Why my breastfed baby have green poop?

My daughter is now over 8 months old and is on a mix of solids and breastmilk. When she was exclusively breastfed we would have green poop every once in awhile. For us it always happened when she decided to eat for a short period of time. I still feed her completely on one side before I switch her to the other. She will pop off when there isn't enough milk left and I know it is time to switch. She was fine regardless, but it is odd to see green poop:)

We too went green for a bit, then bright yellow. If you are really worried, call his dr, but I think it sounds normal.

I breastfed my first for year and my second for 9 months and I would not worry. In my experience the color of the poo and the consistency changes all the time and I read somewhere that it can change dependent on what you are eating too!I know that if I ate lots of veggies the poo was more green and runny. My advice is unless he seems unwell don't worry.

Having had 3 kids with food allergies, I'd ask a few questions, especially since I've discovered how little many pediatricians seem to know about breastfeeding. How green is the poo? Grass green? Avocado green? Is there any mucous? By that, I mean does it stretch at all? Are there any othe red or black flecks? Does he have any other skin issues like eczema?

Green stools indicate that there is bile in the stool and that typically happens when the stool passes quickly through the intestine. This occasionally happens in normal breastfeeding and so an occasionaly green poop is OK. If they are consistantly green then it indicates that they are passing through quickly all the time, and this can be caused by a few different things.

Foremilk is watery to quench thirst and sweet while hindmilk is more fatty and sustaining. Too much lactose (milk sugar) can have a laxitive effect and cause gas, green frothy stools, more frequent demands for feeding and discomfort. If you have oversupply/overactive letdown baby may choke or gag while nursing, pull off the breast and you may notice that your milk squirts forcefully in several jets during letdown. (I could hit another kid sitting a distance away when baby pulled off ;)) You may also get engorged a lot, suffer plugged ducts, and find you have a hard time getting a breast truly "empty" or soft.

If there is mucous or blood in the stool it is a sign that the intestinal lining is irritated, probably due to a protein intollerance or allergy. Dairy is generally the first place to start, which means removing all traces of dairy protein from your diet--this means not just butter, milk, cheese, yoghurt, ice cream, etc but also anything containing casein, whey, lactose, and caseinates of all sorts. It can take a couple of weeks for the dairy to completely clear your system so be patient.

It's worth noting that baby can be senitive to any one of a number of proteins in your milk. For example, many babies who are sensitive to dairy are also sensitive to soy. Soy is highly allergenic, and in some cases soy sensitivity can extend to the whole legume family. Other common allergins include wheat, egg, fish, shellfish, citrus (including tomato), and nuts.

For many moms, removing dairy is enough, but you won't know unless you avoid all dairy-containing foods. It can be tricky: for example, non-dairy creamer is not dairy-free! But once you learn to read labels it gets easier.

If you have any questions, please feel from to email me. I have 3 kids, I've had oversupply-overactive letdown with all of them, and they each have different food sensitivities--I've seen a LOT of green poo!! In fact, I'm currently avoiding all dairy, soy, legumes, and gluten for my 7 mo old!

Good luck!

Hi J., you probably got tons of responses but I wanted to put my experience in too. My baby girl (also exclusively breastfed) had the same thing at about the same age. My ped. said it was just from what I was eating, and unless she seemed uncomfortable or there was mucus or blood in her diaper, any color/consistency change was ok. Once for a few days it even looked like beach sand!! Good Luck honey!

My daughter has a milk and soy allergy and we first notice green mucousy stools, but then there was also blood. We have been to a pediatric gastroenterologist and they say the color does not matter. Green just means it's moving through the system faster (which isn't necessarily a problem). You can ask your pediatrician to check the stool for blood (bring in a couple poopy diapers to your appointment). If there is no blood, it's unlikely to be a milk allergy. The diet is VERY strict, so be glad if it's not a milk/soy allergy. From what I understand from other moms, the stool often changes color, if your child seems content otherwise I wouldn't worry. Good luck.

J.,
My newborn's poop turned green and runny at one point, too, and eventually straightened itself out. I didn't change anything I ate (he is exclusively breastfed as well). From what I understand, baby poop can be change all of the time. Hopefully your doctor can relieve your fears!

Hi,

Does he have a cold? I've found when my son (7 mo) has had a cold, his poo turns green and is mucusy, from swallowing his phlegm.

E. P.

J.
Congratulations on your little one! I have a 1 yo and an almost 3 yo. I remember when my first went through the multicolored poop phase. That is what happens when they are first using their intestines. Poop will be green (bright and dark), orange, yellow and all sorts of colors in between- even if all that is going in is breast milk. The reason mainly is that their intestines are maturing- there is nothing wrong with your baby! The poop does not become hard and brown until they start eating food (around a year)- so don't worry about the colors or consistency.
good luck.
K.

J.,

I would definitely bring it up at his appointment. One of my twins, we discovered, was allergic to milk. His stools became a bit more than creamy, and had mucus with some blood in them. He was also spitting up more. They put him on soy formula and his stools were normal within two days. Luckily, he grew out of it and he drinks regular dairy mmilk now. :)

~R.

I wouldn't worry too much unless he is having other issues like not wanting to feed or is very fussy. Address it to your doctor on thurs but try not to worry. I have breastfed 3 kids and sometimes it just changes...it will prob go back back to the seedy yellow color soon.

Hi J.,
My son is 4 months old and had the same problem at about 3 months. His poo was green and runny...I thought it was due to him getting too much foremilk as well...it lasted about a week or so and brought him to the doctor. He was fine other than the green poo...the doctor felt his tummy and tested the poo in a dirty diaper for any blood in his stool and it came back negative. The doctor said he could have have a virus that just needs to run its course and was not concerned. He did also mention that green poo is nothing to be concerned about and that it is sort of a normal color...the colors to worry about are red, black or white. The other thing that happened is the poo really irritated his bum and he got pretty bad diaper rash as well. It did disapear after about another week and his poo was back to the normal yellow. I would not be too concerned as it sounds like your son is feeling fine other than the poo...it will pass...but you will feel much better after his doctor has checked him out...i know i did! Good luck!

Hi J.
My son had the same issue. Turns out he has a severe milk allergy. He was colic though so if your little one has an allergy maybey it isnt that bad. But you really have to read the lables because milk is in everything!!!! Good Luck:)
K.

Happened to my three boys when they were infants on a regular basis. I always thought it was related to iron or something I ate. Nothing to worry about. I always tell my expecting girlfriends about it ahead of time so it doesn't freak them out.

In my humble opinion, I wouldn't be too concerned, especially since you are already dealing with the possible hindmilk/foremilk issue. This happened occasionally with my son with no real pattern, as do so many things with babies. It would be sad to cut out dairy unnecessarily when it is such an easy source of many of the nutrients you need right now! Please let us know what your pediatrician says.

Baby poo is mysterious and comes in many varieties. My kids have given me rainbows of colors (although all earthy) at various times and nothing has ever been wrong. If your baby is acting normal and growing I would not worry about your own eating or baby poo. I have even found that frequency has varied a lot over the months as my babies have grown (ranges for my kids from 5-6 a day to 1 every other day - all for the same kid!).

Hi, I had a similar situation with my daughter almost two years ago now. She started out with yellow seedy poops at the very beginning- that didn't last long though. She became very inconsistent and once she contracted C-DIF it was all down hill from there. (C-DIF, by the way, is a bacterial infection in the intestines. The poops turn neon green and mucusy. It is very dangerous for babies to get this and very unusual since she was not on any antibiotics.) We went through a battery of tests and found she had a Whey allergy along with some other foods. I had to put her on a special formula which broke my heart because I really wanted to nurse her. She finally started gaining weight and did great. She now drinks soy and rice milk. It is a little tough when they start eating table food because most kid friendly foods are covered in cheese but you just need to be creative. It can be done. Feel free to ask any questions. My only strong advice would be to pursue it. My daughters doctor didn't listen when I told her I, and my whole family, had a sensitivity to milk and could it be that- we waited a while and went through many unnecessary tests before finally testing for allergies. I should have been more persistant! As a new mom I didn't realize I had to be my childs voice. God Bless

My guess would be the foremilk theory. It may take a week to see the change, but just let him nurse longer on each side before stopping to switch sides. ASk your pedi what they think about it.

if there's one thing I learned from having kids, is that baby poo changes a LOT! one day it's yellow, the next green, the next who knows.. try not to worry about it. as long as they are pooping without too much trouble..

The same thing happened to me. I freaked when I saw that green poop! And it is bright green, too!

I was super engorged for 3 months. Every feeding my daughter would choke and sputter and I'd spray several feet (or directly into her eye poor darlin'). It took a good 3 weeks of nursing on one side for 3 feedings to regulate my milk but a very short amount of time before I saw a difference in her diaper.

So try nursing on one side for 3 feedings. You may have to pump a little on the other side to relieve discomfort.

Every now and again it would come back and I'd have to revert back to the "nursing on one side for 3 feedings" routine. She's 7 months now and I'm happy to report my body finally knows what it's doing, LOL

Hi-
it could also be a reflection of what you have eaten or drank...such as grape juice or berry juice or something like that. remember, the baby eats whatever you eat!

don't be too concerend. I breastfeed all three of my children and saw my share of different poops! ;-) You could definitely bring it up on Thursday. Also, I'd take a dirty diaper in a ziploc just so they can test it for blood. Sometimes it's SO minimal that it's not even visable to the human eye but at least you'd know if it really was an allergy so you don't have to go through the pain of avoiding dairy for nothing! Also, if it's not affecting his mood or temperament, then it's probably fine. good luck!

This really isn't that unusual. If as you said there is no sign of infection, it may be just what you are eating. When I would eat larger quantities of asparagus, spinach and the like, the baby would have green bm. If I ate beets, it would be reddish to purple. It is amazing how not only the nutrients process through our milk, but the color too! If you pump at all, you may notice that some of that milk can also have a very pale tint or tone of blue, green, pink or yellow (carrots, saffron or curry) based on what was in our diet several hours ago, even a day ago. They also can taste the seasonings we have used, such as garlic and curry.

Hi J.,

I had this with one of my sons, years ago, and our pediatrician said it may have just been his digestive system working at a rate that produced more bile which ended up in his feces.He considered it inocuous. I don't know how valid that is but it was a similar situation to what you're describing.

M.

This happened with my first child (now 7 yrs old) and I ended up having to put her onto Goat's Milk formula, which I'm not sure that you can get here (in the USA). I don't think it's ever too soon to talk to your pediatrician about things like this and, since it is (understandably) causing you concern, it is good to see that you're seeing her soon.

Let us know how it works out. :)

I had that issue as well before. I was told by the doctors and a certified lactation consultant that "Who cares what color the poop is as long as there is poop and its not black"

I also decreased the amount of iron I took in. I watched the vitamins I was taking, etc. Instead of still taking my prenatal vitamins daily - I took them every other day or when I felt like it. That all seemed to help.

It takes a little while before the poo changes back to normal. It took 3 weeks for my daughters to go back to the seedy mustard yellow.

If there is an allergy - he should have an irritation around his anus.

As far as feeding longer on one side than the other, that doesnt have any impact on him, but it will on you. Let him drain both breasts equally. Finish one side then move on to the other (you dont want to end up "uneven" - it can happen, trust me).

My son has green poo for months also and he is fine. I was also told it's harmless and if the baby has an allergy or some other discomfort, you will know through their behavior, fever etc. So for me, the green poo turned out fine. It also happened to two friends of mine and their babies are fine also...

It sounds as though you might have an oversupply problem, especially if it is green and seems to be explosive. Some times mothers will also see other signs if it is an oversupply problem. Does he get fussy at the breast? Do you take him off the breast and see a strong flow of milk after you let down (mine used to squirt right in my baby's face!) If it is an oversupply issue then breastfeeding on one side per feeding might help. Some women actually find that they need to nurse on one side for a couple of feedings so their supply will decrease enough so their baby does not get too much at once and only eat the foremilk. It will take a couple of days to see a difference. It will take a few days for your breasts to adjust to the change in schedule so just express (by hand or pump if you have one) a small amount from the breast you are not having him nurse from so you are not engorged. If it is an allergy issue then you might have to wait two weeks to see if there is a difference. Good luck! If you have not gone to a La Leche League meeting in your area you might give it a try.

Hi J.,

9 years ago, my new baby boy had the exact same thing. He ultimately was diagnosed with celiac disease...4 yrs later. I didn't know back then that gluten does pass into the breast milk and could have very well been the cause of his green seedy poo. I will never really know (but wish I did!). So now I can only use that hindsight to recommend at least trying to eliminate gluten from your diet for about 2 weeks and see if that makes any difference for your baby. Gluten is a protien found in wheat, rye, barley and also a contaminat in oats. You can get plenty of carbs in your diet without eating 'normal' bread and pasta.
Good luck.

Be prepared to see a lot of cool stuff in the diapers. That said, your child is very young and it can't hurt to run this by his pediatrician - I wouldn't wait.

I found back in the day when I breast fed(and I had twins;-)) that their poo would change with whatever I would eat also.What goes in must come out they told me.Hope that eases your mind some but I would address it also.Now that my girls are 21 ,I tend to mother my dog,lol but whenever I am concerned about anything I still ask the doc!:-)

J.,Green poo usually means you are taking iron, grape juice or you are not feeding long enough on one side.To get the hind milk( The cream. lack of fatty milk) many issues can lead to green poop. you can call your local breastfeeding center or WIC office they usually have a CLC you can contact. I know because I work for the one on Cape Cod, MA & I'm a CLC. SO my advice would be to let the baby nurse as long as she wanted to on one side, until she came off by herself. then burp & change diaper. try to wake her as much as you can by stripping her down & getting skin to skin contact with her( you naked from the waist up & her only in a diaper)& try to get her on the other side. But don't get all freaked if she is too sleepy to nurse on the opposite side she will the next time around. that will be in 1 1/2 hrs to 2 hrs like clock work. the green poops will change to mustardy color unless you are doing the other things I mentioned. But remember all food goes into your baby's tummy.
I hope this helps. Kathy

What you said about too much foremilk in relation to hindmilk is what I have always heard as the major reason for green baby poop. This I have heard is from nursing too frequently. I don't know if you think that might be the case, but I nursed on a schedule - every 2 1/3 to 3 1/2 hours, and by "too frequently" I mean every hour or so as some people find themselves doing when feeding on demand. So I know you said you're feeding longer on one breast, but maybe you should also look at your frequency. Good luck!

My first question to you is the baby showing any signs of dehydration or discomfort?? If not, I would say it is not a big deal. Poop is a mysterious thing which will come in all kinds of beautiful smells and colors based on your food intake.

I am not a doctor, but I would say don't sweat it!

Hi J.,

I have breastfed three kids. What you're describing sounds within the realm of normal poop to me. I found that my kids' poop varied a lot, often based on my diet, sometimes not (I nursed twins and at times their poops would vary even with the same diet.) I think you're on the right track to address this with your doctor who knows the full range of normal. Congratulations on the breastfeeding.

C.

My daughter was breast fed and had green poop (sometimes spring green!) for almost the first six months. It was related to a bad food allergy to milk, which I horribly did not understand until about 8 months. Her allergy also caused her to scream colic-like for several hours each night from about 7 - 11 p.m. I think her digestion just hurt, and I was inexperienced and exhausted. It still haunts me! Anyway, it is worth cutting out the milk and seeing if this works - especially if your babe is in pain. The green is due to her gut being unable to digest the breastmilk. Good luck!