Foods and drinks to avoid while breastfeeding Caffeine passes into breastmilk, so large amounts of tea, coffee and cola drinks are best avoided. Drinking small amounts of drinks with caffeine (3 or less drinks a day) should not be a problem. Alcohol also passes into breastmilk and can affect your baby.
Foods to stay away from when breastfeeding include: Coffee and tea. Some of the caffeine in the coffee and tea you drink will end up in your breast milk and may make it harder for your baby to sleep. It can also make it harder for you to nap when your baby is napping or to sleep at night.
To prevent adverse reactions in the baby while breastfeeding, it's recommended to avoid consuming citrus fruits, cherries, and prunes. Citrus fruits have been associated with digestive problems, fussy behavior, vomiting, and diaper rash in breastfed babies.
Apricots and dates
Eating apricots and dates can increase prolactin, which is the hormone that tells your body to produce milk. Apricots contain essential nutrients such as dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C and potassium. Fresh is better than canned.
It also contains anandamide and two related compounds that stimulate cannabinoid receptors, tryptophan, and polyphenols. [1,2] All of these compounds are detectable in breastmilk in small amounts. Low intake of chocolate by a nursing mother is not problematic, but extreme amounts can affect the infant.
Avocados, full of healthy fats and fiber, are a great addition to your diet while breastfeeding. The fat in avocados help you and your baby absorb fat-soluble vitamins and can also be beneficial to your baby's developing brain health.
Some positioning tips: Feed your baby as upright as possible; lay your child on their back and pedal their legs with your hands to help expel gas from below; if your child is awake after a feeding, place them on their belly. Increase tummy time.
For breastfed babies, gas might be caused by eating too fast, swallowing too much air or digesting certain foods. Babies have immature GI systems and can frequently experience gas because of this. Pains from gas can make your baby fussy, but intestinal gas is not harmful.
While breastfeeding, calcium requirements increase significantly, so aim for five to six servings a day to meet the extra demands (1 serving = a glass of milk or pot of yogurt or 25g/1oz of cheese).
In the meantime, the take-home message is this: breastfeeding mothers, who are not allergic to milk, should drink cow's milk. There is no evidence to discourage it and some evidence that it may protect the nursing infant.
Foods such as curd, yoghurt, cheese, paneer, dairy-based drinks, tofu, almonds, figs, sesame seeds and some green vegetables are also rich in calcium. So, while there's no harm in drinking milk, there's no need to overdo it, especially if you are also having other calcium-rich foods.
If your baby doesn't burp after a few minutes, change the baby's position and try burping for another few minutes before feeding again. Always burp your baby when feeding time is over.
Using a pacifier.
“Almost all babies will find some baby gas relief by sucking on a pacifier,” O'Connor says, because the sucking action releases endorphins that will soothe them.
Some babies may be more prone to gas and discomfort if they go to sleep without being burped, while others may not have any issues. However, if a baby is already asleep and showing no signs of discomfort, it is generally safe to let them sleep without burping.
Signs of a gassy baby include spitting up, crying, drawing legs up, and a reduced appetite. Usually, gas will pass; talk to your child's healthcare provider if the symptoms don't go away. Some babies have food allergies or sensitivities, lactose intolerance, or eat too quickly.
Sit your baby on your lap supporting the chin and chest with one hand. Rub or pat the back with your other hand. Tip: Use repeated, gentle pats on your baby's back. Rest your baby faced down on your lap and gently rub or pat the back.
Strawberries are a nutritious way to add essential vitamins and minerals to your breast-feeding diet. If your baby doesn't have a reaction to them, you can eat them as often as you like.
To get the nutrients you need while breastfeeding, follow a healthy eating routine [PDF - 1.9 MB]. Choose a mix of healthy foods you enjoy from each food group, including: Whole fruits — like apples, berries, oranges, mango, and bananas.
Eating foods rich in vitamin C is therefore particularly important when you are breastfeeding. Zespri Green kiwifruit is one of the most highly concentrated sources of vitamin C, containing 85 mg per 100 g – that's even more vitamin C than oranges and strawberries!
Yes! You can enjoy ice cream while breastfeeding. Just pay attention to cues from your baby to make sure they're not sensitive to dairy. You actually can eat WHATEVER you like while breastfeeding unless you notice a clear reaction in your baby to a particular food you ate.
Porridge: Adding a bowl of porridge to your diet can surprisingly increase breast milk production. Many women feel that slow-cooked porridge is better than instant ones. Oat Bars: Oat bars can be consumed as a snack along with tea or coffee.
Drink Milo: So, apparently, it's not just kids who 'gotta be made of Milo' – mums do too! When we put a call out to our community of mums asking what they did to up their supply, lots said drinking Milo played a big role.
Babies sneeze to clear germs and particles out of the nose. This is a natural defense against illness. Sneezing every now and then is normal.