It is a common fact that all nursing mothers must eat and eat in good quantities so as to be able to produce milk for the baby. It is normally recommended that breast feeding mothers must eat a well -balanced diet and include the foods that they like in it. But some foods that you like might not turn out great for the baby. If the baby is showing symptoms like a rash, congestion, colic and is acting fussy, then it might be time for you to avoid certain foods while breastfeeding.
The following are some of the common foods which don’t go too well for mothers while they are nursing:
1. Coffee
When a nursing mother drinks coffee or tea, some of the caffeine tends to remain in the breast milk. Babies are unable to excrete the caffeine easily and hence it ends up in their system which might lead to crankiness, irritation and sleeplessness. So it is best for nursing mothers to cut down on as much caffeine as you can.
2. Chocolate
Just like coffee, chocolate too contains caffeine and can the same reaction in the baby as coffee or tea does. Hence it is recommended that nursing mothers cut down on chocolate as well.
3. Citrus Fruits
Certain citrus fruits and juices may not prove very good for the breastfeeding mothers as these may irritate the still-immature GI tract and this can lead to diaper rash, spitting up and fussiness. So try eliminating citrus fruits or juice for a few days and see the difference.
4. Broccoli
For all breastfeeding mothers, doctors recommend minimum consumption of broccoli as it may lead to gassy, irritable babies. It is not necessary to cut down completely on this food but limiting its intake for a few days and observe changes.
5. Alcohol
Breastfeeding mothers are often told to keep away from alcohol but an occasional glass of wine once in a while won’t really hurt. But if you are someone who takes alcohol every day, then you need to make some serious changes in your habits. Drinking alcohol during breastfeeding has many side effects and may cause drowsiness, weakness, abnormal weight and deep sleep in the baby. In fact moderate to heavy alcohol consumption may also result in a possibility of decreased milk ejection reflex in the mom.
6. Spicy Foods
Though spicy foods may not always prove risky for all breastfeeding mothers but most nursing ladies have complained of irritated and fussy babies due to consumption of jalapenos or other such spicy items. If you cannot avoid having spicy foods, then you must atleast try certain actions like adding extra lime, tossing in some extra ginger etc. so as to reduce the spiciness of the food?
7. Garlic
You will find old ladies telling breastfeeding mothers to stay away from garlic while they are in the nursing phase. If nursing moms have too much garlic, then the taste of garlic may remain even in the breast milk, much to the dislike of the baby.
