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Breastmilk has two parts: foremilk, which comes at the beginning of a feed, and hindmilk, which comes as the feeding progresses. Sometimes, an imbalance can occur when a baby is getting mostly foremilk and not enough of the hindmilk. According to Jenelle Ferry, M.D., a neonatologist at Pediatrix® Neonatology of Florida, the fatty substances in hindmilk generally take more time to digest than foremilk, which moves quicker through the baby’s digestive system. Sometimes, if your baby gets too much foremilk, the digestion process happens so quickly that the system doesn’t get enough time to break down and digest all that lactose in the foremilk, added Dr. Ferry. Then, “the undigested lactose goes to the large intestine, where it can create a lot of gas (the sugar essentially gets fermented in the large intestine).” In addition to gas, fussiness and foamy, watery or greenish poops can also be signs of an imbalance, said Dr. Ferry.
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