trout fish and breastfeeding?

Question

I bought steelhead trout fish...can I eat that fish, because i'm still breastfeed my son. He is 7 months now

Answer 1

Congratulation on breastfeeding.

It is perfectly okay to eat fish while breastfeeding. The warning about fish during pregnancy is because of levels of mercury found in fish. Where did you buy the fish ? If it is a local fish, you should ask your doc about its mercury level. If it is a farmed fish ( eg. from a supermarket) you are fine.

http://www.health.state.ri.us/environment/risk/fish.php

When you eat new foods, you pass on the flavors to the baby through the milk. The baby will get used to these flavors, and is less likely to be a fussy eater. So, eating a varied diet while breastfeeding is actually good for the baby.

Good luck.

Answer 2

Mercury crosses the placental barriar, but not into breastmilk.

Also, at 7 months, you're presumably (hopefully) feeding your son some solids. As the proportion of breastmilk in his diet decreases (that is, as he starts eating more solids), your restrictions will lessen as well.

For example, when my son was about 9 months, I had to take some prescriptions medications. The bottle warned not while breastfeeding, so I called his pediatrician.

He told me that if my son were a newborn, the drug would be a problem. But given his "advanced" age (9 months lol) and the fact that milk wasn't his only source of nutrition, the drug would pose no problem to nursing.


So the answer is yes, it's safe... and it was wise of you to ask. =)