Breastfeeding hints for August moms?

[magpiedee]

As I was hungrily slurping down my morning protein shake, I half-remembered reading something about how we can't/shouldn't drink milk while breastfeeding... : ... which would mean i'll have to completely rethink my eating strategies after tadpole is born, as I drink probably 1/2 gallon of milk a day. Is that true? Are there other foods to avoid?

Are there any other things us newbies need to know/prepare for regarding breastfeeding our babies?

[amybw]

I think you only need to avoid milk if your baby seems to have a milk sensitivity.
If your baby is fussy, pukey, etc, you can eliminate certain common triggers, like dairy til you figure out what doesnt agree with him/her.


Amy

[veganf]

Ditto the PP. While I don't do dairy, there's no reason you need to stop drinking it specifically for breastfeeding unless baby seems to be affected by it (ie. gas, colic, rash).
The thing I did have to avoid for the first few weeks was really spicy foods, because it gave the boys a red diaper rash.

- Krista

[Ary99]

As a mom of a boy who had many food sensitivities and subsequent food allergies, one telltale sign something was *not* good for him was what I affectionately referred to as "ring around the anus". Their poor little bottoms tell you a lot about what set well with them and what didn't. If you see a red ring like rash, it's usually something you ate.

Too much orange juice/citrus can also make your milk more acidic.

[NaomiLorelie]

Ditto to the PP's about milk. There is no need to change your diet unless your baby has a sensitivity. There really is nothing off limits food wise, even a drink or two every once in awhile if you want it. Just be careful about any meds you are taking or herbs. My biggest advice about breastfeeding a newborn is to always have a cold drink on hand because BFing makes you thirsty. Also, that for me at least, bfing while also healing PP makes me HUNGRY. Hungrier than I ever was during pregnancy. You need extra calories to heal and make milk.

[Azreial]

: Some herbs aren't good for nursing mothers either. Drink, drink and drink. I have to drink more when nursing than pg

[KC in KS]

It really helped me to set up a nursing station in the living room with a table I could stock with supplies. A big cup of water that I refilled all day, snacks, a magazine, the TV remote, the telephone, etc.

When the baby started crying to nurse, no way could I go running around to collect all the stuff I'd need. Much better to have it handy beforehand - just remember to keep restocking!

[peilover010202]

I agree with everyone here. The only problem I ran into with ds was he got super gassy, so I cut out garlic, broccoli, cauliflower for awhile. That really helped him.

And, yes, you'll be SUPER thirsty and probably SUPER hungry. But, most likely (at least I was like this), I was so busy with a newborn that even though I was hungry - I just kept telling myself that I'd eat AFTER babe nursed, but sometimes afternoon would roll around and I'd realize I still hadn't eaten. So, I started keeping little snack foods like cheese chunks, crackers, grapes, apples, eggs (hard-boiled), etc around so I could always grab something and eat while baby did.

[eleven]

My biggest piece of advice is to attend LLL meetings and know who to call if you need help. If you're in a lot of pain, get help!! There is no need to suffer and the sooner problems are addressed, the easier they are to remedy.

[the_lissa]

There aren't really foods to avoid unless your baby has a sensitivity to it.

I eat everything while bf- curries, spicy stuff, whatever. Now my daughter is a fiend for spicy food- probably because what you eat flavours your breastmilk. There is speculation that is why children of different cultures can handle their native foods that might give an adult from another culture major problems.

[magpiedee]

This is all such wonderful advice! Thank y'all so much for sharing!

Can you tell i'm reaaaallly relieved about the milk thing? And the salsa thing? And I think the BF station is a fabulous idea-- I'm definitely going to follow that advice. Woohoo!

[veganf]

Originally Posted by the_lissa

I eat everything while bf- curries, spicy stuff, whatever. Now my daughter is a fiend for spicy food- probably because what you eat flavours your breastmilk. There is speculation that is why children of different cultures can handle their native foods that might give an adult from another culture major problems.

It's gotta be true. My 2 year old licks the spicy coating off those Red Hot Blues tortilla chips. Even my husband thinks they're too spicy to do that with! But I love 'em too.
And they love going out for mexican food, and one of their absolute favourite dishes at home is spicy baked tofu.
I must've made some spicy breastmilk, LOL!

[NaomiLorelie]

Originally Posted by the_lissa

There aren't really foods to avoid unless your baby has a sensitivity to it.

I eat everything while bf- curries, spicy stuff, whatever. Now my daughter is a fiend for spicy food- probably because what you eat flavours your breastmilk. There is speculation that is why children of different cultures can handle their native foods that might give an adult from another culture major problems.

Both my girls love spicy foods too and i always ate spicy foods while pregnant and BFing.(Supposedly amniotic fluid takes on the flavor of whatever the mom eats as well) My family never ate spicy food and my 2 and 4 yo can eat foods that make my mother and sister's eyes water.

[the_lissa]

Yes you are right about the amniotic fluid too- if your water breaks shortly after you had a spicy meal, it will smell like the meal.

Our bodies are amazing!

[mamamilkers]

The best advice I got was to set up a little snack station by where you nurse so that you can nibble away while your little one nurses. I kept mine stocked with cereal and granola bars, trail mix, bottled water and juice, etc etc. I just found it SO hard to eat and drink enough when I was nursing a newborn! Having food all over the place was great.

Oh, and I never kept away from any specific food. I agree with pp who say that unless your dc has a problem with it, don't worry about it. Otherwise you'll drive yourself crazy for no reason

Enjoy the amazing bond!

[Karah R]

There was never anything with my older three that I could not eat while breastfeeding-and I'm a milk drinker and never had a problem there.

The only thing that ever bothered any of my children would be if I tried to nurse them right after I had a vigourous workout. It can cause a buildup of lactic acid and make the milk taste a bit sour to the baby for some moms--and this really bothered my oldest, Alexis. I had to make sure to nurse her just before exercise-and that would be what my EBM stash was for if she turned up her nose to nursing after I worked out.

[Katiemare]

I thought I'd damaged ds for life when I had cabbage!!

Other than that, I think the first time he "slept through the night" (as "good babies" do ) was when I had 2 glasses of wine and bf'd him anyway.

[carolina~mom2be]

That gives a whole new meaning to "milk drunk" My pregnancy brain finds everything HILARIOUS!!! At least we know how to get the babies to sleep through the night!