The mother of a 3 month old will be seeing me tomorrow for the second
time - this time with a diaper question.

Nursing went well for them at the start, then badly, with the
baby fussing at breast, taking only 5 feeds a day, and seeming to have
intestinal distress.  At her first consult, I gave her "Overactive Let-down"
and suggested she start "snacking" him.  Weight gain and general nursing
improved, but the intermittent tummyache continues.

Stools are, by her description, olive drab ("green is more the rule than
the exception") with clear mucus that forms strings when the diaper is
folded then separated- perhaps 4 to 6 a day.  They aren't runny, but when
I asked her what food the texture reminds her of, she said, "boogers"
(clots of nasal mucus).  Hmm.  She also used the word
gelatinous.  She'll bring diapers to show tomorrow,
but I'd like some extra thoughts before then.  She tried eliminating dairy
for 2 weeks  before she first saw me, and felt it made no difference to
his comfort.  But then, at that point she was underfeeding him.  He's
had a few exposures to formula (soy), none in past 3 weeks.

What's your best guess?  And does anyone have a chart describing the
range of normal stools and/or funny stools and what they can mean?

How about some descriptions of stools you've seen in normal babies?
I'll start.  One of my sons had stools that smelled like popcorn;  the
other had stools that smelled like cheddar cheese.  Left to sit, both
diapers had a sour odor that was quite pleasant - like dill pickles.  Is that
the buttermilk smell some books talk about?

Diane Wiessinger, MS, IBCLC, LLLL  Ithaca, NY
(LCs don't get tired; they just get pooped)