So I have a 2 month old who is strictly breastfed and recently her poop has changed from the mustardy color to olive green! It's still the same consistency, just a different color. At her 2 month check up the doctor blamed the color change on my recent eating of spinach pizza but that was 4 days ago and I only had 2 slices. I'm wondering if maybe it's a vitamin deficiency of some kind and the doctor just looked it over since I had said I ate spinach pizza. Anybody experience this?
Thank you so much for all of your input! After almost a week it's going back to normal. Not sure exactly what the main cause was but we're back to normal. Thanks again. :D
My son had the same condition when he was that age. I asked the doctor and he didn't seem at all concerned. It went away after a few days after whatever it was moved through his system.
It sounds like you may want to address the fact that your doctor dismisses your concerns and doesn't go beyond his conclusion, even though you don't think that he is hitting the nail on the head. I don't know what is making your baby's poop green, but if I were you, I would re-establish what it is that I expect from my doctor, and hold him to it. YOU are the patient. He is most likely moving on to the next appointment of his day. It's important to get answers when it comes to your child's process, whatever that may be. Stand by your concern, and go with your gut! :) You're a great mom!
No, nothing you ate, normal to change colors from time to time. It can mean that she's not getting enough hind milk, too much foremilk. Make sure to offer both breasts each feeding. She'll empty the first breast and just have a bit of the 2nd, then the next feeding switch which one you start with. If the color is different for more than 2w, call your doc again. My son's even looked forest green and stringy like grass for a bit. Look on line, there is quite a range of what is 'normal.'
this happened to my son too, although I think he was about 3 months. I was worried b/c I read that green poop was a sign that your baby might be sick or have diarrea. or that it was a hindmilk foremilk imbalanceb(for more info on this check LLL website)...I checked on that & I knew he was getting the right amount of both. so I asked my ped & she said there was no need to worry about green poop in 100% breastfed babies. she was right it eventually went back to normal...goodluck
Breastfed babies most frequently have the yellow, mustardy poop, but green or brown is not at all abnormal or anything to worry about.
K.
http://oc.citymommy.com - the hottest new site for OC moms
The only thing that has been PROVEN to transmit through breastmilk is peanut butter. The rest is all speculation and flavoring. They get the nutrients, not chunks of food. And if it was 4 days ago... how can that be accurate?
My son went through this as well and it turned back to its "regular" color. Don't panic unless you see it going on forever. If you would feel better... contact your ped or another ped and see what they say. You may be billed for the time, but if it gives you peace of mind it's worth it.
When my son was that age, his poop went from yellow to green too. And then it escalated until there was blood in his stool. It turns out it was an allergy to milk protiens. I had to eliminate all milk and anything made with milk for 6 months. But his poop returned to mustard yellow within a month of cutting out dairy. The good news is, they generally outgrow it. After the 6 months I slowly introduced milk to my diet again and he did fine. Good luck.
Hey M.. I had twins and one had this problem around 2 mo old for a while while the other didn't (they are two now), so I don't think it is what you are eating. I called a lactation consultant and she said it was b/c he wasn't getting enough hind milk (the really vitamin packed stuff they get at the end of a feeding). It often happens with too stong a flow. They feel full before they get to the hind milk. She suggested (and it worked) not switching sides during each feeding, making SURE they have a good burp at least halfway through.
Good luck!
Hi M. --
From my experience, I'd side with your doctor. What you eat effects your DD's poop. Many things will change the color of their poop, not just spinach.
Best of health,
S.
Sounds like the baby is getting too much foremilk, which is the more watery and less fatty milk that comes out first. My son went through the same thing... I had an abundant supply of milk, so much that it would spray out forcefully any time he began nursing, usually causing him to choke a bit on it. He would get full very quickly because of this, and didn't get to the richer milk. He also had green, almost frothy looking poop because of it. I would think your doctor would know about this, I think it's a pretty common issue with breastfeeding.
Just try to pump or hand express some of the foremilk out first, so your baby girl will get a richer supply when she nurses. Your body will regulate itself soon, don't worry!
Not sure what green poop means but I was just at the lactation consultant and she explained to a mom that the only time that they worry about poop is if it is white or has blood in it. Otherwise all yellows, greens, browns and variations in between are okay! :) My 2 week old's poop is greenish sometimes and yellowish sometimes. Hope this helps! :)
I know cantalope turns my son's green! But I wouldn't worry about it as long as your child is pooping!
This is a fantastic guide to poop:
Hi M.,
You must be very concerned about the change in color of your baby's poop. I find it very interesting that your baby's pediatrician attributed this to eating 2 slices of spinach pizza. Sometimes color changes of stools can be due to something a mom has eaten but a mother would have had to eat a very large quantity of the particular food. Green stools are more commonly caused by a baby getting too much of the watery 'foremilk' and not enough of the creamy 'hindmilk'. Try to feed your baby as long as possible on one breast per feeding. When you baby comes off, burp and try feeding longer on same breast. If this does not do the trick, M., I can help you via SKYPE. Please visit my website at: VirtualBreastfeedingHelp.com
Take care,
L., IBCLC
Ok, so I see that you are breastfeeding. The green poop is fore milk poo and the yellow poop is hind milk poo. So, just let her nurse longer at each boob so that she gets the higher fat hind milk and her poo will go back to yellow. All totally normal! :-)R.
Mom to 4, midwife and lactation specialist
Totally normal. The only colors to look out for are : black, white, & red.
Dear M.:
I came accros to your question, even though your baby came to a normal pooping, probably you would get some times again another greeny poop and that is normal in babies.
Do not panick, Here something for you to read and hope you would find it interesting
Every now and then the notorious green poop may show up in your baby’s diaper. You may take a look at it and ask yourself “how’d that get there?” There are many different causes for green poop. More than likely, if your baby has green poop, it’s nothing to worry about, but here are a few possibilities.
Iron-fortified formula - Some formula-fed babies will develop a case of green poop from the iron in the formula they are taking. As long as your baby is happy and not having any problems with constipation, there is nothing to worry about.
Dairy Sensitivity - Some breastfed babies are very sensitive to certain foods in their mom’s diet. If your baby is having problems with green mucousy stools, blood in his stools, spitting up a lot, or a skin rash, he may be sensitive to something in your diet. Dairy products are one of the most common causes of food allergies in babies. If you think this might be the problem, try eliminating milk and dairy products from your diet. It may take a couple weeks to see results from a dairy elimination diet. You should see improvement in a week or two. If you’re not sure, you can always try it out for a few weeks and then try having a cup of milk to see what happens. If the symptoms come back, then milk is probably the culprit and you will want to avoid it.
Foremilk/Hindmilk imbalance - If your baby is breastfeeding and has green frothy-looking poops, this may be a result of a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance. To put this simply, when a mom breastfeeds the first milk that comes out (foremilk) is thinner and lower in fat. After you have nursed for a bit, you will start to produce richer, fattier milk called hindmilk. Babies that receive too much of the thin foremilk and not enough of the richer hindmilk sometimes have problems with green stools and tummy aches. If you have been switching breasts a lot instead of letting baby get a good feed on one breast, you may have problems with this.
Other reasons - Sometimes babies just have greenish colored poop. The range of color in baby’s poops can vary.
Any range of yellow, mustard to yellow/green is pretty normal for a baby. If baby is gaining well and happy then there is nothing to worry about.
Green poop just means the baby is getting more foremilk than hindmilk. This occurs when the baby has been drinking a lot for thirst or is switched to the other breast before he/she gets the cream. I recommend going to the breastfeeding support group at the Pump Station - it has made me much more confident and laid back re:breastfeeding.
