Sugar and Breastfeeding

Updated on May 30, 2009
A.L. asks from El Dorado Hills, CA
5 answers

Does anyone know if there are any known risks with Breastfeeding and sugar? I know that I read you are suppose to limit your caffine intake while pregnant and breastfeeding but what about sugar? Like Sprite's. Those have no caffine but have like 34-40 grams of sugar. Here's another strange question...does anyone think that maybe ADD is related to sugar intake while pregnant or breastfeeding?

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A.R.

answers from San Francisco on

Hi A.
I tend to think that yes there are risks with sugar in the diet and even IF some may not think ADD is related to sugar intake, I think it is.. I mean there have in fact been studies with kids/adults who are hyper and yes, once sugar (and other junk food) is removed from their diets, their behavior is improved. however, I don't think we need studies to tell us what commonsense should.. junk food is junkfood and whether pregnant or not or breastfeeding.. we are what we eat and what we pass along via breastmilk.. I would lay off the sodas if you can, not just for the sugar, but that stuff has phosphoric acid in it, it's terrible on the body and soda leeches calcium from ones bones, so even if you don't stop for the sake of breastfeeding, think of stopping for the sake of your own health. there are many articles out there on the net about soda and SUGAR and how rotten it really is for a person, not to mention, it causes many other problems besides weight gain .. I am not a doctor, but I deeply believe that what we give our children from the get go DOES affect their health and eating habits throughout their lifetime, so try and choose healthy. I say NO to soda.. but hey that's me..
good luck to you!! :)

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W.M.

answers from Fresno on

Sugar itself isn't bad, but the high fructose corn syrup in Sprite that makes up that sugar content isn't good. HFCS has been linked to early childhood obeisity, which is no surprise considering it's in everything (even most breads!). Caffeine also isn't too bad. It can cause irritability, jitters, and reflux in some babies so really it's trial and error. If you think anything in your diet is affecting your baby you should try an elimination diet, basically eliminate the offending food in question for 2 weeks to see if things get better. Limiting sugar may be good for other reasons as well, for instance many believe that thrush is aided by diets high in sugar, yeast, and dairy products, however many people don't limit these things and never have a problem with thrush. Let me tell you thrush is no picnic and causes many women to stop breastfeeding it's so painful, so personally I'd rather keep those things to a minimum in my diet rather than continue battling thrush.
I hope this helps you. Also that kellymom site another responder gave is really a great breastfeeding resource! Good luck and congrats on your decision to breastfeed!

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C.L.

answers from Fresno on

Hi,
I am breastfeeding my 2nd child and I love sugar and Starbucks and neither of them have had an effect on either of my girls. I love sugary foods and carbs, and it didn't have any affect on my 9 week old. My oldest daughter is way ahead in verbal and social skills and I don't believe sugar is linked to ADD. I think they just want moms to eat healthy for their own health. Both my daughters have slept through the night at 5-6 weeks and are happy and healthy.

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S.B.

answers from San Francisco on

A great link for all things diet and breastfeeding...

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/mom/mom-foods.html

P.S. I just took a food nutrition and diet therapy class, and it has been recently proven that sugar does NOT cause hyperactivity in children. :)

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E.L.

answers from San Francisco on

much to my chagrin, recent research on sugar/diet and ADD/ADHD shows no direct correlations. i *do* think that reducing sugar in general is good, but it doesn't exactly help a person control ADD/ADHD, nor does a fabulous diet mean that you won't have ADD/ADHD.

i think sugar intake while nursing is more about your health and what tastes you're introducing to your child. babies already have a sweet tooth, and then all that sugar you're ingesting will just make your milk sweeter. if you want your baby to not have a rampant sweet tooth, then moderate your sugar intake.

this doesn't mean don't have any sodas. just don't make it your only drink for the day.

too much sugar isn't so good in general. the high fructose corn syrup needs to be burned off really quickly, or it gets stored as fat.

having a sprite every so often while pregnant or nursing will not harm your baby. having it all the time will probably cause weight issues for you. the carbonation can also make you more dehydrated, which is not fun when you're trying to retain water for the developing babe.

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