Often wonder, only a woman is blessed with the power of creation in this human world. She is also powered by nurturing the little creation. She can feed her baby for initial few months and provide him/her a lot of nutrients through her breastfeed. Nature gave women amazing powers. Though they say with great powers comes great responsibilities. Since in breastfeeding, the food intake by mom is passed to baby along with its smell, nutrients and other harmful things too. So it's advisable to avoid a few items that can harm that tiny stomach. Mothers are always known for the heavy responsibilities they take. So, with breastfeeding also they have the responsibility to eat diligently so as to provide the best nutrition to the baby, avoiding the foods that could harm the delicate newborn. We know it's little tough to control your taste buds and also tough to know what all foods should be avoided while breastfeeding, so here is a list consisting few items. Though this list is not exhaustive, there may be certain other items as well. Also, every mom and baby duo may have a different response to different foods, some may easily take the restricted food and others may find it difficult to have even the normal food, so below list is only suggestive of usual foods that may cause trouble:
Foods To Avoid While Breast Feeding
1. Fish
Though fishes are rich in Omega 3, DHA and Vitamin D which are essential for baby's development still some fishes are high in mercury which can leave bad impacts on the baby. So, If you are looking to have fish, choose low-mercury fish like catfish, salmon, Pollock, shrimp and canned light tuna ( though I would advise you to do ample study or ask an expert before bringing it in your diet). According to the ACOG (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists), breastfeeding moms should continue to avoid fish with the highest mercury concentrations, specifically tilefish, shark, swordfish, and king mackerel.2. Caffeine
We all are aware of the harms caffeine does. Moderate intake is acceptable but the little digestive system is yet not capable of handling large amounts of caffeine. Sources of caffeine include tea- black, green and others (yes green tea also contains some amount of caffeine though it is comparatively less) and Coffee. Cola, mountain dew and red bull are also the carriers of a good amount of caffeine. As earlier said you don't need to avoid them completely but yes consume wisely, try to hold yourself in indulging the addiction for your little love. Because it can create irritation or the baby may have running poop. Also, read about: Pregnancy Cramps vs Period Cramps.3. Herbs like Peppermint/parsley
It is said that some herbs reduce milk supply which includes peppermint, thyme, spearmint, parsley, oregano and sage etc. So, if you love to eat lots and lots of peppermint candies, you may want to keep them for the day when you are planning to start the weaning.4. Alcohol
It's a very obvious item, we all know alcohol can harm immature liver of baby. However, if you wish to take it occasionally, then it's better to plan before-hand, it is said that it remains for 2-3 hours in your system, so what you can do is, express milk before consuming alcohol which the baby can drink during the time you can't feed. Also it is advisable to throw away first supply after resuming to normal. However, expressing to throw won't eliminate the bad effects of alcohol in the milk if it is expressed before it gets eliminated from your system. Having said that expressing and throwing away is not the solution, it works only after the alcohol goes out of your system.5. Citrus /sour foods
Citrus fruits are great source of vitamin C hence beneficial for baby's and mommy's health. Some mommies can have Citrus food and still feed the baby without any issues. However, few mommies complaints about tummy upset, throat pain or rashes etc. after they breastfeed the baby post Citrus foods intake. So probably you will need to keep an eye to check the impacts on your baby. Also, read about: Menstrual Hygiene Management Tips.6. Nuts, eggs and other allergy foods
Often these foods are considered allergic, people are more prone to allergies after taking these foods. Even in some cases, people have family history of allergy with one or more of these foods. So it's better to check responses before you bring them in normal course, specially the ones with which any of your family members is allergic to.7. Spices and pickles
They say spices creates heartburn, however mediocre amounts should not harm your baby. However, if you like bit spicier, you may want to look for changes in your baby like fussiness, skin rashes etc. Also, the next time when you eat garlic, you may find that baby is avoiding milk that can be attributable to the bad smell of garlic passed to your feed. Similarly, Pickles - they are spicy as well as sour, excess intake may cause you back pain as well. But yes enjoy the normal amount after all we need to satisfy our taste buds as well.8. Gastric foods
Again an obvious item- newborns are quite prone to gas so it is advisable for feeding moms to reduce intake of gassy foods like rajma, corn, chole, cabbage etc. Once a while is ok but be ready for smelly poops and gas attacks. Oops! Also, read about: Vegetarian GM Diet Plan.9. Chocolates
We know you love chocolates but they contain caffeine too even the milk chocolates. So better do not eat much of chocolate and not to mention, you already want to lose your pregnancy weight so better limit your stock.10. Soy
Soy is rich in Protein. The immature kidneys can't digest that much of protein. For this very reason, cow milk is not advisable for infants till one year. Also, Soy is allergic food for few people. However, it's not necessary that it will cause allergy but it's always good to check. This article was contributed by Khushboo Jain.
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