Foods to avoid when breastfeeding - advice please

[mandymac]

Hi

4 week old dd has upset tummy - doctor has said not a bug, but most likely sensitivity to something I am eating, so dd's digestion speeded up - she's passing some bile and loads of dirty nappies.

I am breastfeeding and have already been told that cabbage, onions, garlic, tomatos and strawberrys are to be avoided , any other foods worth cutting out? I had hummous yesterday - would that be a problem?

Also any short term suggestions for 'firming' things up - anything I can eat/drink which may filter though breastmilk and help DD's tummy?

Otherwise she is doing great and we had our first 6 hour strech of unbroken sleep last night - yay!

grapes gave my dd icky nappies.

How on earth can the doctor know it's not a bug? Doctors don't always know much about breastfeeding.

I've heard the same problem list as you. Plus maybe citrus fruit? But most babies aren't sensitive to what you eat. Oh, and caffeine and spicy food.

If you're really worried, you can drop foods, and then reintroduce them to find out what the problem is.

There's nothing you can really do to firm up the poo - breastfed babies normally have runny poo, anyway.

brocolli, cauliflower, orange juice is what I was told.
These can trigger colic - I avoided all and never had any colic with three bf babies.
Doesn't prove antyhign tho!

I eat anything and everything and dd's poo is always liquid - sometimes comes out in a foaming river! She's 23 weeks now and has never had a solid poo. HOwever, she is happy, healthy, very large and thriving, so it's clearly her style.
She didn't have colic either, though ds did, and I'm sure it wasn't anything I was eating.
I do limit caffeine after lunchtime - that's all.

Not so concerned that it is liquid, just about the bile bit, also worried that nappies needing to be changed and bottom cleaned so frequently, that her poor bottom is looking a bit sore . I have been using Kamilosan for sore bottom as it seems quite gentle (and smells great!).

How do you know it's bile (sorry if daft question)?

I've avoided nothing this time, like last time. First baby had colic, 2nd hasn't.

It sounds hard for both of you.

How long has she had an upset tummy? I'd think, if it was a food intolerance, it would come and go with your diet. I'd assume it was a bug unless proven otherwise.

I do know someone whose baby had a strong sensitivity to what she ate - her daughter would puke copiously if she ate anything inappropriate. She was stuck with a really really restricted diet, and of course her daughter has bad allergies to food she ingests herself, too.

Hi Tinker

I described colour/consistency to GP, and as dd is otherwise happy, feeding well and not dehydrated, he thinks its not a bug and so colour (darker than normal poo and slightly green) indicates bile. He seemed to think nothing to worry about and just advised me to keep an eye on it. I'm just trying to be pro-active in looking to try and eat stuff which at least won't make it worse. I'm not overly worried, just want to do my best for dd, even if it means no curries or favourite pasta sauce for a while .

Hi Mandymac - think babies can just do green poo for no reason sometimes. Or when they get a little bug it can happen. My daughter had it when I had mastitis but it can just happen.

dd had the odd green poo and it meant nothing. I certainly wouldn't be rushing to limit my own diet because of it. Also, I suspect babies are feeding more and getting more liquid because of hte hot weather and this might account for the extra liquid poos. I don't htink gps know much/anything about breastfeeding tbh!
Greenish is definitely on the normal spectrum for newborn poo IME. doesn't mean bile at all.

baked beans gave dd awful stomach ache.
In this hot weather if your dd is thirsty and getting more fore milk it can cause the milk to be a bit greener I think.
Try wiping her bottom with weak camomile tea to wash it (thank MrsD for that tip).

Your baby's nappies are normal, mandy....it is really not worth bothering to change your diet because of green poo.

Hi NQC

Have noticed more nappies since Saturday (had pizza with spicy salami on Friday night, and a slice again at lunchtime on Sat (it had gone in fridge overnight). Green stuff appeared this morning, hence visit to GP.
Will be trying the 'blandest thing on the menu' (thank you Goodness Gracious Me) for tea tonight to see if that helps. Hope DD isn't going to have any food intolerance - I had IBS for several years and found avoiding wheat and too much dairy helped, but hope she doesn't take after me in that respect. - Looks just like DH, so hope shes developed his iron constitution .

Thanks Tiktok.

I won't be making any drastic long term changes - after 9 months avoiding stuff, I really don't feel like starting that again.

Idea that it could just be due to all the extra milk she is taking in the hot weather is interesting - she has been feeding every 2 to 3 hours in the daytime, so could be that.

Given what you say, I'd try eating a bit blander and see what happens. But they do really get quite startling poos for no apparent reason - I think it's because they know how boring they are (sorry, I'm not a fan of babies!) and are trying to be interesting in the only way they know how.

If she's generally well, I wouldn't worry about it over much though. Both my boys sometimes had green poos, and I never found out why.

The only really clear case of food intolerance in a baby I've found was my friend with the vomiting baby, and that really was quite clearcut and also very very rare. (And really, it was allergies, which is different from IBS. I have mild IBS myself, and so far, neither child shows any sign at all.)

I ate anything and everything and got the occasional green poo, poos were runny until solids started then they got a whole lot more interesting (and smellier).