Poo problems @ 5.5 months, please help we're so frustrated

[@llli*alisdb]

My (EBF, no supplement, no bottle, no solids) 24 week old baby has been doing dark green stringy "sharts" about 10x a day now for at least a week. This includes a minimum of 2-3 overnight which wake him and disturb his sleep (this is in addition to his night feeds, which are minimal now, only 2-4).

WHAT is happening? They are green, stringy, and very light but enough to upset. Those darker yellow thicker poos haven't been seen since. He is not sick, not obviously teething, and napping well/cheerfu.

[@llli*mommal]

I'd blame either teething or a gastrointestinal bug. Teething is often accompanied by a lot of drool, and you can see watery "drool stool" when baby is in an intense bout of teething. A gastro bug can mean something relatively mild- by which I mean your baby might not exhibit any signs of sickness other than some weird poops.

In an otherwise healthy, happy, growing baby who is being fed on demand, green poops are not a health concern. They're just a variation on the normal pattern.

[@llli*alisdb]

Thank you!

I forgot to mention I started a diet last week too (2000 calories for a fitness competition), is this possibly causing a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance??? I'm 5'5 and 128lbs.

[@llli*maddieb]

I agree with mommal, this sounds like a virus, mostly due to ther sudden increase in frequency plus the color change. See http://drjaygordon.com/pediatricks/general/poop.html

Teething maybe?

I could be wrong but I don't think a mothers diet causes 'foremilk/hindmilk imbalance.' That situation is usually caused by either overproduction and/or spacing out feeding sessions unnaturally (scheduling feeds or sleep training) causing baby to get a very fast flow of milk at the breast and to thus "fill up" on the foremilk and not drink as much hindmilk. In other words, the mother still makes both "kinds" of milk. (they are not really different kinds of milk I am just using shorthand.) It's not dangerous or a health problem really, but it can sometimes cause green poops and some discomfort for baby.

green poops can possibly mean baby is dehydrated or undernourished-maybe both, I forget. But I am pretty sure that would be seen as infrequent dark green poops, not highly frequent ones. I do not think this is the situation in your case.

Are you taking a protein shake or something like that with this diet? I just wonder if you have added something or increased something in your diet that is possibly causing this.

Try not to worry-as long as baby is healthy in all other respects, this is probably nothing to worry about. Even if there is some "imbalance" or a food sensitivity, illness etc. it is still definitely best to keep nursing your baby, just in case you were wondering about that.

[@llli*alisdb]

Thanks very much! Yes, I do have one protein shake a day but I've always had those. I suppose it could be a bug, I just don't see any signs of teething or ill behaviour. But I hope he will just outgrow it then. He is on demand/bedsharing/night nursing and still at 2 hour frequencies (and sometimes a few hours longer at night, except his poops!)

Thank you!!! Don't worry, we have no sign of stopping anytime soon, I also have an almost 3 year old on tap

[@llli*karrieperry]

You described exactly what happened to my 4 month old, and it resolved itself after about 3-4weeks. Nothing changed about nursing or general diaper output except color and weird consistency, stringy, and her behavior and mood had not changed. Nice yellow poop came back, I am guessing it was a bug. I was worried, but she was happy and nursing the same. Glad to know someone else had the same problem!