So last night went pretty well! We were up to eat at 12, 2:00, 6:00am. Anna is already growing I think! We will find out if she is back up to her birth weight at the doctor today. I am thinking she will be. 🙂 She has been a great eater, so far.
I was always planning on breastfeeding, but since I started I have been doing a lot of research on foods, engorgement, timing and everything else. I thought I would share a few things I have found interesting.
The flavor of breast milk is affected by what you eat. By exposing your baby to different foods in the womb, you may be able to give them a taste for foods you enjoy eating that would otherwise not taste good to them. I made sure to eat tons of things that I wanted my baby to be exposed to so I wouldn’t (hopefully) have to give them up while breastfeeding. We will see if it had any effect on how she handles those foods now. Here are some typical things – I will let you know how they apply to us.
Some common foods to avoid when breastfeeding:
- broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts, onions, cucumbers- because they cause gas
- spices: garlic, curry, chili pepper
- melon, strawberries, citrus foods – can be acidic or cause loose (even more than normal – if that is possible) stool
- cherries and prunes – they have a laxative effect
- lots of caffeine – a morning cup should be ok, but watch your baby’s reaction
- lots of alcohol – a drink here or there could be ok, but much more than that should be pumped and dumped. Another problem with alcohol, it is thought to reduce milk production.
Some foods that babies are commonly allergic to:
- cow’s milk
- soy
- wheat
- egg
- nuts
- corn or corn syrup.
A few tips to see if foods are negatively affecting your baby:
- watch your baby 2-4 hours after you eat a certain food and feed them. By them the food should have affect them if it is going to.
- try adding or foods that are common problems with babies and breastfeeding one by one. This way you can see which foods may be affecting them.
- pay attention to what you eat
Foods/tips that increase milk supply:
- FLUIDS! drink, drink, drink – water, juice and other liquids will help increase milk production
- eating enough calories – it is said that breastfeeding moms should eat about 500 calories more than their normal diet to produce enough milk
- feeding regularly – every 2-3 hours at first
- rest
- relax
We are off to the doctor! I will be back with dinner that Jen, Duke and baby Hadley are bring us tonight! Our first play date…sor of 🙂
Check out these cheeks – they are growing by the minute!
I’m sure I ate most of those foods when I was nursing and no problems other than the general exhaustion of motherhood but they do go away to college one day I am told.
Actually the first month of nursing is a bit odd but then your body gets the message and evens out production levels so you are not always full and leaky and you are able to sleep on your side or stomach again–that was a big deal to me–what sleep I got I wanted to be in a favored position.
Take care
Great post! I am sad to see some of those foods on the “list to avoid”… but like you said, it’s all in how baby reacts and as long as we keep an eye on them and go from there we won’t know otherwise. Hope you had a nice play date!