River probably has one a week, i googled it a few weeks ago when he had his first one and apparently it seems likely its a fore milk, hind milk imbalance.
Fore milk is the milk stored at the front of the breast and the hind milk is the fatty milk which is stuck to the walls at the back of the breast. The hind milk is very important for a baby as this is where the calories are. If your baby isn't getting the hind milk they will want to feed more often and may not put on much weight.
Symptoms of fore milk, hind milk imbalance -
 |
| The left is fore milk and on the right is hind milk |
- Green frothy poo's
- Gassiness/discomfort
- Baby wanting to feed all the time and not being satisfied
- Slow weight gain
- Nappy rash due to acidic poo's
- Baby has bowel movement straight after feeding
Causes of fore milk, hind milk imbalance -
Switch nursing (switching back and forth between breasts frequently)
If baby is hungry, mum might offer one breast and then the other. Because baby likely received mostly foremilk during this feeding, baby may get hungry again shortly after. If mum continues switching breasts back and forth to feed her baby instead of letting the baby empty one breast completely, her baby may end up getting a lot of foremilk at every feeding instead of a more balanced amount of foremilk and hindmilk.
If baby is hungry, mum might offer one breast and then the other. Because baby likely received mostly foremilk during this feeding, baby may get hungry again shortly after. If mum continues switching breasts back and forth to feed her baby instead of letting the baby empty one breast completely, her baby may end up getting a lot of foremilk at every feeding instead of a more balanced amount of foremilk and hindmilk.
Not giving baby enough time to nurse
Being in a hurry or being impatient during a feed can mean that baby doesn’t nurse long enough at the breast to get to the hindmilk. Baby should be allowed to nurse on one breast until he pulls off on his own or stops actively sucking and swallowing milk.
Being in a hurry or being impatient during a feed can mean that baby doesn’t nurse long enough at the breast to get to the hindmilk. Baby should be allowed to nurse on one breast until he pulls off on his own or stops actively sucking and swallowing milk.
Oversupply
An oversupply can create an imbalance of foremilk and hindmilk. Block nursing (nursing on only one breast at a time for 2 to 3 hours) may help mom to reduce her oversupply. By doing this mum can make sure that baby is nursing on each breast long enough to remove the hind milk
An oversupply can create an imbalance of foremilk and hindmilk. Block nursing (nursing on only one breast at a time for 2 to 3 hours) may help mom to reduce her oversupply. By doing this mum can make sure that baby is nursing on each breast long enough to remove the hind milk
Now i took all this onboard when i was trying to figure out why River was having green poo's and it all seemed to click. He had been feeding really often and had been quite gassy. I tried block feeding as explained above. I fed River on one boob during the day and the other at night and before i fed him at night i expressed some milk so i knew that he would be getting to the hind milk. Now 2 or so weeks later after noticing the first green poo's he still has one once a week.
What could i be doing wrong? Do any of you mumma's out there have any advice? Have you been through this to?
If you enjoyed my blog, check out my face book page, Love and Late Nights Mumma where like minded mums come to share and discuss the good the bad and the ugly of motherhood!
If you enjoyed my blog, check out my face book page, Love and Late Nights Mumma where like minded mums come to share and discuss the good the bad and the ugly of motherhood!
Hey Rylie. I certainly don't think you are doing anything wrong. Jackson had green poos a lot when he was a baby and he put on weight fine and was a healthy baby. A healthy baby that didn't sleep a lot but that's another story. If it is only happening infrequently then maybe River has just had an off feed where he didn't get much hind milk. Emily mostly has lovely yellow poos but occasionally there will be a bit of a green one. I wouldn't worry too much about it but of course if you are worried, see a doctor or family health nurse just to get some reassurance. There are so many little things that happen with a baby that constantly make you wonder if you are doing something wrong. I think you seem to be doing an amazing job with your little man who is getting cuter by the day.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Renee. This is why i wanted to do this blog so i could get other mums feedback, its so nice to know you're not alone.
ReplyDeleteWell after talking to Jamie about it tonight i'm thinking it could be because Jamie has been feeding River in the morning with a bottle of expressed milk which is pretty much all fore milk so maybe thats upsetting him a little. Anyway i'll keep an eye on it, we have a doctors appointment next week so i'll mention it then.