Top 3 Foods To Avoid While Breastfeeding

If you’re like me then the first thing you wanted to eat after the birth of your baby was a delicious toasted ham sandwich and a fried chicken sushi roll. OH YES!

Nine months of avoiding certain foods is enough to make your taste buds go a little nuts, but don’t get too comfy with that blue cheese on the couch because there are still certain foods you will need to avoid.

What should you avoid while breastfeeding?

Many health experts don’t recommend avoiding any foods while breastfeeding. In fact, most mothers can eat anything they want. However, if your baby is fussy and you’re noticing other unusual symptoms, such as bloody or mucus-y stools, it is recommended to try cutting out dairy and then soy.

If you eat something and notice that two feeds later (about the time for that food to enter your breast milk) your baby is especially fussy, you might try cutting out that food and seeing how your baby responds. Then, after two weeks, gradually add that food back into your diet and see if your baby tolerates it.

Although, it’s important to note that without any symptoms, an infant’s fussiness is likely not the result of your diet, but can be a sign of overtiredness, colic or acid reflux.

Just be smart about your intake and feel confident knowing you’re doing the best you can for you and your baby. It is recommended that breastfeeding mothers maintain a healthy diet, including green vegetables, fresh fruits, soups, proteins and plenty of fluids.

However, there are certain things you should avoid while you’re breastfeeding to ensure your baby’s health.

1. Alcohol

Generally, doctors say a woman can have one drink of beer or wine two to three times a week. However, if you’re going to have a drink you should time it immediately after feeding. If you’re feeling the effects, then the alcohol is in your milk. If you’re still feeling a little drunk when it’s time to nurse next, you need to give a bottle of previously expressed milk or formula. You can “pump and dump” the milk to avoid engorgement and clogged milk ducts. Either way, too much alcohol can harm your baby, and it’s important to monitor your intake.

2. Caffeine

While a morning cup of coffee is OK, experts say to limit your daily intake to no more than 300mg a day “” that’s generally one cup of coffee. If you’re like me and you just like the taste, feel free to go crazy on instant decaf “” there’s only 2 mg of caffeine in a cup. Be watchful of other things that contain caffeine, such as chocolate or caffeinated tea.

3. Seafood

Cut back on your seafood intake while you’re breastfeeding, especially white tuna, swordfish and mackerel because these types of seafood are known to contain high levels of mercury, which could potentially harm your baby’s nervous system in high doses. If you do like seafood, choose fish that are typically low in mercury, such as salmon.

Some other foods you may want to avid (but not as necessary) are:

• Broccoli – Grassy vegetables can work their way into your body and make the breastmilk difficult to digest for the baby.
• Citrus – Citrus fruits can irritate the gastrointestinal tract due to their high acidic value. This extra acidic value also aggravates reflux and heartburn.
• Corn – Babies can often be allergic to certain types of foods. One among them is corn.
• Dairy Products – An allergic reaction to allergens of dairy products cause colic and vomiting in babies.
• Garlic – If your breastfed baby does get irritable after you consume garlic, it’s perhaps because it’s also quite gassy in nature.

Food Allergens and Breastfeeding

There are a number of signs that your baby could be suffering from a food allergy. If your baby seems extra fussy, gassy, windy or is vomiting, has diarrhoea or a rash, then it could be due to something that you are eating and is being passed onto your little one. Other signs of a food allergy can include runny nose, cough, congestions, bloody or mucous stools or hard stools. However, these symptoms can also mean a number of other problems and thus it is worth speaking to a doctor.

I’ve cut out foods but my baby is still unsettled??

Keep in mind that your diet is only one of the reasons why the baby be unsettled. There are plenty of other reasons why your little one could be struggling with wind and gas and a trip to the pediatrician may be in your best interest, especially if you have tried the over-the-counter medications to no avail.

Your baby could be overstimulated or he could be taking in too much air when he feeds. There is a possibility that you may have an oversupply of breast milk or an over active let down or it could simply be because baby’s digestive system is not developed quite yet. It can take up to four months for the baby’s gut to develop properly.  While some babies will sleep perfectly without a burp from day one, others will not.

But, when you are living on only a couple of hours of sleep each night, you will try anything right, even if this means giving up chocolate for a little while!