Breast Feeding?

Question

I know the doctor will tell me when it's time but I want to know now so I can get an early start.... What are the things you aren't supposed to eat while breast feeding? I heard onions are one of them.?.

Answer 1

I breast fed all 4 of my babies. The last 2 until they self-weaned at 11 months and 14 months. I ate everything that I wanted to and never had trouble. It will be more of a trial and error for you. You may notice that after you eat a particular food your baby consistently experiences a lot of gas or fussiness. If something seems to bother your baby, simply eliminate it from your diet for a few weeks and then try again. Food sensitivities decrease as the baby gets older. No need to eliminate anything from your diet unless your baby's system seems sensitive to something. I love onions and eat a lot of them, even when I was breast feeding.

Answer 2

There's alot of old wives tales about what you should and shouldn't eat while breastfeeding. In general if you didn't do it while you were pregnant you shouldn't do it while breastfeeding ie alcohol, excessive sugar, etc. You don't have to forgo onions and broccoli and other so called "gassy foods" because the simple fact is that those foods are "gassy" as they are being broken down in the intestines. It doesn't put gas in your blood which gets made into your milk. That's absurd. It didn't make your baby gassy inutero and it won't make your baby gassy at the breast. Just avoid the things you avoided during pregnancy and remember that burping a baby IS important and you'll be fine. I've nursed 4 kids and will be nursing this one as well and I ate everything from chinese to cabbage to onions and jalapenos and my kids are fine and none of them exploded from gas LOL

Answer 3

What your dr didn't tell you is right after your baby is born he/she will want to nurse. They say to avoid spicy food the taste of the milk is suppose to be flavored by what you eat. So if you ate onions it would have a faint taste of onions or if you had jalapenos it would have a slight HOT taste to it. HAHAHA. But really it is about what your dr says to it's not a bad Idea to ask now so he or she can inform you on a list of things he or she doesn't think you should eat while breast feeding also you might want to look up leacha groups in your state they can send you info. :)

Answer 4

There is technically no foods that breastfeeding woman must avoid. However some foods can cause mild reaction such as spicy foods, cabbage, chocolate and foods high in C concentrate. It will depend on your own body and the sensitivity of your baby.

Foods such as cabbage, garlic, chilli & curry may cause your baby to experience discomfort with wind. Although there is no research to support this, centuries of mothers will agree that keep these foods to a minimum if you want a good nights sleep. Some strongly flavoured foods may change the taste of your milk, although babies enjoy a variety of breast milk flavours, if you baby suddenly becomes fussy at the breast after you eat particular foods (for example garlic) you be best to avoid that food while breastfeeding. However you babies tolerance may improve as he/she gets older so you may be able to re-introduce that food.

Other foods & drinks to watch out for are; pineapple/juice (being the worst offender) and other vitamin C rich fruits such as oranges, tomatoes, grapefruit and lemon, that can cause your baby to get a nappy rash. If you think something you are eating is affecting your baby, you may need to do a bit of detective work to figure out the cause of the sensitivity. If you are not sure, try cutting the food out of your diet for up to a week to see if things improve. If avoiding the food causes a nutritional imbalance, seek professional advise before removing from your diet.

Moderate your caffeine intake, a small amount is fine, but too much can interfere with your baby's sleep, or make him/her fussy. Keep in mind that caffeine is found in some sodas, teas, and over-the-counter medicines, as well as in coffee. Having an occasional social drink will not hurt your baby, but may make him/her sleepier than usual. To a sleep deprived mother this may sound like a solution, however it is more likely to unsettle your baby and lead to poor feeding which may result in your baby waking more during the night.

Answer 5

"Is there a list of foods that I should avoid while breastfeeding?

There are NO foods that a mother should avoid simply because she is breastfeeding. It is generally recommended that you eat whatever you like, whenever you like, in the amounts that you like and continue to do this unless you notice an obvious reaction in your baby to a particular food. There is no such thing as a "LIST OF FOODS THAT BREASTFEEDING MOTHERS SHOULD NOT EAT" because most nursing moms can eat anything they want, and because the babies who are sensitive to certain foods are each unique - what bothers one may not bother another. If you have a family history of allergies, you might want to avoid certain foods (for example, peanuts or dairy), but again, this would be different for every child."
http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/mom/mom-foods.html


Seriously every child is different and most babies do not react to what mom eats. And foods that give you gas (such as beans and cabbage) give you gas because of fiber. By definition fiber is not digestable therefore it doesn't leave the digestive tract AND CAN NOT GIVE YOUR BABY GAS.

Answer 6

There aren't any restrictions on eating unless you discover while nursing that your baby is sensitive to some foods. In that case you would eliminate those foods from your diet. Most often, it's things like caffeine, spicy foods and gas-causing foods.

As a general rule, you'll want to eat a little more when nursing but still eat healthy. This way you'll produce good milk and also slowly lose baby weight.

Answer 7

While breastfeeding there is nothing really that you should avoid eating. Apart from the obvious, being Alcohol, drugs etc. Caffene is okay in moderation as it isnt really good for you in high doses so it wont do much for baby. My mum couldnt eat chocolate as it made my sisters nappies horendous! If someone told you to avoid onions it will be because their baby didnt like them. I coulnd eat turnip with my daughter as it gave her the runs. You will find out in time what your baby does and doesnt like.

Answer 8

One of the LLLI philosophy concepts states, "Good nutrition means eating a well-balanced and varied diet of foods in as close to their natural state as possible." Thus, in general, no food is excluded from the list of foods a breastfeeding mother should eat. Obviously, it is best to make sure the foods you eat are fresh and healthy. The concept of variety is important, because by eating a number of foods, you can be sure to obtain different nutrients and do not eat too much of any one food.

Every culture has lists of foods that are "good" and "bad" for breastfeeding mothers. It happens very often that foods believed to be good in one culture are considered bad in others! In Italy, mothers are often told not to eat garlic, cauliflower, lentils and red peppers. In India most mothers eat all these things and breastfeed very happily. Actually, in parts of India they believe that garlic helps a mother to breastfeed successfully!

Generally, anything you are happy eating is okay for you to eat while you are breastfeeding. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule. If you have a family medical history of allergy, it is worth being careful about your diet and avoiding known allergens during pregnancy and breastfeeding. If you notice that your baby reacts badly after you have eaten something, it may be best to leave that food out of your diet for a while. There is an excellent article the LLL website called " Allergies and the Breastfeeding Family," which may help you if you are worried about allergies. (http://www.lalecheleague.org/NB/NBJulAug98p100.html)

See also the common breastfeeding myths about foods to avoid:

http://www.lalecheleague.org/NB/LVAprMay98p21NB.html

Answer 9

For me it was hit and miss with foods. You just will notice what makes the baby fussy and what doesn't. My daughter ended up having colic and milk products were the culprit. I avoided all dairy and whey products, including foods with those ingredients. It did help. My sister-in-law noticed that citrus foods irritated my niece so she avoids those. Many people eat their regular diet and the baby does fine. You will probably eat as you normally did and then see if anything makes your baby fussy. Good luck!!!!!!!

Answer 10

Foods to avoid are:

unpasteurised milks

soft, ripened cheeses (varieties such as brie, camembert, and similar blue veined varieties)

ice-cream from soft whip machines (wrapped or block ice-cream is fine)

patés — all types

raw and undercooked eggs (thoroughly cook eggs until both the white and yolk are solid)

liver and liver products

mayonnaise (homemade)

shark, marlin and swordfish should be avoided and tuna restricted to two medium cans or one fresh steak per week. This follows concerns about mercury in these fish and also applies to women who are breastfeeding or intending to become pregnant.

Nuts - nut products