Dark Green Stool......?

Question

O.k., my baby was on my breastmilk for the 1st 5 weeks of her life exclusively, but I have since went back to work and due to stress, I am unable to pump out that much breastmilk and I am not sure if she is getting any milk when she goes to breast (which is mostly at night cuz I work during the day.) Anyways, my supply is almost gone completely. I am only pumping out like an ounce at a time and that is every 4 hours. Sometimes, I don't pump out any at all. She has basically been eating formula for the last week. When she poops, it is in the morning and it is dark forest green. I called the Dr. and they said that it could be the change in giving her more formula. My mother in law said it is usually green when baby is sick. Dr. office told me to wait another week and call if it hasn't changed. When she poops more than once in the day, it is normal color like that orangy color. When I was breast feeding, it was yellow seedy looking. My question is, has anyone out there gone through this?

Could it be the Iron? That is what the nurse said that it could be because of the Iron in the formula. I asked basically the same question a week ago and one of the responses was that the longer the stool sits in baby, the darker it gets. Is that true? These are all questions I asked the Nurse and all she kept saying was, call if it doesn't change in a week or if it becomes black and tarry. What ever. It is not normal to me. Anyone go through this? Is Dark green poop signs of sickness?

This just in, my mother in law called and said she has been pain crying all day long and scrunching up her tummy. She has been taking this formula since Thanksgiving and she would cry once a day w/a tummy ache but then she stopped crying about a week ago. Now, she started up again. She could be going through separation anxiety from me though because I had her over the holiday and had to drop her off this a.m. to go to work and she's been crying all day. We went over there yesterday and she cried all night over there too. I think she associates their home w/me being gone and she doesn't like it. But then again, she says she sounds like she is in pain. I don't know what to do.

Answer 1

Changes in stool are normal when there are changes in diet.

Make sure the pump you are using is a GOOD one. When you go back to work, you need a hospital grade electric pump that has some suction ;). I bought mine for about $300, but you can rent them for $40-$60 a month.

Start taking some fenugreek to help increase your supply again and then breastfeed constantly when you are at home. Usually 2-3 capsules, 2-3 times a day. I would start with 2 caps. 3X per day. You will notice you start to smell like maple syrup. It's normal. :0

Get the pump ASAP if you don't already have a good one (if you want to keep breastfeeding). Check into the La Leche League website for more ideas about increasing your supply. My doctor said that some women had claimed to have some success with a gatorade and oatmeal diet (you can eat other things, you just need to drink lots of gatorade and eat oatmeal 2-3 times a day or add oatmeal to some of your food).

Answer 2

i have been a nanny for 10 years and I am the mother of 2 who also went threw the same process with my last baby when I went back to work.
It is normal for it to go from yellow seedy to dark and green. She may even be constipated form the added iron in the formula. You can try to change formulas to one that has less iron, but if you change you should make the switch gradual like the it was from milk to formula.
Also a warm bath and a belly rub will feel good to easy the belly pain.
Put the baby on her belly on blanket on the floor for some play time and this will give her some exercise to work her belly to pass the painful gas.
Try the "tiger in the tree" hold. Belly on your forearm and head closest to your elbow while holding her bum in your had. This adds comfortable pressure to the babies belly and is very relaxing.
Try working her little legs slowly while she is on her back when you play and talk to her.
I have gone threw this and it is normal.
Don't worry about calling the doctors too much, that is why they are there.
I think I have funded the new office our Doctor just moved to with all the visits we have. : )
Good luck
PS It isn't always sickness that causes green stool. ;)

Answer 3

More than likely it's just the diet change back & forth, especially since there is no solid foods involved. Once I quit breast feeding & went to straight formula the poop color became consistent as well. If the docs not worried I wouldn't be either.

Answer 4

This is normal my daughter also had the same colored stool when I changed over to formular.

I was also concerned and asked the doctor and she said that it was due to the change in diet.

I found this to happen also when she started eating regular solid meals as well. If for example she had been eating a bit of meat, carrots, broccoli and mashed potato for a while then changed it all of a sudden to something else she often had really runny stools or dark green.

Don't worry when your baby gets accustomed to it your babies stool will return to normal.

Answer 5

It's normal due to the change in her diet. The iron in the formula is causing the green color. Variations in stool color are generally not a problem as long as baby doesn't seem to be in pain, stools aren't hard, dry and formed and there is no blood.

What kind of pump are you using?

Answer 6

Stool does change with different diets. Generally a breast fed babies stool is much more pleasant looking and smelling. I dried up completely within 2 days of returning to work, even with attempts at pumping, and feeding at nite and in am. Go see doc about the stool thing, if it doesn' change, and trust his thoughts, he is the medical expert, unlike mothers and the like. Everyone wants to give you information and advice and everyone thinks their information is as good as docs,

Answer 7

With the formula try Inafmil Lipil, it had iron in it. I am bottle and breast feeding and the nurses told me it is the closest formula to breast milk. (says so on the can also) My daughter's stools are consistant with both.

Answer 8

It sounds normal due to the change in her diet. If she is showing any other symptoms, tummy aches, pain cry, blood in her stool or diaper, then I'd check it out, otherwise she sounds fine.

Answer 9

My son never took formula so I havent gone through it, but I have heared the same from friends with formula babies. It seems to be common.. I wouldnt worry! If your child is sick he will show you!

Answer 10

no it is not a sign of sickness.it probably is a combonation of the formula and sitting in her overnight.it does have a tendancy to be darker in the morning.