What foods makes breastfed babies gassy?

Question

Do you know any website with list of foods and drinks you shouldn't eat while breasfeeding as they make the baby gassy? My son has been suffering from gas a lot and I don't really know what to avoid, because I am rarely gassy myself. I tried to give him mylicon drops, but didn't help at all, so I want to try to avoid particular foods and will see if it helps. He is three weeks old.

I don't drink milk at all, just eating some yogurt and cheese and drinking orange juice with calcium. Also, I am not drinking coffee or eating chocolate. I eat pretty heathy, lot of vegetables and fruits, so it is not that either.

Answer 1

Are you drinking alot of cows milk? I've heard choclate or anything with caffine can do it. You'll have to keep track of what you're eating and see if it could be something you may be eating alot of. But add more veggies and fruit to what your eating it may help. ivillage.com gives good tips.

Answer 2

Babies make lots of noises from any and all possible places. ;-)
Does he seem uncomfortable when he is gassy? If not, I would just let it run its course. I’m not big on medication at so early an age (but this is me). And at 3 weeks his digestive track is still maturing.

He could not be getting all of his burps up. My third was impossible to burp, so most of it came out the other end. He had no discomfort and did not cry or fuss, so we all lived with it.

If neither of these are the case and it is a great concern to you, start a food diary and see when he get gassy. See if you can see a pattern of foods and then steer away from those foods (as long as there are suitable replacements). What makes him gassy may not make you gassy. Typical culprits are asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and brussel sprouts.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Some of the biggest triggers are Dairy, Citrus, Caffeine and Cruciferous veggies (cauliflower, broccoli...).

If you are really concerned about your diet affecting your baby, I strongly suggest you try an elimination diet to find a possible cause, if any at all.

Eliminate dairy for a few days and see if there is improvement, or record your baby's fussy times in a journal as well as what you ate in the hour or two before nursing. Both of those methods could offer you some resolution on any possible triggers.

Babies can be fussy for MANY other reasons so I urge you to keep your search open and not just assume it's your diet which could lead you to unnecssarily restricting yourself.

Everything in Moderation is the method I've always used and i've breastfed 3 kids without EVER having a problem with my diet. My hubby is Italian and we eat extreme amounts of garlic/tomatoe sauce etc.

Is your baby receiving enough fatty hindmilk during a feed? Too much foremilk can cause symptoms much like your describing. As long as your baby wets 6-8 dipes a day and poops at least a .25 size and its yellow/seedy/loose, things are good. If your baby gets greenish poops that are frothy/runny, try and feed him longer on each side, at least 20min per side and if this means back to back feeds on the same breast, thats okay.

Answer 4

Try cutting out cow's milk completely and then dairy completely just to see... I want to tell you that I'm having the exact same issues with my 8 week old. I breastfeed and I was supplementing sometimes with formula but took the formula out completely. I have tried to cut out everything from my diet (lol to where I am just drinking juice/water) and nothing seems to fix her gas. She gets bad gas and then she gets the painful kind which totally breaks my heart. I do have an answer on what might help to relieve it temporarily though. I have tried mylicon drops, little tummy drops, chamomile tea, massaging, leg movements and baby's bliss gripe water... What works the best is giving her the gripe water to get rid of the painful part of the gas. She still has gas but at least she's not whimpering in pain :( The second thing I do is massage her lightly in a clockwise motion and then pull each leg up to the right and left arm - then do bicycle motion and push the legs up to her chest. Then I start with the massage and do it all over again. If you hold her knees to her chest for a while it sometimes comes out better. The mylicon drops seem to work better than the little tummys but not as good as the gripe water. I can't figure out what it could be so I guess we just have to wait it out (may be her digestive system growing). My doc told me that it's just the way it is sometimes and she's had over 30 years as a doctor. Hope this helped you somewhat - Just know you aren't alone with this one!!

Answer 5

Our pediatrician told me that it's really a case by case basis. The best way to figure out what affects your baby is trial and error. Keep a track of what you eat and when your baby is fussy, you'll see a pattern. Anything you eat, 30 mins. to 3 hrs. afterwards, will show up in your milk. The one thing that my doctor did warn me about is chocolate. Chocolate contains a chemical called theobromine which a baby's digestive system cannot break down and will cause the baby discomfort. My son was sensitive to chocolate and lettuce. I was also told that gas drops work best if they're already in the baby's system; if you wait until they show signs of being gassy to give them, it's too late.

My little one was much more tolerant of my meal choices between two and four months, so hang in there!!

Answer 6

I breast fed my son and he had colic constantly.The doctors gave me this list of gassy foods that you eat

Nuts and peanut butter
Fruit juices that have heavy pulp
Green vegetables
Cabbage
Watermelon

This is just a few,if the mylicon drops don't work,try this,it worked with my son.Take a shot glass and pour coca cola in it.Let it sit until it is room temp,fill a dropper..,IE Tylenol medicine dropper,of the coca cola and give it to him.Burp him after wards and the gas will come up pretty easy.Good luck and I can relate.

Answer 7

According to our pediatrician, gassiness is completely normal, and generally unavoidable. He will tell you specifically that your diet is NOT the cause of your child's gassiness. He literally advises to walk him, rock him and burp him. My best advice is to burp early and often. Holding him with his bottom to your chest, legs up against your chest, with your hands supporting his back and head will also help. Best of luck.

Answer 8

what ever gets u gassy can get ur baby gassy. just eat healthy, make sure u burp well after every feeding.

Answer 9

certain vegies will give your child gas, especially brocolli's don't eat them may be good for you but bad for baby...