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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

What NOT to eat when you're breastfeeding??

50 replies

tinyfeet · 16/12/2003 19:34

I've just read something that said that there are a number of foods/drinks which you should not eat when you are breastfeeding because it will likely cause your baby to be irritable or colicky. On the list: chocolate, coffee, garlic, spicy foods, all dairy products- especially milk, citrus fruits and juices. These are all the foods that I love to eat. Do I really need to follow this advice? Can someone please comment? TIA

OP posts:
suzywong · 16/12/2003 19:38

Hello again tinyfeet

As I understand it you should pretty much keep to the kinds of foods you ate during pregnancy as baby will be used to them.

It's very easy to tread on eggshells about these things, but unless you are guzzling quantities of 'new' foods it shouldn't make a difference

Tinker · 16/12/2003 19:41

Strawberries can cause a bit of a reaction I think

Original poster
tinyfeet · 16/12/2003 19:47

Thanks, suzywong. I never heard that before. I'm due at Christmas, so I was wondering if I should load up on my chocolates now, since I would have to stay off them after the baby is born

OP posts:
Original poster
tinyfeet · 16/12/2003 19:48

Really just looking for an excuse to load up on chocolates. . . as if the holidays are not a good enough reason. . .

OP posts:
suzywong · 16/12/2003 19:48

there is very little in this world that should come between an woman her chocolates. A baby is certainly not one of them. Get them down your neck and keep a bag by bedside whilst feeding.

Original poster
tinyfeet · 16/12/2003 19:50

actually suzyw, under your theory, if I load up on the chocolates now, I should continue after the baby is born, as the baby will be used to them!

OP posts:
suzywong · 16/12/2003 19:56

my point exactly

aloha · 16/12/2003 20:13

No, you don't. Eat what you like!

Original poster
tinyfeet · 16/12/2003 20:18

Ok, I'll be coming back to you all if I have an irritable, colicky baby next week. Hoping you are right about this!! I don't think I could manage the early days (with the baby blues, etc.) without at least a cup of coffee in the morning and the occasional chocolate treat.

OP posts:
Metrobaby · 16/12/2003 20:22

I remember looking into this but found if I had kept to the exhaustive list I could only eat fruit, veg, meat, fish, herbal teas and water (no onions, nuts, spicy foods, dairy products, wheat or yeast). TBH - I found there was enough on my plate at the time than to have the added stress of watching my diet too.

Beccarollo · 16/12/2003 20:24

I didnt exclude anything at all - except maybe copious amounts of alcohol but even after getting drunk it is deemed quite safe to go ahead and breastfeed. I think the only thing is if there is allergies you should avoid peanuts!?

bobthebaby · 16/12/2003 20:43

I have to avoid some things now as my son has allergies, and its a pain in the bum. Please don't avoid anything, especially food that is vital for vitamins without proper need and proper tests. Nobody ever asks what sort of grass the cow ate if a bottle fed baby is colicky do they? If you are worried about passing stuff through then have probiotics, which will got through to the milk and are marvellous.

bobthebaby · 16/12/2003 20:44

I have to avoid some things now as my son has allergies, and its a pain in the bum. Please don't avoid anything, especially food that is vital for vitamins without proper need and proper tests. Nobody ever asks what sort of grass the cow ate if a bottle fed baby is colicky do they? If you are worried about passing stuff through then have probiotics, which will got through to the milk and are marvellous.

Evita · 16/12/2003 20:53

By various different people at various times I was advised to avoid the following: coffee, chocolate, dairy, soya, 'gassy' veg like broccoli and cauliflower etc., acidic fruits like oranges, lemons etc, red meat, sugar, wheat ... shall I go on? In the end I ate whatever I felt like (which included lots of chocolate and even a rather large amount of pepsi max) and my daughter never had colic. While my friend who was incredibly particular about her diet had a baby who screamed the house down with wind for hours every afternoon.

tiktok · 16/12/2003 23:07

Eat what the heck you like, Tiny. Some mothers find their babies seem to react to some things. There is no point in cutting anything out unless you know for sure it affects your baby.

The only things where I have seen any where close to half decent research evidence for causing colicky or irritable behaviour is dairy and maybe caffeine....and that is by no means in all babies, just the occasional ones.

jmg · 16/12/2003 23:21

After DD was born I had to see a pead re something unconnected to this. However during the course of the consultation I mentioned that DD was very windy and a bit collicy. He said that he was no expert on breastfeeding but that based on the conversations he had had with mums over a long number of years, if he was breastfeeding he would not eat onions, red peppers or chillis

He was such a nice chap. Wish there were more like him!

tiktok · 17/12/2003 09:17

Sorry, jmg, he may have been a lovely fellow, but giving mothers such blanket advice while admitting not knowing much about bf does no one any favours!

codswallop · 17/12/2003 10:09

I ate normally ( and in quantity!)

bundle · 17/12/2003 10:17

I eat normally, try to limit my alcohol intake (!) but a friend's ds refused to take her milk if she'd been eating lots of garlic...

motherinferior · 17/12/2003 11:02

I eat everything I can get my hands on

jinglesaur · 17/12/2003 11:03

I also ate normally - well, normally for me anyway - including lots of takeaway curries!

webmum · 17/12/2003 11:04

I too was advised not to eat several tihngs and my sister was shocked that I ate strawberries one day.
Anyway, I avoided caffeine as dd was sleeping next to nothing so I thought I'd take no risks, but she still didn't sleep, I notice no food whatsoever that made any difference to her behaviour or sleeping patterns (err...which patterns??)but I know mums whoc swear their babies were unsettled by something or the other.

mears · 17/12/2003 11:51

I ate anything I liked. 1st Baby was a bit windy after chicken korma curry but that still didn't stop me - just knew what to expect The rest were absoultely fine with it. You definately should not start limiting your diet unless you have a suspicion that some food is causing colic.

marsup · 17/12/2003 12:04

Does this mean I will at last be able to eat peanut butter and smelly blue cheeses again (not together) when junior decides to pop out at last? (not eating chocolate was never an option)

ragtaggle · 17/12/2003 12:23

I eat what I like. The only thing I've started to limit is caffeine because I've noticed that my dd finds it hard to get off to sleep on the times that I've drunk more than one cup of coffee a day. ( I don't restrict tea intake)But even then I might have a baby who just happens to be sensitive to caffeine. The way I feel about everything else is that there really are few enough indulgences you are allowed as a new parent without making food an issue too. Enjoy stuffing your face - I do

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