I know bfed babies have runny poop, mustardy, seedy, etc. I saw this in my daughter's diapers for the first week and a half. Now I am seeing a very watery stool, still with the same color as before but not very seedy. Almost all of it soaks into the diaper like pee. Is this diarrhea or normal breastfed baby stools? She has a doctor's appt today at 2:15, I'm planning on asking about it, but until then any advice would help!!

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I suspect that you may possibly have a foremilk/hindmilk issue also called "oversupply syndrome". That happens when the baby gets a lot of the initial watery "letdown" milk, gets full quickly, and does not consume a lot of the fatty "hindmilk" that comes down after the baby has nursed for a while. It's also consistent with what you said in your other post about her popping off after a few sucks!

The great news is...if this is in fact what is going on, you have lots and lots of milk, no undersupply issues for you!

Here are some links:

http://www.breastfeed-essentials.com/toomuchmilk.html
http://www.llli.org/FAQ/oversupply.html

Unfortunately lots of pediatricians, while great docs, are not so great as breastfeeding counselors. As long as your DD is well hydrated and gaining weight and has no other medical problems, I really suggest you find a great LC, or my favorite helper, a La Leche League leader, who can work with you and offer you personalized suggestions that will help!

Best of luck!

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Suzanne

Proud mommy to Katie and Rob

I forgot to mention that it will be interesting to see how much she has gained...it may be a lot if you have oversupply...DS gained 2 lbs in his first 2 weeks! My ped couldn't believe it and asked me if I was supplementing him with anything...nope...all high octane mommy milk!!

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Suzanne

Proud mommy to Katie and Rob

Hi Emily & welcome to the BF forum

I think Suzanne may be right on the money.....the "mustard seeds" are actually undigested little fat globules and do show that the baby is getting lots of the richer hindmilk that the breast produces later in the feed. Do you feed on both sides right now? How long on each? Does baby come off once the intial, fast letdown slows or does she stay on for a while with the longer, drawn-out sucking/swallowing? Breast compressions could help keep her interested in staying longer on the first breast and getting more of the hindmilk.....

If you are feeding only on one side, block feeding may be the answer....only feeding off one breast for a set period of time (3-4 hrs) regardless of how often she nurses....so that she'll get more of the richer hind milk from the breast before switching to the other's intial "fast-flow" of foremilk.....

Don't be deceived by the weight gain....foremilk bingers can put on a TON of weight very quickly too......another clue to watch for could be a greenish tinge to the poop.....

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Okay, well at the dr. yesterday she weighed 8lb 15oz, at birth she was 8lb 4oz and at the last dr. appt she was 7lb 15oz. So she has gained weight. I usually only feed on one side for 20-30 minutes each feeding, sometimes longer. I know the benefits of the hindmilk and was trying to keep her on each boob until I emptied them. But thank you for the advice I will stick on each one a little longer or maybe for two feedings in a row. I also do belong to a local breastfeeding support group here run by the hospital's LC's, but they are so busy that even calling them on their cell phones usually doesn't get an answer... The county I live in apparently has the lowest incedence of breastfeeding in California (the LC told me that 90% of women start here and only 5% stick with it) so they try all they can to keep women bfeeding. Thank you guys again for the advice it is much appreciated!

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welcome to the forum, you've already gotten great answers, i will emphasize a part of shannon's though, usually if there is a big oversupply problem, the poop is a greenish color... not always, but usually.

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If you're feeding a single breast and she's staying on for 20-30 min, she should be getting pleanty of hindmilk as is......not sure you want to shake things up too much.....she sounds like she doing well......why don't you just give it a few days and see if the poop changes again before making any drastic changes to what sounds like a smooth BF relationship My advise was based on "if" situations.......do you think you have an oversupply? That's the only reason I'd try block feeding.......

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Glad your appt went well and she is gaining nicely! I agree with the other ladies about the green poop thing in general....DS's didn't always look green in my experience, but I don't think we had a huge oversupply and it corrected iteslf pretty quickly.

Sorry it's hard for you to get LC help.....you may really want to find a LLL leader if you think you need more guidance......they are awesome and may be easier for you to get ahold of......

Continued good luck!

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Suzanne

Proud mommy to Katie and Rob

try here for a local leader

http://www.lalecheleague.org/Web/California.html

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http://www.lalecheleaguescnv.org/groupcontactinfo.htm

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