So just how much does your diet REALLY affect your breastmilk?

[beanstalk]

OK so it makes total sense to me that caffeine, alcohol and medicines get through to your breastmilk as they all enter your bloodstream. But do different types of foods affect breastmilk too - I don't quite understand how? So if you ate a really healthy diet you would produce 'better' milk than if you lived off junk food? Or does your body give baby what they need leaving you short if your diet is bad (as in pregnancy)?

I ask because my 12 wk old DD is still suffering from digestive problems (pain and quite excessive flatulence ). After many sleepless nights for both of us I wondered whether changing my diet would help. I already cut out caffeine, chocolate and limit alcohol to the occasional glass of wine.

She might just be taking in a lot of air, or could it be colic?

Could it be a problem with dairy foods?
Both my children had a lot of gas (amongst other problems) until I cut dairy out of my diet. The proteins in some foods pass relatively unchanged into breastmilk, and can be difficult for babies to digest. Dairy is a pretty common culprit. Hope you find a solution and start getting some sleep!

I do make sure that I wind her properly after each feed - I give her infacol so we get some pretty big burps so I don't think it's the air she's taking in.
beachcomber - that's interesting that you really noticed a difference. I drink soya milk, but I do have cheese so I guess that would be easy to cut out.

im in my 13th week of breastfeeding and was convinced in the first 6 weeks that onion, garlic and leeks affected my milk as the day after eating them my daughter had a lot of wind (bum wind!) and seem to have tum ache.

i was careful what i ate but then about a month a go i ate onion in a dish my partner had cooked and things were fine!

i now eat what i want, she still has alot of wind! but seems ok.

i wonder in the early days if it does make a difference but now her digestive system is starting to mature a little she seems to cope.

If its not one thing its another with these babies!!!

goog luck
xxxx

not at all

I have tried cutting out garlic and spicy foods since a couple of weeks ago because my dd had a lot of windy problems a few weeks back. Not sure if it's helped as her digestive system seems to have matured a bit now anyway (at 11wks), but maybe those are easy things to cut out for a while? By the way I read in the Sears breastfeeding book that caffeine doesn't go into one's milk, in case you want to try reindulging in coffee!

DS1 was windy whatever I ate.

So I just ate whatever I liked.

no it doesn't have anythign you fancy (within reason you don't want to get legless and drop the baby).

I think it depends on the individual baby. I've noticed that dd (6 weeks old) is much more unsettled the day after I have caffeine or citrus fruit, so have cut both of these out of my diet.

Other common culprits don't seem to bother her: garlic (even raw in a salad dressing), onions, broccoli and curry don't seem to affect her. I don't eat much dairy anyway - have switched to soya milk - but haven't noticed any ill effects from that.

Ds had problems after I had dairy, chocolate (what a bummer that was), tomatoes and onions.

Before we figured that one out I had a curry, not a good idea.

DS is a bit over six months now and when he was around 4 I started reintroducing the above and it seems fine now.

i've now cut out dairy and seems to have made a difference to DD, the farting is less and she seems more comfortable.

interesting that you were able to reintroduce foods jomaja - is this because his digestion had maured a bit?
anyone else got experience of reintroducing the problem foods - just wondering how long I have to go without ice-cream for!

oops - matured

I get a bit miffed when people say 'oh just eat what you want, it doesnt get into your milk...'. My dd was very intolerant to gluten and eggs... only recently grown out of this problem at age 3.5. She was in agony every day before we realised that she couldnt tolerate certain foods... the poor soul screamed and cried for hours every night when i tried to get her to lay down for bed. Everyone else said she was just naughty!! turns out she couldnt have gluten and egg and as soon as i cut it from my diet as well as hers she was completly fine.

I think its a good idea to exclude foods if you suspect them... can always get a referral to the food clinic at yr hospital, they can help advise. Looking back, my dd was very unhappy until she was a year old when we sussed it out. i really wish people werent so dismissive of the idea that what you eat affects baby's milk.