breastfeeding

does anyone know what type of diet you should follow while breastfeeding? i tried looking it up on the internet but i get a million different stories or they make it seem like we can only have water and a pea every meal

Re: breastfeeding

I am assuming very close to how you eat during pregnancy. No alcohol etc.

It also depends on your child...if when you eat onions, your baby gets gas, then you might want to cut out onions.

Re: breastfeeding

I was at a BF class last night and she said that before and while Bf'ing to just eat a healthy well balanced diet but there is nothing specifically "off limits". As far as alcohol she said for every drink you have wait at least 3 hrs. to nurse so it doesn't pass to baby. As far as foods, she said to eat what you like.

Re: breastfeeding

I have been BFing for the last 6 months and I eat everything and sometimes have a glass of wine. I drink coffee every morning. My DS has never had a problem - people say, don't eat vegetables, don't eat dairy, etc. I eat it all and I haven't had a problem

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I avoid large amounts of caffeine, mercury fish, and limit alcohol. Other than that, I eat what I want.

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Do you still continue to take your prenatals when bfing?

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As someone who BF for a year - no special diet is needed (except to try and eat healthier - but many people do that pregnant anyway so it isn't a big change). My dr allowed me to have sushi, fish, an occasional drink so better than pregnancy diet..LOL. I stayed away from more gassy foods like broccoli but otherwise ate normally. There is a school of thought that it is a good idea to limit or eliminate nuts from your diet - but I would discuss that with your dr.

Re: breastfeeding

Re: breastfeeding

I've been BFing for about 4 months now and eat pretty much anything and everything. Like PP said, everything in moderation is okay. I still watch how much caffeine and types of fish I eat, but otherwise everything else is fine. I've been taking my prenatal vitamins as well (the bottle says pregnant and nursing on it, so I figured I might as well keep taking them.) I missed eating my fresh mozzarella and unpasteurized cheeses while pregnant and am sooo loving it again

Re: breastfeeding

The lactation consultant at our BF class told us to stay away from peanuts and peanut butter while BF. She said that there was a direct correlation between life threatening peanut allergies in children and the consumption of peanut products in their mothers who breast fed them. I am not a huge peanut eater (despite my new passion for Pad Thai) so this is not really a huge sacrifice for me. I am generally not an alarmist and I can do this if it means that it may keep my kid from carrying an epi-pen with her for life.

But it does make a lot of sense when you think about it. There seem to be so many more life threatening food allergies in children and a lot more women BF nowadays than they did years ago. Easy to do the math here.

Nobody did it when I was a baby, and now a woman gets scoffed at if she doesnt. My MIL did it for DH and his siblings and was probably given a hard time for doing so.

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I did not say it was the sole cause. I said there was a correlation.

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I avoided peanuts while BFing because there was a published study in 2001 stating that consuming peanuts could increase the risk of developing allergies later on. We have a history of food allergies in DH's family, so I didn't risk it.

I also avoided tomato based products because they tended to give DD a diaper rash whenever I ate them.

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Re: breastfeeding

i had asked the lc about this in the hospital and she said that there have been recent studies that said that it more connected to genetics - if family members have this allergy. I eat PB, my sisters did and they BF, my mom did and she BF and we have no allergies. it may be a contributing factor, but i agree with the PP that it probably only aggrevates (if that is the right word) a problem that already existed. I eat PB and will continue to do so b/c i know in a week a new study will come out!

Re: breastfeeding

The only thing I avoid are foods that make me gassy. If they make me gassy, they make DD gassy. Broccoli, beans, etc. But otherwise, I eat the same as I did before. I also have coffee everyday and a drink here and there.

ETA: I wont eat peanut butter/peanuts because Im worried about allergies.

Message edited 7/26/2008 11:32:50 PM.

Re: breastfeeding

You can pretty much eat whatever you want. As for the whole "breast-feeding and eating nuts causes nut allergies" thing - umm, that's a bit extreme. I think there are still a lot of questions surrounding the up-tick in allergies.

It might be a good idea to limit your peanut intake (the same way you should limit your fish intake because of mercury), but you don't have to go on a nut-free diet.

ETA: Here's a link to Kellymom.com -- a great site for breastfeeding info -- on diet and breastfeeding. They do note that if you have a family history of nut allergies you might choose the avoid nuts to play it safe. I think you'll find answers to a lot of your questions here.

Breastfeeding and Diet

Message edited 7/27/2008 3:52:25 PM.

Re: breastfeeding

I only avoided peanuts/peanut products because DH is allergic to them so our children may as well. This is typically a genetic trait as well so I was advised to avoid them. In anticipation of nursing again, I am eating all I can tolerate now!

Re: breastfeeding

Like PP have said, just eat healthy.

With regard to peanuts and potential allergies . . . there is ONE published study about peanut oil passing into breastmilk. BFing mothers pumped and the amount of the two (or three I can't remember now) allergy stimulating ingredients in peanuts was measured (baseline). Each woman was then given a certain amount of peanuts to consume. They each pumped again, every hour until there was no trace of the allergy causing substance found in the breastmilk. It took a total of 7 hours for ALL of the women to have NO signs of the substances in their breastmilk. It is the one and only study which conclusively shows that the allergan in peanuts passes into breastmilk.

Does this prove or disprove allergies? NO. But, what's the big deal about avoiding peanuts &/or peanut butter while breastfeeding if it in any way reduces the risk?

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thanks everyone! i tell ya the more you read online the more confused you get. i'd rather hear the info from mothers who are actually going through it or have gone through it already.

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I BF'ed for 6 months and aint anything i wanted except for Sushi and hard liquor. You can definitely have wine though. It wont hurt the baby. I always had wine after DS went to bed and DH and I would hang out and watch a movie.

Re: breastfeeding