The colic and the frothy poops (especially if green) may be from a heavy
amount of foremilk and not a lot of hindmilk.  Moms who do lots of short
feeds, or have the baby nurse at both breasts at each feeding, without fully
"emptying" the first breast can have babies who experience upset stomachs
from the imbalance of foremilk and hindmilk.  Hindmilk helps slow the
digestion, and foremilk goes through the system quickly and has a high
amount of lactose, compared with hindmilk.  This can cause gas, pain, and
green frothy, watery stools.
As a midwife, I have seen this multiple times with moms who have breastfed
before, are quick to offer the breast to their newborns for just a few
minutes, then pop them off to get the laundry done, care for older child
etc.  and then get back to the feeding by offering the other breast a
several minutes later, so the baby doesn't get much of the fattier hindmilk
that helps balance the lactose.  It isn't that these babies are lactose
intolerant, just that the ratio of fore/hind milk they are getting is
imbalanced.  This also often happens with moms who have an abundant milk
supply or rapid milk ejection.  Encouraging them to nurse just on one breast
per feeding often helps within a day or less.

http://www.llli.org/FAQ/foremilk.html

Sharon Craig Economides, LM, CPM, IBCLC pending (took the exam in July!)

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