Do I Really Need to Avoid Those Foods While Breastfeeding?

I recently saw a photo while scrolling through Pinterest explaining foods that cause colic in breastfeed babies and therefore should be completely avoided by the mother. The amount of food that was on the “avoid” list didn’t leave a mother very much to eat. It was a bit upsetting to see this be spread through out the pinterest community and beyond because it simply was not true. So instead of making a statement and outing the people who was handing out the information I took it upon myself to make a blog post discussing this topic that is all too often a concern for new moms who choose to breastfeed.
A mother who feeds her baby formula doesn’t have to worry nearly as much about what she eats because she knows that her baby isn’t going to get any of it. But for breastfeeding mothers within the  first few days postpartum they begin to worry about foods they can and can’t eat and begin scratching certain foods off the menu.  Stop! Stop starving yourself and stop depriving yourself and stop unnecessarily supplementing your baby.

If you’re a new mother, expecting, or have already been through your breastfeeding journey but plan to have more then this information can be extremely helpful. We need to rid of the horribly false belief that a mother has to deprive herself of foods or feed her baby formula because she accidentally ate a “bad” food. You don’t have to starve yourself and you don’t have to supplement in order for you to be able to enjoy your favorite foods. In America you will often hear people comment that you shouldn’t eat spicy food or you’ll have a fussy baby on your hands, but that it just simply not true. in other cultures where spicy food is the norm there is no change in their diet to rid of any spicy foods, although some women might have to, or at least to eat it in moderation to avoid irritation to baby’s stomach. You may also be told by your mother, grandmother, friends, etc. that you shouldn’t eat things such as berries, broccoli, lettuce, tomatoes, onion, and many more. But the truth, as surprising as it may sound, is that you do not need to avoid any of these foods.Unlike when you were pregnant your baby is now only getting a small fraction of what you consume.

Now, I cannot tell you that if you choose to eat a nice salad full of cauliflower, broccoli, and tomatoes tonight that your baby won’t be affected, but there is a chance that he/she won’t be. It really depends on the baby and what they can tolerate. There will be some babies that can’t tolerate certain foods or only allow you to eat a small portion of it, and there are some babies who it will have no affect on them at all. Watch your baby and watch for signs of gas and irritation and to pinpoint a certain food that may be the culprit avoid that food for a week to allow it to leave both your and your baby’s system and try again. If it once again has caused your baby to become irritated then you may try again a week later with a smaller amount this time. This will let you know specifically what your baby can and cannot tolerate and how much. this way you don’t find yourself avoiding your favorite foods and healthy foods because you have heard horror stories from other mothers. For example, when I brought my son home and everyone knew I was breastfeeding everyone always worried about what I was eating and if it was going to hurt him. I simply ate what I pleased and it rarely ever had any affects on him. Specifically, I was told to avoid onions by my aunt who had to avoid them due to the reaction it caused in my cousin when she was young. Well, low and behold, I decided to try anyway and…. NOTHING! It had absolutely no affect on him whatsoever. I just had to watch what I ate and pinpoint what foods he could tolerate and couldn’t tolerate.

You should know that most babies “outgrow” this irritation and intolerance of foods by 6 months of age because their gut has developed enough to help ward off allergenic reactions, which is why it recommended you wait until 6 months before introducing solids. I will also note that there may be specific situations where you may have to avoid a food(s) temporarily or put off eating that food until later. If you or your spouse have a peanut allergy in your family it is possible that your baby could have as well, therefore you may wait and be cautious when you do decide to eat nuts. If there is no history of a peanut allergy then it may actually help the baby be protected from establishing an allergy. Before it was recommended to avoid peanuts during pregnancy and breastfeeding, but that has recently changed. if your baby has ecczema then you may need to avoid (or eat in moderation) soy, wheat, and cow’s milk as these are often culprits to causing eczema to “flare up”.

Some common irritants in babies:

• eggs
• cow’s milk
• chocolate
• citrus fruit
• soy and wheat

Here are a few links if you would like to read more about the concerns of nuts during pregnancy and breastfeeding:

Healthline

March of Dimes

Huffington Post

La Leche League

Here are some links for infants with eczema:

National Eczema Association

Breastfeeding and Maternal Diet in Atopic Dermatitis

Are there any foods I should avoid while breastfeeding? (2008). Retrieved July 28, 2015.

Mohrbacher, N., & Tackett, K. (2010). Breastfeeding made simple: Seven natural laws for nursing mothers (2nd ed.). Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications.

Wiessinger, D., & West, D. (2010). The womanly art of breastfeeding (8th ed.). New York: Ballantine Books.

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