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Dear Breast feeding moms,
It is important to follow certain dietary restrictions while breastfeeding so that the baby will not suffer from colic, gastritis, discomfort, sleep problems, crying all night etc.It basically depends on the food mom eats. Each baby reacts differently to the food but based on my practical experience I am giving the following suggestions: Following are the foods to avoid:
- Eggs – Baby’s digestive system is developing and does not have the capability to digest the proteins in eggs. When ever I eat eggs my baby used to have colic problems. You can eat egg whites in moderation may be one per day but do not eat egg yolks.
- Cows Milk and dairy products- Take milk and/or cheesy products in moderation may be one cup a day. Enzymes in milk are too hard for the baby to digest. When ever I drank more milk, my baby used to avoid my breast milk. Sounds weird! But this is true.
- Oily foods – Consuming too much oily foods like vadas, deep fried stuff while breast feeding also makes the baby to avoid drinking mom’s breast milk.
- Sesame seeds – Once I ate ellu kathirikkai since I love this so much and my baby was crying all day. The heat that sesame generates is intolerable for the baby.
- Watch your diet. A diet that consists of quick-fix food and loads of caffeine isn't good for mother or baby.
Foods to eat for breast milk secretion and to relieve colic problems are:
- Garlic – make garlic chutney, garlic podi, rasam etc
- Fenugreek powder, fenugreek seeds – soak in water and drink
- Anise
- Fennel seeds
- Drinks lot of fluids and keep hydrated
- Brown Rice – contains B vitamins, selenium, iron, fiber and manganese.
- Avocados – contains potassium, vitamin B6, and Pantothenic acid
- Beets – high in potassium
- Carrots – high in vitamin C
- Barley – high in phosphorus, magnesium, and vitamin B6.
You may have lot of suggestions please share your thoughts too so that it will be beneficial to all moms. Stress can negatively affect milk production, so be stress free and happy. We are all blessed as moms to have the wonderful opportunity to breast feed so let us follow the above to benefit the baby and the mother.
