Seeking Advice on What Foods to Eat While Breast Feeding to Avoid Gas Pains.

Chocolate is something to avoid. Your baby can taste it in your milk and can cause gas

My son had colic for the first 7 weeks, and I looked extensively at what I could eat that would help my breast milk be more tolerable for him. The one thing I read that really made a difference was giving up dairy. Within 2 days or so, the colic was almost gone. After another month or so, I added it back gradually, and by then his tummy was fine with it.

My baby was most fussy when I ate dairy or corn. Which meant I had to give up all corn syrup, corn starch, and all cheese, milk etc. He really improved on this diet, though, and I felt healthier too! Try giving up one type of food for a week, and see if the baby improves, if not, try another type. Good luck!

cabbage is a big one. brussel sprouts. too much milk and other dairy products can give baby a tummy ache (not gas). beans(not green beans). spicy foods.
Good luck I remember breastfeeding my son after eating cabbage. That was a BAD idea.

cheese and milk was a big thing for us. my daughter is 19 months and it still bothers her!

Hi D.,
My baby had the same issues. He's 4 months old now and is getting better. It does get better with time :-)
I found that limiting dairy and dark green veggies helped. Also, my son always had a problem when I had spagetti sauce or a lot of tomatoes - I think it was the acidity. So ease up on any spagetti and meatballs for a while :-) When my son was really bad in the beginning, all ate was granola bars, oatmeal, plain chicken, potatoes, rice, carrots, corn, some red meat, some fish like haddock cooked well, some salads but limited.... and really that's about it. It was a pretty boring diet but it did help. I took out most dairy, anything with tomatoes, dark greens, no pizza, no chinese food, no ice cream... boooring. But it definitely made a difference. Then after a month or so try to re-introduce some foods back into your diet slowly and test it out. Because as she gets older she'll be able to handle more of what your eating. Hope this helped a little, and good luck :-)

Surprisingly, breastfeeding takes some learning, especially since we aren't exposed to it in our lives much. And yet it is very natural, nutricious, and convenient and a great point of bonding. I had a sensitive first child, so removed turkey, onions, broccoli, beans, milk, spicy foods from my diet. There may have been others, but it was 8 years ago...we also used soy baby formula when we blended her into it.

Search the web, there should be good resources available.

A friend's son had a bad gas reaction to onions, so that might be one to consider as a culprit.

Hi D.
I was at my pediatricians office today and was reading a magazine called babytalk and there was an article in there about foods moms eat who are breastfeeding and then baby gets gas. I don't quite remeber what it saide so I would hate to give you the wrong advice. Good luck B.

D.,

First of all, good luck and congratulations! I have 4 children, breast fed them all, and dealt with severe colic starting with my first. Breastfeeding was painful and overwhelming-it did not feel natural at all. By the time my first born was two weeks old, I weighed less than my prepregnancy weight, becuase of all the things I could NOT eat. It was frustrating hearing all the items not to eat without hearing what to eat. I'm sure you are finding the same. Post a list of the "yes" items and it won't feel so overhwelming.

Following is a list of some foods to include and some to avoid. The avoid list may seem dramatic-just try your way through it-not every one has to avoid all of them-find what works for you.

Foods to avoid:
brocolli
cauliflower
brussels sprouts
garlic
onions
cabbage
cole slaw
orange juice
grapefruit or grapefruit juice
prunes
plums
raisins
tomato sauce
chocolate
caffeine
beans-(legumes type, not green)
spicy foods-mexican, Indian, etc.
dairy (try soy products-though my children were also allergic to soy!)

some folks even need to avoid (I did):
peas
strawberries
other citrus fruits
cantalope
apples
wheat products
peanut butter, nuts

Foods which should be safe:
chicken
fish
rice
pasta
squash
carrots
pears
applesauce
grapes
bananas
green beans
tofu
cottage cheese
yogurt (may need soy)

Give it your best shot but if it it too difficult, it really is okay to bottle feed. Good luck!

Hi D.,
When I was breastfeeding, I would stay away from onions, and as you know broccoli, and anything other veggie that is green.
I ate a lot of yogurt, stuff with fiber in it like Fiber One cereal, wheat wraps, wheat bread, lots of salad.
I'm not big on fruits. Carrots, cukes, I didn't have a problem with cauliflower either.
Good luck!

From an herbalist standpoint, fennel is wonderful for helping to eliminate gas and will also help with your milk production. It's one of the ingredients I always put in my "mommy's tea" and is also found in gripe water. Other herbs that would be useful are fenugreek, caraway, and ginger.

Hi D.-
Looks like you are getting lots of good advice. I was like some of the other moms in that I needed to avoid all cow dairy. I believe I read that it has to do with the way your body breaks down the proteins in the cow milk products...and some of my friends could reintroduce dairy products as their baby got older (4-6 months). I switched to all soy products when it came to milk, ice cream (mmmmmmm) and yogurt. I also had to do without chocolate, coffee and spicy foods and broccoli. But it was fine.
One thing I highly recommend is a good reference book. There are several out there and Amazon.com has a great selection of used ones if your library doesn't have one. Most give you great references on foods that are likely to cause gas... plus many other helpful tips...like keeping your milk supply going strong, nursing in public, pumping and bottling (so that daddy can help too :-) ). Anyway, I do recommend getting a good book. It really helps when you start stressing out in the wee hours of the morning....
I wish you luck!
D.

My son was terribly colicky for the first few weeks, so I cut out known gas culprits (veggies, mostly) but it turned out it was cow milk & soy that he couldn't handle. He was fine once I cut them out of my diet. I used rice milk & cheese until I was done nursing at 10 months. He still can't digest them but he does great on goat milk.

I know when I was breastfeeding, I had an awful time w/tomato sauce. I had to stay away from spaghetti sauce, pizza, or anything that was made w/canned tomatoes. You could make yourself crazy avoiding all the foods that might make your baby gassy, so just be aware of what you are eating, and change accordingly.

Hey D.!
I also breastfed my girls for 15 months each, you'll be fine it's all so new give yourself a break.Garlic, onions, and chocolate were always a big no-no for me, but the rule I tried to follow was that whatever foods made me bloated or gassy I would stay away from.For the most part this seemed to help but also remember that your baby will mature and be able to tolerate more as she gets older and the cramping and gas pains should subside.I promise you this will get better.

try giving her a little mylanta before her feedings

As bizzarre as this sounds. Cut out caffeine and chocolate. ( chocolate has caffeine) My 4 month old daughter has no tolerance for those. I cut it out and the gas has decreased dramatically. the 1st few days are rough with out but well worth it. Good luck.

M.

With my kids, I could not eat green peppers, anything spicy, and spagetti sauce. When I wanted pizza, I even asked for no sauce. I would suggest writing down what you eat, that way you can see when she has the gas, and when she doesn't, and cut out what you need to. My son was usually ok, but my daughter, too, had terrible gas for a few months. I tried my best to find out what it was, but at times I just didn't know. We got baby gas drops to give her during the times she did get gas, and usually that helped. I know that the screaming is terrible when they have it, but try not to feel too guilty (or paranoid -- I did too!). I think breastfeeding is a little intuitive and a litte learned. My son had no problems what so ever, and with my daughter, I had a terrible time. You just need to see what works for you and your daughter. Give it time.

Just wondering...were you given antibiotics in the hospital during delivery, or was your baby given them at any point? There is some information about that on the Ask Dr. Sears website. My baby had a terrible time with gas and intestinal discomfort so I started him on probiotics 2 weeks ago, and he is a completely different baby now! I could see the changes within three days. Babies don't need probiotics only if they or you have had antibiotics - it's good for all babies. I use the brand "Baby Jarro" which I bought at Wholefoods. You could also go to your local health food store if you don't have a Wholefoods and ask what they recommend. Hope this helped, and good luck!

You might consider avoiding wheat products and dairy. Maybe do one first for like a week, then the other. Both contain protiens that pass into breast milk and can upset baby who may be sensitive to these.

I have also heard that it could be your prenatal vitamin, and switching to a different brand has helped some moms.

good luck.

Vegetables are not the problem. Acidic foods are. Things like coffee, soda, milk, meat, and sugar.

Stay well hydrated with water and keep lots of chlorophyll and good fats like olive, flax, avacados in your diet. Use sea salt for energy.

Avoid eating protein and carbohydrates/sugars in the same meal - that creates gas as they digest in different parts of the body and at different time. Eat protein with veges.

I was a 36 year old first time mom. Keep working with breast feeding and contact a La Leche group in your area for support. It is not intuitive and it is definetly learned but you'll get the hang of it and your baby will benefit for the rest of it's life!

hello,
i have a 17mo old baby boy --- since birth, his pediatrician suggested i stay away from all dairy products to prevent stomach/gas problems & also to help with allergies, I did it & it was a blessing. he has had no problems. i'm still breasfeeding -- i take calcium vitamins in addition. good luck
N. -

HI
I know when I breastfed my son, it didn't matter what I ate, he got gas pains. We ended up having to give hive Mylicon drops every time we fed him for several months. His pediatrician was ok with this. A friend of mine had the same problem as well and used the same solution.

Good Luck
J.
Mother of a 3 yr old boy

chocolate, broccoli and orange juice are the 3 worst for my baby.

FYI the absolute MIRACLE CURE for all baby tummy maladies (I could not live without) is Gripe Water. stops gas pain almost instantaneously. it's pricey but sooooooooo worth it not to see him suffer. you can find it at whole foods or other natural food stores. baby loves it and it doesn't cause constipation like those gas drops you can buy at the supermarkets.

Hi,

I have four little ones, and the first three had absolutely no problems with any foods I ate while nursing. But number three (three months old today!) seems to have terrible pains whenever I eat anything dairy (milk, cheese, butter, ice cream, etc.) or citrus fruits (especially oranges and orange juice). These are some of the most common problem foods. Hope this helps!