or if you need to come in. My vote is, it's totally normal and fine. Good luck.
It is normal relax!!!
I was told that as long as the fecal matter doesn't smell really bad that just about every color and consistency is normal. I think the GI issue discussed is probably on the rare side but milk in your diet or the foremilk suggestions sound plausible. If I were you I'd call the lactation consultant/your pediatrician to calm your fears.
As long as he's not dehydrated, it all sounds perfectly normal. :o)
I have the exact same thing going on with my 4 month old. He also did this around 6-8 weeks (minus the hand-chewing). I believe it is associated with a growth spurt--his body is changing, and my milk is catching up to his needs. He is cheerful and thriving so I'm not worried about it, but I'll be glad when his swampy poo turns back into the regular yellow goop!
try having your son tested for milk allergies. My son has similar diaper issues and that was it. Thank goodness he grew out of it though. Good Luck!
green/texture changes can be from foods you eat, too (bananas, for instance, = instant green ... and in my family, apples cause gas, and citrus, raw or juice, causes INSTANT diaper rash) ... the other time I saw sudden greening was occasionally just after a vaccination (pathology unknown; I'm just sayin', it happened).
i had this as well...i read that if they do not get an equal balance of fore milk and hind milk this coul occur. so make sure you are nursing long enough on each side to balance the mixture.
Hi A.!
This used to happen to my son, I even took one of his diapers in for a doctor to look at. She was rather amused and told me it may be something in my diet (perhaps lots of green veggies or the vitamins I was taking). That did not make a lot of sense to me - nothing had changed - so I spoke with a lactation consultant and she told me that it meant the baby was getting more of the 'first milk' from my breasts and not as much of the 'hind milk'. She told me that I needed to keep him nursing longer (which for me was impossible - the little guy would fall asleep if he just saw my breasts (slight exagerations lol).
L.
