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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

Sugar & breastfeeding

21 replies

Blossom789 · 17/04/2017 16:15

My Heath visitor told me that sugar goes into your milk and stimulates baby so for the last 13 weeks I've been avoiding cakes and biscuits and eating yoghurt with the lowest sugar I can find. Is she right? When I was googling everything I could see said it didn't affect milk. What have your experiences been??

This of course has nothing to do with with it being easter weekend

OP posts:

mycavitiesareempty · 17/04/2017 16:16

That is total bollocks. you are right. Enjoy some cake!

bittapitta · 17/04/2017 16:18

Eat sugar for energy, you must be wasting away!

IME HVs tend to spout rubbish about bf.

DartmoorDoughnut · 17/04/2017 16:20

If I didn't eat sugar I'd collapse in a heap of exhaustion so I'll take the (completely nonexistent) risk

Original poster

Blossom789 · 17/04/2017 17:17

Easter eggs here I come then! I'm really starting to question the point of health visitors.. you see them a few times at the start then at 9months .. all I ever here is as long as baby is gaining weight and producing nappies all is hunky dory! Drives me crazy!

OP posts:

PotteringAlong · 17/04/2017 17:18

Bloody hell! I've breastfed all 3 of mine and sometime sugar is the only thing that's got me through!

Laquila · 17/04/2017 17:19

Good grief they only way I had the energy to end was to mainline chocolate hobnobs and hot cross buns! It's always sensible to keep an eye on your sugar intake but I really wouldn't let it worry you.

FiftyShadesOfDuckEggBlue · 17/04/2017 17:30

I've breastfed my LO exclusively for 6 months and have been having cake pretty much every day.

It's a bit of a myth that you have to eat super healthily when breastfeeding, probably promoted by formula companies as it is in their interests to make breastfeeding look challenging. This article may be useful: "La Leche League also underlines that the quality and amount of breast milk is not really affected by diet." "The fat and calories in breast milk tend to come from fat laid down during pregnancy, rather than your current diet." Of course it's good to eat healthily in general but you shouldn't worry about it more just because you are breastfeeding.

Enjoy your Easter eggs!

HeyCat · 17/04/2017 17:33

That's total bollocks!

Enjoy your chocolate :)

Original poster

Blossom789 · 17/04/2017 19:46

Fab! Is there anything you should avoid that would affect?? (DS has no allergies)

OP posts:

Justmadeperfectflapjacks · 17/04/2017 19:52

My hv tried to insist I completed a bf questionnaire or it would go on my file as refused medical advice.

This after I had bf ten dc without any issues at all.

Nuts. .

silkybear · 17/04/2017 19:57

Your health visitor is a cunt. You have just given birth, are trying to establish breastfeeding and are probably getting no sleep. The least you can expect is a decent slab of

silkybear · 17/04/2017 20:03

No, if baby has no allergies you can eat what you like. In fact I was rather partial to an occasional glass of red when I was bfing

Moregilmoregirls · 17/04/2017 20:13

I was told to avoid caffeine as it can affect your supply and I think a small amount can pass into your milk. Alcohol can also pass in very small amounts.

tiktok · 17/04/2017 20:21

Your HV is in some fairly urgent need of retraining.....this is RIDICULOUS advice, 100 per cent incorrect, and could make BF harder and certainly make life more of a challenge.

The sugar in milk is lactose. It is not made from sugar in your diet. It is a naturally occurring sugar in all milks. It is unaffected by your diet.

Alcohol goes into the milk freely and comes out again freely. You do not need to worry about the minuscule amounts that reach the milk and they don't stay there....no need to be concerned unless you get so drunk you are unable to care for the baby safely. Caffeine has been shown in a few studies to apparently affect babies after large quantities, but most women don't need to be concerned about this either unless they routinely have large amounts of it.

Please tell your HV she is wrong, and stop her messing up other women's BF experiences. You can be polite. Just say 'you know you told me about avoiding sugar - I've been doing some research on this, and apparently it's a myth and that in any case the sugar I eat can't get into the milk....I'm a bit confused now, can you tell me where I can find out more?'

Grrrrrrrrrrrr.

MrEBear · 17/04/2017 21:34

What nonsense, healthy balanced diet is what is needed. Clearly you can't just eat junk but who the heck would?

I'd try to avoid too much caffeine scared of having a baby on a caffeine buzz, likewise I wouldn't have more than one alcoholic drink.

tiktok · 17/04/2017 21:43

You can just eat junk - not a great idea of course but the milk won't be affected :)

(Limiting caffeine and alcohol is personal choice - milk unaffected unless large amounts of caffeine, and alcohol affects milk but see my post below :) )

DartmoorDoughnut · 17/04/2017 22:05

The best thing I realised was hat pats are good for milk, I mainline flapjacks!

icclemunchy · 17/04/2017 22:10

As pp's have said. Your HVs chatting shite. Eat what you like. Of course it's wise to follow a healthy balanced diet. It because its wise for all of us not because you're bf.

My DD was sensitive to caffeine so I cut that out until she was older and could tolerate it better but other than mainlining chocolate hobnobs during night feeds I ate as usual

Original poster

Blossom789 · 18/04/2017 03:34

So other advice they've given to cut out broccoli as baby was windy is nonsense too!

I've had the odd wine but nothing major and for caffeine I was so pleased to have weaned myself off it during pregnancy I'm trying to stay that way. Weirdly I can't fancy a coffee only tea and I've never drunk tea in my life!

OP posts:

OuchBollocks · 18/04/2017 04:23

I always found that onion-y food made my babies windy when they were very little, but my Mini Eggs habit has done no harm at all (except to my chances of fitting back into my summer trousers)

youvegottabekiddingme · 18/04/2017 05:31

After not eating any chocolate during pregnancy I made up for it for a few weeks after delivery by eating a few bars of chocolate everyday. I don't know about the sugar but I felt it gave my baby colic in the evenings so I adjusted the times I ate it.
Anyway, I also lost weight in those few weeks. So unless your baby is having any reaction to it, yes, you should eat chocolate .

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