BF Help

I apologize in advance if this is long...

I have been BF my DD who is almost 7 weeks. The past week-week and a half, her poops have been dark green or bright green, sometimes seedy, sometimes mucous-y, and sometimes frothy. Prior to this, they were always yellow/seedy. She also started making this clicking noise while nursing, like the seal is breaking so now I feel like she is swallowing a lot of air. Sometimes she'll pull off and then cry like she's still hungry but when I try to put her back on, she'll fight it and cry. Sometimes she'll only feed for 5 minutes, whereas she used to go for 15. She has always spit up a little bit but she's practically thrown up the past 2 days with so much liquid. Yesterday, it was twice. One time it was mostly clear with the milk bits (typical) and one time, after 2 mins on the breast, she threw up and it was yellow--almost like bright yellow and curdled. I dunno if it was bile or what. She fell asleep afterward and was fine. I gave her a bottle of pumped milk when she woke up and she chugged it down, no problems and she didn't spit up or seem gassy/fussy.

Everything I have read seems to be oversupply and/or overactive let down or fore milk/hind mild imbalance. I have tried some of the strategies suggested on LLL and KellyMom, like taking her off during let-down and letting it shoot into a towel. I've also been block feeding for the past 3 days where I do 2 feeds in a row from one side and then the next 2 feeds on the opposite side. Sometimes I'll pump real quick to release some of the fore milk so DD isn't getting as much of it.

I never had these issues up until she was 5 or 6 weeks. Has anyone else gone through this? I'm getting upset because I am strongly pro-BF but I feel like I am making her sick/uncomfortable. I want to work through it and continue to EBF. I plan on going to a breast feeding support group tomorrow. I also called the Dr. yesterday b/c I was concerned that maybe she was getting dehydrated--the urine part freaked me out. He said it was probably just because she was eating less and just brushed it off.

Any tips? TIA!

ETA: Anyone experience the strong smelling urine? It's been two days now. She has been crying like she is in pain (hysterical is more like it) but I dunno if it's while she's peeing, if she's gassy, or what. Today has been exhausting/frustrating. I want my happy baby back

Message edited 7/20/2014 7:47:03 PM.

Re: BF Help

Some of the symptoms (clicking, not draining) sound like she may have a lip/tongue tie which are often overlooked or dismissed my peds. Has she been checked for these?

BF Help

I have struggled with oversupply on and off for the majority of the time I have been nursing. The technique that works the best for me to manage it is to pump until I am "empty" then nurse DD and then block feed. There is a research study that suggested this technique and it has really helped. I have my daughter nurse sitting up as much as possible. Other then pumping to empty my breasts (which I try to do as infrequently as possible) I have completely stopped pumping (I am currently a SAHM). Eliminating the pumping has helped me regulate my supply.
Other things that have helped are hand expressing some milk into a towel before have DD latch. Having DD take shortly breaks while nursing. As well as making sure DD has a good latch- when you have over expression and forceful let down the baby will often have a shallow latch bc they are trying to manage the large volume of milk. I have found burping DD helps a bit with the spitting up.
It is frustrating but stick with it. You can work though it.

Re: BF Help

Message edited 7/20/2014 2:08:12 PM.

Re: BF Help

Re: BF Help

Re: BF Help

Re: BF Help

This is long, you have been warned
Clicking brings back shudders for me as it drove me nuts. My DS started making clicking noises while nursing at like 6 weeks and continued till he was like 6 months some sessions worse then others. I had a LC check the latch and she couldn't figure out the clicking/half the time i would mention it to someone he wouldn't do it at all till the next day. My ds's upper lip was tied down relatively far so maybe that was his issue (not making a perfect seal) but we never looked into having it clipped because it was borderline if anything and he was gaining great so obviously wasn't affecting his intake.
If it makes you feel better eventually I just learned to ignore the click noise because it was driving me nuts and there as nothing I could do about it. It may or may not have made him more gassy? Eventually it stopped (maybe his mouth grew or he just got more efficient?) I found when I nursed in football hold he did not do it nearly as much as cross cradle but he got to big to nurse in football hold after 2-3 months so that is what we were left with. My DS was EBF (or pumped w/ bottles during daycare hours) for 14 months so the clicking didn't seem to stop us though it did drive me nuts. If you figure out an answer to the clicking noise let me know, maybe it will spare me grief for the next one!
As far as the green frothy/mucoid diapers- for my DS it was an early symptom of milk protein intolerance which he still has at 2yo. I was in denial for a while considering oversupply/fast letdown as the issue but once blood showed up in the diaper and I cut all dairy out of my diet sure enough the stools went back to normal 2-3 weeks after that. I still questioned it (stubborn) but a month later I accidentally ingested some cheese and w/in 2 days he had green diarrhea w/ blood specks and mucous so I couldn't deny it anymore heh.. Cleared up w/in a week after being totally dairy free again. Just another thought if you find you regulate your supply but continue to have issues with green frothy/mucoid stool and increase in spitting

Re: BF Help

Posted by petvet

This is long, you have been warned
Clicking brings back shudders for me as it drove me nuts. My DS started making clicking noises while nursing at like 6 weeks and continued till he was like 6 months some sessions worse then others. I had a LC check the latch and she couldn't figure out the clicking/half the time i would mention it to someone he wouldn't do it at all till the next day. My ds's upper lip was tied down relatively far so maybe that was his issue (not making a perfect seal) but we never looked into having it clipped because it was borderline if anything and he was gaining great so obviously wasn't affecting his intake.
If it makes you feel better eventually I just learned to ignore the click noise because it was driving me nuts and there as nothing I could do about it. It may or may not have made him more gassy? Eventually it stopped (maybe his mouth grew or he just got more efficient?) I found when I nursed in football hold he did not do it nearly as much as cross cradle but he got to big to nurse in football hold after 2-3 months so that is what we were left with. My DS was EBF (or pumped w/ bottles during daycare hours) for 14 months so the clicking didn't seem to stop us though it did drive me nuts. If you figure out an answer to the clicking noise let me know, maybe it will spare me grief for the next one!
As far as the green frothy/mucoid diapers- for my DS it was an early symptom of milk protein intolerance which he still has at 2yo. I was in denial for a while considering oversupply/fast letdown as the issue but once blood showed up in the diaper and I cut all dairy out of my diet sure enough the stools went back to normal 2-3 weeks after that. I still questioned it (stubborn) but a month later I accidentally ingested some cheese and w/in 2 days he had green diarrhea w/ blood specks and mucous so I couldn't deny it anymore heh.. Cleared up w/in a week after being totally dairy free again. Just another thought if you find you regulate your supply but continue to have issues with green frothy/mucoid stool and increase in spitting

Message edited 7/20/2014 2:59:59 PM.

BF Help

Regarding milk protein allergies- if you decide to do an elimination diet it is actually recommended you eliminate milk and beef products- my DD's allergist said many children with a milk protein allergy react to all cow products early on- it is hard cutting out all beef and dairy but it is doable.

Re: BF Help

BF Help

DS used to click - the LC said it's probably because I have an over active letdown. As he has gotten older, he has been clicking less.

When DS is fussy while nursing, I try to burp him. If that doesn't work, I switch sides. I think he gets frustrated since it's not coming out as fast anymore.

If she's feeding for less time, she might just be more efficient as she gets older. I wish my DS would get the memo. I think he would 24/7 if I let him.

Re: BF Help