Garlic and onions - avoid veggies including garlic, onions, cabbage, turnips, broccoli, and beans as they are commonly associated with affecting a mother's breastmilk and can increase colic in a baby's tummy. Curries can be a problem too, if you didn't have them regularly while pregnant.
A breastfeeding mother's diet should include plenty of water and an adequate consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and low-fat dairy sources.
Conclusions: Removing bananas from the maternal diet may reduce colic. The consumption of a protein-rich maternal diet, grapes, lemons and potatoes by breastfeeding mothers may protect infants from colic.
Common allergens include dairy, eggs, fish, shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, and soy1. If you suspect your baby is allergic to something you are eating try cutting these out of your diet, one at a time, and see if your baby's health improves. It may take up to ten days for it to clear from his/her system.
Milk intolerance
Cow's milk protein is one of the most common causes of food sensitivity in a baby who is breastfeeding. Cow's milk protein intolerance is a reaction by the body's immune system to a protein found in cow's milk. A milk allergy or milk protein intolerance is different from lactose intolerance.
Both parents and baby lose sleep. A colicky infant may be overfed in an effort to stop the crying. This might make the colic worse.
Most babies with colic do much better on their mother's milk than on any of the formulas, so your best bet is most likely to continue nursing.
As mentioned above, overfeeding, underfeeding, and feeding inappropriate foods can cause colic.
Episodes of colic usually peak when an infant is about 6 weeks old and decline significantly after 3 to 4 months of age. While the excessive crying will resolve with time, managing colic adds significant stress to caring for your newborn child.
If your baby shows negative symptoms after drinking breast milk. Consider how your baby responds to breast milk after drinking it. If symptoms occur such as fussiness, irritability, crying, gas, increased spitting up and/or drawing their legs up due to tummy pain, write down everything you ate that day.
Colic usually starts when babies are about 3 weeks old. It gets worse when they are between 4 and 6 weeks old. Most of the time, colicky babies get better after they are 6 weeks old, and are completely fine by the time they are 12 weeks old.
Colic can start a few weeks after birth. It's generally the worst between 4 and 6 weeks of age. Babies usually grow out of colic by the time they are 3 to 4 months old.
The exact cause of colic is not known. But some breastfeeding mothers have noticed that certain foods seem to cause colic in their babies. It is possible that some foods may affect breast milk and contribute to intestinal gas or other digestive problems, which may make crying episodes worse.
A variety of medical conditions can cause colic symptoms, including cow's milk protein intolerance, carbohydrate malabsorption, infantile migraine, and acid reflux. I provide the details below. One of the more common medical causes of colic is cow's milk protein intolerance (Lindberg 1999).
A baby with colic will often go through their most intense crying spells between 6:00 p.m. and midnight. Of course, that's usually just when you as a parent are also feeling worn out. While the incessant screaming might make you want to pull your hair out, just remember that this phase won't last forever.
Possible signs of food allergy
If a breastfed baby is sensitive to a particular food, then he may be fussy after feedings, cry inconsolably for long periods, or sleep little and wake suddenly with obvious discomfort.
If your baby has Cow's milk protein intolerance (CMPI) he might have colic-like symptoms, and be wheezy, vomit, have diarrhea (including bloody diarrhea), constipation, a rash, eczema and/or a blocked nose.
Many mothers have reported foods such as kale, spinach, beans, onions, garlic, peppers or spicy foods cause infant gas, while many babies tolerate these foods just fine.
Even though they may cry a great deal, colic is neither dangerous nor harmful. Experts say that colic has no long-term effects and an infant with colic will gain weight and feed normally. Colic is relatively short-lived.