adult foods that affect nursing baby

[kerriflan]

I'm breastfeeding my 3 month old dd and I still have trouble figuring out which foods (that I eat) affect her, i.e. give her gas. Does anyone know how long it takes for the food to get into the breastmilk? If I eat onions for lunch and she's gassy that evening was it onions or maybe something I ate the day before? I would love to hear other experiences with this. I just can't come to any real conclusions based on my own experience. Thanks!

Kerri

[joodyjr]

The only thing I really had a problem with, and most breastfeeding mothers I think say the same to a degree is dairy products. I had a much happier baby if I didn't drink milk. Or at least not as much as normal (which is a lot, I love milk). I avoided things like broccoli, but if I did eat it, I didn't see where it really bothered him. Milk was really the only thing I found to be a problem. If I remember correctly, it takes close to two weeks of you not eating something for it to not cause problems in baby. Mention it at your next pediatrician visit and I'm sure they'll be able to tell you more precisely.

[egoldber]

I was very lucky because I never had a problem with anything I ate. I was careful for about a month, and then stopped. But I have a friend whose baby was sensitive to tomato products. If she ate pasta with a tomato sauce, then the next day, her baby was uncomfortable. I have another friend who had to cut out dairy, garlic, onion, tomato and all the cabbage family including broccoli and cauliflower.
Here's a link to an article on the LaLecheLeague site about avoiding foods. http://www.lalecheleague.org/FAQ/avoid.html

HTH,

[Rachels]

Hi. From what I understand, foods you eat are secreted in your breastmilk within a few hours, and can take up to 24 hours to clear completely. In general, potentially gassy foods can include onions, garlic, tomatoes, dairy, beans, broccoli, cabbage, etc. There are others, but those seem to be the ones that affect a great many babies. Caffeine can also affect babies. Hope this helps!

[KathyO]

One way to figure out whether food is the problem at all is to cut out all the major suspects for a whole week, or even two. If baby is still gassy, then it's not the foods. I did a week with no dairy, no beans, no broccoli/cauliflower, no onions/garlic, no chocolate and no caffeine. Didn't make a lick of difference (for me. I'm not saying that there aren't lots of babies out there who ARE sensitive to these things.) Trying this approach might save you a lot of guessing and worry.

Cheers,

KathyO