On this date, June 14, 2011, Emilia pooped in the home toilet for the first time. She apparently did it once at our nanny's place not too long ago, but I wasn't a witness to that one. I don't know if she really understood what was going on so we'll have to see how she does the next time. At this point, the onus is on us to recognize when she's about to go since she doesn't tell us (other than some facial expressions and maybe some grunting).
Pictures withheld to protect the innocent.
Showing posts with label poop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label poop. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Sunday, April 4, 2010
The Foremilk/Hindmilk Imbalance
The latest chapter in Baby Em's life has had her experiencing some very watery, green poop (pics omitted for obvious reasons). We've learned that this is caused by a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance. The foremilk is the first milk that the baby gets during a feeding. It is generally a thinner, low fat, low calorie milk similar to skim milk. This milk serves to quench the baby's thirst and meet their liquid needs. As the feeding progresses, the baby gets a thicker, fattier milk which is the hindmilk. This milk is high in calories and is essential to the baby's growth.
We believe that the foremilk/hindmilk imbalance was caused by an oversupply of milk. When baby had her last growth spurt, Connie's milk adjusted to this and generated more milk. But when baby's feeding slowed, there was an overabundance of milk. She would feed completely on one breast, but then be only able to take a portion of the second. This means that she got mainly just the foremilk from the second breast, and hence, the imbalance. Connie also experienced some clogged ducts due to the incomplete feeding sessions, and this also contributed to the irregular feeding patterns.
To solve this problem, we now make sure that baby completely finishes the first breast. Connie will express some milk from the second breast if she's feeling engorged. This serves to relieve the pain she's feeling, and also removes some of the foremilk. So when baby now feeds off of the second breast, she gets to the hindmilk quicker and can drain that breast more completely. Hopefully as Connie's milk supply adjusts to this new demand, there will be less engorgement and less need for that initial pumping, and baby will become satisfied on completely draining just the first breast.
The good news is that we can readily see the difference in Baby Em's poop since we adjusted her feeding. Her poop has returned to it's normal appearance and consistency - more of a mustard yellow color and much less watery. We also see that she's gaining weight again whereas she was just stable while she had the imbalance. Another issue now understood. What's next?
We believe that the foremilk/hindmilk imbalance was caused by an oversupply of milk. When baby had her last growth spurt, Connie's milk adjusted to this and generated more milk. But when baby's feeding slowed, there was an overabundance of milk. She would feed completely on one breast, but then be only able to take a portion of the second. This means that she got mainly just the foremilk from the second breast, and hence, the imbalance. Connie also experienced some clogged ducts due to the incomplete feeding sessions, and this also contributed to the irregular feeding patterns.
To solve this problem, we now make sure that baby completely finishes the first breast. Connie will express some milk from the second breast if she's feeling engorged. This serves to relieve the pain she's feeling, and also removes some of the foremilk. So when baby now feeds off of the second breast, she gets to the hindmilk quicker and can drain that breast more completely. Hopefully as Connie's milk supply adjusts to this new demand, there will be less engorgement and less need for that initial pumping, and baby will become satisfied on completely draining just the first breast.
The good news is that we can readily see the difference in Baby Em's poop since we adjusted her feeding. Her poop has returned to it's normal appearance and consistency - more of a mustard yellow color and much less watery. We also see that she's gaining weight again whereas she was just stable while she had the imbalance. Another issue now understood. What's next?
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