Breastfeeding Diet! - Rockwall,TX

Contact La Leche organization either by phone or email. They are the biggest advocates for breastfeeding so they will help you in any way they can.

I was told and followed recommendation, to not eat a lot of beans, too much orange juice, and not too much chocolate. The beans for obvious reasons, gas, juice for too much acid, and chocolate could constipate. Don't remember other foods.

Every baby is different as to what foods may bother them. My son didn't seem to have a problem with anything except large amounts of dairy, but I know moms who have to watch nearly everything they eat.
A site that I found very helpful is www.kellymom.com. They have just about any information you can think of pertaining to breastfeeding. Here is the link to the page of mom's diet: http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/mom/index.html
I also think that your doctor would be able to figure out what your son is allergic or bothered by, so you may want to go that route if you aren't sure.
Good luck to you and congrats on your new son!

Ahh...I understand where you are coming from! My son started getting horrible gas, spitting up and just acting crazy about 2 weeks after he was born. Everyone told me that 2 weeks is the normal time to get gas and it would go away. I knew it was something bigger and ended up taking dairy out of my diet. Things got SO much better. The thing is, if it is an allergy to milk or lactose intolerance, you can't just take the obvious things out of your diet. Milk, whey, and casein are all milk products. Any of these will cause problems You would be so surprised at where you find these. My son was acting crazy again so I checked my diet, and believe it or not, the VITAMINS I had just started taking had milk in them! You have to become a real label reader. Most bread and buns have milk in them. As far as veggies, I hate to contradict what some people say, but it is almost impossible for them to cause problems in your baby. Breastmilk is made from your blood supply so the food has to make it to your blood supply in order to be a problem. The protein in milk makes it to your blood supply, which is why it is a problem, but there shouldn't be anything in broccoli or most other foods that would cause a problem. The only things that would make it to your supply from there are vitamins. I do believe the protein from soy also makes it into your blood stream. Milk and soy are the 2 most allergenic foods, so I would check those first. And also as a warning, it takes AT LEAST 2 weeks for it to clear the baby's system. It can even take up to 6 weeks. This means you have to go without dairy completely for that amount of time before you will see a difference. Even one tiny mistake means you have to start all over again. I know it is no fun, but it isn't so bad once you have learned what foods to avoid. Good luck and I hope it gets better for you!

The reason you couldn't find one is because the idea that you have to avoid certain foods while breastfeeding is generally no longer accepted. You may have had an older relative tell you about being told to avoid certain foods like chocolate, onions, etc. You can eat whatever you like while breastfeeding as long as it's a varied and healthy diet. Every baby is different so you just have to go through trial and error. Yes, some will have reactions to the mother's intake of dairy, but not all by any means. You can always contact your local La Leche League too for questions. Here's some information from their site: http://www.llli.org/FAQ/avoid.html

Honestly, I haven't followed a "diet" for either of my children and don't plan to with this one, either. It's kinda like when you start solids- just pay attention to what you eat and watch for reactions with your little one. My daughter didn't have problems with ANYTHING through my milk. My son had acid reflux but only orange juice bothered him. Once I cut that out of my diet, he was fine. He's lactose intolerant (gets severe excema), but it didn't bother him if I had dairy when I was nursing him.
The only thing I would suggest being careful about is spicy food if you eat it a lot, starting mild and then growing in intensity to see what your son can handle.
Good luck and congrats!!!

Hi Cari,
I have breast fed 4 kids and found that you just need to eat normal and healthy. Pay attention to the foods that you are eating so if you do notice your child getting an upset stomach you will know what to avoid. Don't deprive your diet of dairy and veggies! Try all foods. Your baby will let you know what foods to avoid. Good luck!
J.
Steel My Heart IC
http://J..yoursmh.com

Try to stay away from spicy foods, and Iceburg lettuce. Other than that, I ate what I wanted and was fine. If you start to see that he is fussy, try to remember what you ate and cut it out for a while to see if it helps.

It really does depend on the baby. Neither one of my children were bothered by anything I ate. I ate jalepenos, onions, dairy, everything. If your baby seems upset then I would reevaulate what you ate that day.

I followed the diet in What to Eat When you're expecting (they modify it for breastfeeding) - but I had to switch to lactose free milk and eliminate cheese with my first... we had gas and screaming (I don't mind farting, I hate to see them hurt) - followed by diarrhea. Yogurt didn't give us problems. I couldn't eat tomatoes or oranges... these gave him diarrhea to the point that he had a bleeding blistering rash on his butt. He still (5 years old now) can't have regular milk, we limit all other dairy, can't have spaghetti and citrus in the same day, and can only have either a few times a week. Pizza causes some problems if he eats more than a couple of pieces or has it very often. Diets contradict themselves for several reasons - #1. What works for my baby might be exactly what bothers yours. #2. Some people are trying to increase quantity, not reduce flatulence. My second son - I could eat anything, but if I drank much juice he would light the band.

So here's what works - make sure you're getting plenty of protein - either from eggs, animals, or beans, or preferably a combination. Make sure you're getting enough calcium or your body will take it from your bones. Eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables and drink plenty of water. Then drink some more water.

Keep a journal of what you eat and what your baby's reaction is. Trace back about 6 hours and look for trends with problem foods.

This way, if it's really wheat bread and bananas that aggravate his tummy, you know to avoid that but you might be able to eat cheese and strawberries to your heart's content.

S.

Hi Cari. I've had it both ways. With kid #2 I could eat anything under the sun and he was happy as a clam. With kid #4 I had to cut out ALL dairy entirely - milk, sour cream, butter, cheese, yogurt, all of it. It was the hardest 9 months of my life but she was a very happy baby when I did it (and very unhappy if I tried to "sneak" in some ice cream or milk!)

I would agree with some moms here: watch and if your baby is upset then try to start restricting some foods. The most common foods that cause a problem are spicy foods and acidic foods, like tomato sauces (in pizza, spaghetti, etc). Dairy can also be a culprit but not for everyone.

THe main bit of advice I have is that if you choose to take something out of your diet, you may not see a result in your baby's behavior for 3-4 days or up to 2 weeks. Sometimes it takes a while for the enzymes that don't agree with him/her to make their way out of the tummy and intesttines. I always had a hard time reading my babies behavior but try to watch and see exactly what's happening. A great book to read is "Colic Solved" by Dr. Bryan Vartabedian. Good Luck!

I like this website a lot for bf info. It is www.kellymom.com.

Also, there is a great free, professionally led breastfeeding support group ever Tuesday night at 7pm at South Arlington Church of Christ at 830 Eden Rd 76001. It is called For Babies Sake. Everyone is really nice. Hopefully we will see you there!

I had very colicky twins until I quit eating dairy. It took me a while to figure that out. Typical allergens are dairy, soy, beans, peanuts, peas, eggs, and wheat. I also couldn't eat citrus, strawberries, tomatoes, or anything acidic. It may feel like you can't eat anything, but the payoff of breastmilk is worth it. Once I got past the 3 month old mark, they quit being bothered by what I ate. I also HIGHLY recommend the gripe water sold at Central Market. It has chamomile, fennel & ginger. It is wonderful for soothing upset bellies. Good luck! I still breastfeed, so keep up the good work :)

It sounds like you've already gotten a lot of great advice so I'll add just one thing. When I quit taking my prenatal vitamin (after checking with my doctor of course) my little one quit having tummy problems. It was amazing, and if your doctor agrees, it might be worth trying. I even donated some milk and my donor mama said my milk was far less irritating than the other donor milk her baby got - and the prenatal was the only thing I eliminated. Good luck with whatever you try! I recently weaned my 14 month old (after wondering if I'd even make it the first 6 months) and it was an experience I wouldn't trade for anything!!

Hello Cari. It seems that some of the moms who have responded have been blessed with babies who have no tummy troubles and dont realize that some of us have childen who cant tolerate all kinds of food. My daughter (now 6mo)is lactose intolerant. At first I was like some of the other moms and thought "not my baby" when my pediatrician mentioned it. So I waited until she was 3 months and her fussiness was getting worse before I tried cutting out milk from my diet. If it is lactose intolerance your little man will be so much happier! Mainly I started drinking soy or lactaid milk, using lactose free cheese (smart beat cheese. there are several kinds at whole foods but I could find this kind at the regular grocery store), and paying attention to what had milk in it as far as pre made food. You dont have to cut out ALL milk. Start by using lactose free milk and cheese, that may be enough for your baby. Our babies only get a fraction of what we eat and dont break down so hopefully moderation will work for you. My daughter needed me to cut ALL milk out. Since I was not prepared for this kind of diet (and I have a crazy work schedule) my milk supply started to decrease. I had trouble finding things I could eat and was not eating enough to sustain my supply. I doubt this will happen to you but I wanted to give you the heads up just incase. If you have any stored breast milk you can order Lactase online and all you have to do is put 3 drops of lactase in the thawed milk and let it sit for 8 or so hours. Then the lactose is gone!
Vegetable wise I found that broccoli and cauliflower were big no-no's for us. It gave her gas like crazy!
I hope this was helpful and I hope it works for you and your little man. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or just need support! Changing your diet can be hard but well worth the better baby.
Good luck

When I was breast feeding my baby, I did not eat Chocolate.
I did not eat onion,garlic,Turips,nuts or anything which puts gas on your stomach. I did drink milk.
Good luck whith yout Sweet baby.
Mk

Mama, i totally know what you mean!

My dd was up for the first 12month of her life screaming every night with diarrhea and constipation, it was awful! We where conned into switching to neocate formula, and i really wish we hadn't because it didn't make a darn bit of difference.

Personally i would talk out all milk and soy from your diet. I would also suggest that if there is anything that you cannot tollerate well, to avoid those foods, because sometime if you can't tollerate they your body may be unable to break down the enzymes correctly to pass on to your baby, who also may not be able to break them down.

If you have any questions, we have been dealing with allergy issues for 18 months now, so i know a think or 2 about em.....you can pm me any time!

I would suggest trying the Dr. Sears elimination diet if you get really frustrated. http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/t041200.asp

This might help too http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/t041800.asp

Oh and www.kellymom.com is a great site too (like the pp mentioned)

Well I am on a breastfeeding diet, but not by choice. My little one is lactose intolerant. I have cut out all of the dairy and soy. I have been shedding off the pounds. (and it is not on purpose.) I think if you stay away from dairy then that should help a lot. I also don't eat chocolate (causes diarrhea), onions, garlic, bell peppers, broccoli, beans, and other gassy foods. Good luck with your diet.