Written by Dr. Lisa K. Goodman
We have all heard the saying “You Are What You Eat.” Well, if you are breastfeeding there is another spin on it. “Your Baby is What YOU Eat too!” If you are a nursing mom you know all to well that it takes some getting used to. Once you have the nursing part established there is still one more thing to consider: What are you eating?
As an anecdote, I recently discovered that the cause of my little Nate’s virtually continuous spitting up was my consumption of dairy. Yes, milk, cheese and yogurt! It dawned on me when Nate was having some discomfort and difficulty sitting up that I should get to the bottom of his spitting up. It didn’t take long doing just a little research to discover that dairy was the most likely cause. I consumed a lot of dairy on a daily basis. Just about 4 days after I stopped eating dairy, Nate stopped spitting up and has not spit up since. At all. This is very often diagnosed as acid reflux, but changing your diet should be preferable to introducing a medication when you can avoid it.
Here are a few more examples of why baby might not like some of the things you are eating:
If you baby is avoiding the breast or chooses not to nurse during a regular feeding you might think about what you ate or drank the day/night before. Many foods such as asparagus, broccoli, spicy food, garlic, onions and spinach might not taste good in breast milk.
If your baby is spitting up or vomiting during or after nursing he or she may have a food sensitivity. This can involve a sensitivity or an allergy to certain foods or proteins in food. Common sensitivities are dairy, wheat and soy. If you chose to remove one of these from your diet you have to eliminate it completely. Even a small amount of dairy, etc can start the cycle again.
It should also be noted that many babies absolutely love many of the foods listed above. In general there is no reason to worry about the foods you eat unless you are experiencing trouble nursing.
If you think your baby is physically uncomfortable nursing or bottle feeding in general or on one side more than the other they may have a restriction or compression in the spine. This can be easily evaluated and treated by our doctors so please call or email if you suspect this.
About Dr. Lisa Goodman
Dr. Lisa Goodman, DC, CCSP lives in Denver, CO with her husband and two young sons. Her chiropractic practice specializes in women’s health and sports injury & prevention. She is a certified chiropractic sports physician and is prenatal certified. For more information, visit www.washparkchiro.com
1 comment
Hey,
This is cool!
Do you want to post this over here: http://www.quora.com/Why-is-it-important-for-mothers-breastfeeding-to-monitor-what-theyre-eating
Nick