5 weeks old bad latch

[@llli*enya]

Enya is 5 weeks old and I've recently become aware that her poop is turning more and more green, and she isnot sleeping near as much as is reccomended for a baby her age (about 10 hours a day) she is otherwise happy, healthy baby. Have not had her weighed since birth, but sheis visably much bigger than she was.

Her latch has recently become shallow and half hearted. She taked the nipple between her lips and litte or none of the rest. The milk pours out of me with little encouragement, so she's getting some, but, judging by the green nappies, she seems to only be getting the foremilk.

I have tried to initiate numerous feeding scedules, as well as demand feeding,but she'slikes to nurse to soothe herself. I try to discourage it, but when nothing else will stop her crying, what's a mom to do? Its also sometimes the only way I can get her to sleep.

I'm assuming these issues are related, but I'm no expert, all I want to know is ho do I get her to feed properly??


I was feeding her 20 mins eaxh side every feed, but after reading up on oald, I've tried block feeding. ALl its appeared to aCcomplish is that I've become engorged...

[@llli*mtmama]

hi there. i would recommend simply feeding her on demand rather than timing your feeds and setting up schedules. look to your baby for any sign that she may want to be at the breast, whether for comfort or nourishment. at any sign or opening her mouth, rooting toward your chest, hands to her mouth, getting fussy, just put her to the breast.

the only way i know how to get my son to sleep is with the breast, fast and easy and everyone is happy


set yourself up in a cozy spot with snacks, books, movies, whatever you like and stay there all day. just switch her back and forth between breasts when she wakes. if you want to put her down to nap go ahead, just be ready to nurse her when she wakes.

she is still super little, and right around her age there is a typical growth spurt so she will most likely be nursing more frequently. try to just nurse and enjoy the time together, before you know if she will be so big.

ETA: if the latch is off, just take her off and try to get her on properly. here is a link with good info.

try to use compressions on your breast while she is drinking if you are concerned she is not drinking enough, but the amount of diapers and her weight gain will tell you if she is getting enough.

once you get the latch going well and have her at your breast often hopefully you can worry less.

also, although green and frothy can indicate issues, there can be significant variation in popp so try not to worry too much right now. see how these steps help.

[@llli*jennygal]

I was feeding her 20 mins eaxh side every feed, but after reading up on oald, I've tried block feeding. ALl its appeared to aCcomplish is that I've become engorged...

The green poops does sound like more foremilk, and it's probably more likely related to your supply and not her latch, but if her latch isn't correct and you aren't comfortable, then that is no good. With regards to the latch, like the pp said, just keep unlatching her if it's not right.

But with the block feeding - the point is sort of to get engorged. I went through this with my first. If you do have a large oversupply, then by block feeding and completely draining one breast, while the other remains full/engorged, it will signal the full breast to not make as much milk. It takes a few days, but you will eventually start producing less milk.

You're not wrong at all to nurse to soothe her, but if it's uncomfortable for you - it makes it a daunting thing, I've been there...so just keep working on her latch and hopefully things will get better soon! hang in there!

[@llli*enya]

Thanks for responding. I will respond to all comments as best as I can.
The latch: taking her off and relatching doesn't help much as she latches fine then pulls back and unlatches herself, she takes the foremilk fine, then fights and struggles and cries with the hinf milk. I took this as her signal that she was done with that breast and swopped. Now that I keep giving her the same one, she is NOT happy! I'm getting the feeling she just doesn't enjoy the hind milk.

Her poops are green, not frothy. Just not the yellow, seedy look they used to have.

[@llli*auderey]

hi mama, there's really no such thing as foremilk/hindmilk. it's all just milk. the longer the time between feeding, the more fat separates and clings to the milk ducts, and so when you nurse again the milk has less fat until it mixes up again. but all milk is good for your baby and even getting only the early less-fatty milk is RARELY a health concern.

it sounds to me that she's developed this lazy, shallow latch because even with it milk is "pouring" into her mouth, as you say. i think you need to treat the oversupply - by block feeding as PP suggested - and then also start working on her latch, which will be easier when she's not fighting drowning

[@llli*mommal]

with the PPs. I am also thinking that you probably have an oversupply issue. Green poops, fussiness/gassiness, and a shallow latch, coupled with good weight gain are very suggestive of oversupply.

Don't worry about the foremilk-hindmilk thing. As the PP said, it's all just milk. And it's not like the "foremilk" has no fat- it's just that the fat in "foremilk" comes with extra fluids and lactose (milk sugar). It's intestinal irritation from the excess lactose that causes green poops and gassiness. (This is very different from lactose intolerance- I can explain why if you're interested.)

Often babies whose moms have oversupply get fussy when they reach the end of the feeding and the milk flow slows down. They don't like having to work for their meals, since they are so used to having milk just pour into their mouths.

[@llli*columbakss]

Block feed momma for the OS. You will become engorged in one breast at a time, but that's kind of the point. I have had to do it, and it takes a few days to even itself all out, but it does! Did she latch well at birth? My first son had the same problem. He had a shallow, weak latch, etc. I was so worried about other things, and didn't know where to go for help ( there aren't many LC where I live, and the one I knew of was on vacation for 2 weeks at his birth), that I resorted to pumping, which ended in exclusively pumping for 15 months! Anyway, that was horrible, has she been checked for being "tongue tied." Years later I have found out that was my sons problem, and an extremely easy fix!