Back Milk, Green stool and little sleep - Help

[@llli*dally]

Hi all. My baby is 4 weeks old. I have exclusively breastfed. I had been experiencing difficulty in my baby sleeping much at all during the night and feeding often. He can feed for 20 mins, sometimes lazily. His stools now are consistently watery and green. I am at my wits end with little sleep during the night. I have heard that these are all symptoms of lack of the fattier back milk getting to him. I have been focusing on that for the past 3 days. Keeping him on longer. But he'll push me away after 30 mins. His stool is still green, he's still not sleeping much. I feel like I am missing something. I've read books saying that a baby can drain a breast in 10 mins. My baby does a lot of start and stopping, but I would think after 30 mins he would be getting the good stuff. I am fairly certain that he is getting a lot of milk, by the diaper count and the fact that he is about 10 lbs at this point, 3-4 lbs heavier than birth. I appreciate any guidance, I am getting very discouraged. Thanks. B

[carpentergirl]

Hi mama,
welcome to the forum.
No sleep is the hardest part of early parenting to me. I understand how that feels.

Consistent green stool can be caused by a few things. One is an imbalance of fatter (hind) milk to the less fattier (fore) milk . Once you have a let-down or two your baby has access to the creamier stuff- thus the suggestion to let baby hang out on one breast for a while. The idea is to finish one breast (drain) before offering the next one.

A baby may exhibit sensitivities to things we eat. Most common are grass protein (found in dairy) and egg protein allergies. These proteins are small and pass through the mothers body into the milk.

Have you thought about an elimination diet to see if it could be food sensitivities? We have an allergy forum if you scroll down on the main page.

Here is an amazing resource on baby poop:http://www.drjaygordon.com/developme...ricks/poop.asp that I found really informative and reassuring.

Can you tell us more about your babies feeding schedule or lack of one? Approximately how often is he wanting to nurse?

* 4 weeks is prime for a growth spurt or a increased frequency of breastfeeding.

[@llli*dally]

Thank you for the information. He is wanting to nurse every 1.5 to 2 hours. I have tried keeping him on 1 breast for as long as possible - 30 -35 mins sometimes. Eventhough he may be a little lazily sucking, is it possible he isn't getting the hindmilk after this much time? Also at night, he'll often fall asleep after a few minutes. How do you suggest I keep him up to get to that hindmilk? I really want him to be satisfied so he can also get some sleep. He rarely sleeps for 2-3 hours at night at a time. Often it is every hour he is up. Appreciate the guidance. B

[carpentergirl]

Wow, sounds like you are an attentive mama! Good job! Breastfeeding on demand is hard work, but its the best way to help baby grow! I too had a baby that nursed every hour, sometimes 45 minutes. It is very very hard on mama.
Do you have a nursing station set up for yourself? water bottles, snacks? This mad it easier for me because I just restocked once a day.
Do you have anyone that can give a hand around the house? Some support right now, when you are highly fatigued, can really make a difference in how you feel.

Nursing frequency sounds normal. Does baby sleep during the day at all?

[@llli*dally]

Nursing on demand huh? I didn't know I had a choice! He does sleep some during the day. But not more than 2 hours at a time. Lately he has been very fussy during the day as well as night. So I am thinking he is not getting hindmilk. He's very gassy, green foamy stool, doesn't sleep much, nurses often. I have done a lot of reading over the past couple of hours. I am afraid to keep him on one breast for 2-3 hours, ignoring the other to ensure he gets the hindmilk, but I guess that is the way to go? Thanks for your help. B

[carpentergirl]

Thats not ness. A baby gets hind milk if they drain the breast, or nurse for a bit. At 15 minute to 20 you're good.

[@llli*dorothyathome]

Here's a useful link about fore-milk and hind-milk and how it works.
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/fo...-hindmilk.html

Hang in there mama! It usually gets easier as your body and baby's adjust to each other.

[Give Peas A Chance]

Does your baby ever cough, choke, or gag while nursing? Does your milk seem to spray out forcefully?

[@llli*dally]

he used to choke but doesn't anymore

[carpentergirl]

Having a forceful letdown- seen in baby as choking or coughing on milk, can cause greener poops.