wt to eat n wt not to eat?

[nikimom]

daughter has been suffering alot from swallowing too much wind, thats why she's been very cranky when put on breast or offered a bottle of expressed milk. now she's taking infacol. i heard that certain food i eat would make baby gassy, such as garlic (n thats the only thing i know), so are spring onion, onion ok to eat? are they anything else i should avoid?

another thing is last i had some curry on sat, i thought it just affects the taste of the breastmilk, but my daughter didnt poo for three days after that, could the curry be a cause?

please advice

 

[JennyB]

Hi Nikimom,

When I had a problem of diarrhoea when my eldest daughter was a baby, my doctor gave me a list of things that my baby could be intolerant to from my food ... but added that it is extremely rare that babies are intolerant to something the mother has eaten. My baby's problem turned out to be a virus. So don't automatically assume there is something wrong with your milk. There are a million possible causes of a baby's crankiness/gassiness/unusual bowel habits.

 

[Sheila]

Hi Nikimom

It's very unlikely that something you have eaten would pass through the milk and make your baby cranky. Very unlikely.

Breastfeeding mothers can eat and drink pretty much what they like - unless you are a highly allergic person yourself. Do you suffer from asthma? Eczema? Other allergies?

Some babies do gulp too much air when breastfeeding which can make them a bit gassy. Sometimes they fuss at the breast if there is an oversupply of milk. But a baby is more likely to gulp extra air when taking a bottle than sucking at the breast.

It's very hard to know what's going on from such a short email - how about you call up a La Leche League Counsellor? Over the phone, we can get a better picture of what's happening and may be able to give you some tips on how to have a more smooth breastfeeding time.
You can contact us:
Maggie 2817 7475
Sarah: 2548 7636
Rochelle: 2947 7147
Margarita: 2257 6757

best wishes
Maggie
La Leche League Hong Kong

 

[joannek]

i once ate curry when i was bfeeding. the next day when baby pooed, she cried (she's never cried when she pooed). since then, i waited another month before i had curry again. the next day, when baby pooed, she cried again. so i never had curry or anything spicy until i weaned her from bm.

there are ppl who say that when you are bfeeding, you shouldn't eat brocolli, bell peppers (which i didn't eat at all during the 1st 6mths). then i ate a little bit of onion once in a while & brocolli after 6mths. i also refrain from crabs, prawns, shrimp, pineapple & durian while i was bfeeding. i also noticed that when i ate a lot of ice cream (as in several times a week, but once a week was ok) my baby gets a rash (like eczema) all over.

so i do believe that we should watch our diet when bfeeding. better be safe than sorry.

 

[LLL_Sarah]

Your body will make the perfect milk for your baby no matter what. For your own health, of course, it is best to eat a balanced diet regardless of how you feed your baby.

Sometimes for mothers who come from very allergic families it is recommended to avoid foods in pregnancy (this is often peanuts as peanut allergy is very dangerous) then continued avoidance during lactation is also recommended.

So usually a breastfeeding mother can eat and drink any foods and only if your doctor recommended avoiding food because of allergies during pregnancy is it necessary to continue avoiding them while you are breastfeeding.

Best wisehs,
SARAH

 

[JennyB]

I have a personal theory that babies are more likely to be intolerant to curry (or other strong flavours) if the mother avoided it in pregnancy. I ate lots of curries when pregnant and have not observed any reaction in my babies when breastfeeding.

 

[rani]

I had some sushi when D was around 7 months. Big mistake! He threw up almost instantly.

 

[nikimom]

thanks all
actually i've encounterd quite a no. of problems, similar to joannek, i had some curry last week, it was quite spicy and hot, and the foloowing days, my daughter couldnt poo and when she tried, she cried, and this has continued for a few days.

and i heard that a number of food cause the baby to be gassy, i actually want to avoid those, so are broccoli and onion on that list. my fd said i shouldnt eat mango and nuts, is that true?

and yesterday i had two hairy crabs, my fd who is also bfeeding said that i shouldnt, so i have kept the milk in the freezer for now, not sure whether to give to her, and not sure abt the reason

but for coffee, i would wait until 3 hours later until i feed her and i had decaf

i actually just avoid wt i'm allergy to, but i believe that she eats wt i eat, cos when i eat a lot of meat, and little veggies, she cant poo maybe for 2 days (continue for a long period of time), the next i eat two bowls of salad, she poos ...so i continue to have a bowl of salad everyday now that she can poo everyday, i htink thats reli amazing

 

[joannek]

my theory is also whatever i eat, she eats. so i made extra sure that i'm having a healthy & balanced diet, to get her off a good start - which is the reason why i breastfed. i also watched my diet very carefully,

this is my version : no too "hot" or too"cold" or "wet" food. hot meaning deep fried, hot pot, spicy, durian, too much chicken; cold meaning crab, eggplant, temperature cold food, too much watermelon; wet meaning crab, prawn, pineapple, orange, etc. (but then if you don't believe in chinese medicine, this is a load of crap). i also refrain from even decaf. (cos there's till caffeine in decaf, but the experts will tell you that one cup of coffee is ok?)

and balance diet means, 3 carbs (best if rice), 2 veg, 1 protein. less junk. less saturated fat. more mono/poly fat.

and i did that not only while i was bfeeding, i started when i was pregnant. my thoughts are i'd rather watch my diet for say 1 yr-3yr, to exchange possibly a lifetime of health for my kid. if you have a healthy kid, they are so much easier to take care of, and so much less to worry about.

:Butbut i.e if you believe in chinese medicine. but i have a friend who believes in ch med, but still eats spicy, hot pot frequently while pregnant & bfeeding. who has asthma herself, her baby is developing asthma. but still smokes once she finishes bfeeding. but you can tell that she cares greatly about her baby. so every mother is different. if you don't watch your diet, it doesn't mean you're a bad mother. & if you watch yours, it doesn't mean you're a good one either.....

 

[nikimom]

thanks joannek, i beleive in ch med, but sometimes its just so much restriction to have a balanced diet. i'm just following very loosely on that, so i dont refrain myself eating the food you mentioned, but i only eat a small if its hot or cold or wet. the first thing i need to do now should be cutting down the amount of junk food i eat, i still eat chips from time to time. I'm still used to my sweet apetite b4 i got preg, still eating a small cup of ice cream everyday or pieces of chocolate, i need to have either one to cheer myself up.
naughty mom though not a bad one