Best Diet to Have While Breastfeeding?

I've heard of the dairy thing... try excluding that, first... see if it helps. I'm sorry, I know how tough that is. The only thing that bothered my little guy was chocolate.

You are going to probably get all KINDS of crazy responses to this...I've nursed 3 kids and the BEST resource I've found is kellymom.com...it's really informative about all types of breastfeeding subjects...good luck!! (Oh, and the same things that give us gas will give the baby gas..like beans/broccoli/etc) :)

I recently heard Dr. Sears say on Dr. Phil that there is a reason babies are "colicky" or that they cry alot. He says that it is typical that they are in pain, and often from digestion issues, so to press your pediatrician for help, because there can be a solution. I totally agree with the dairy thing, also chocolate, and most gassy foods. But also try cutting gluten and msg products. It seems like a lot to give up, and I would try dairy first, and if that doesnt do the trick, keep eliminating. Maybe after 6 months or so, you could reintroduce them, but maybe not until you are done BF. Yeah for you for trying so hard to do what you think is best for your little one! ~A.~

I would start with removing all dairy from your diet. This bothered both of my children.

Also my sister in laws little girl was crying after certain feedings and she dicovered it was MSG's which are in lot of processed foods.

I would eat more fresh or steamed fruits,veggies and lean meats.

I know it is hard to figure it all out. You are a wonderful mother to be putting so much into your child's health. Keep it up someday we will figure it all out..ok maybe not,but hopefully it will get easier for you!

My oldest cried constantly from colic when he was a newborn. We slept in shifts and walked him. Finally got a really great pediatrician that had me cut out all milk products from my diet because apparently my son had allergies to anything with milk in it and he was lactose intolerant so anything I was eating with milk in it he was getting through the breast milk.

I tried it and it actually worked. Once I was really wanted some sour cream and ate some with my dinner and I paid for that sour cream!!!!!!!! That child cried and cried. It convinced me that the diet was really working for us so I stuck to it after that.

I had a co-worker who did alot of research on this - his wife had a second baby and they were so afraid she would be as colicky as the first.
He found that sometimes babies have a problem digesting the foremilk that first comes out when you breastfeed. He read that if you pump for a few minutes first before you put the baby to breast - it lets the hindmilk start coming down and that should help.
Bottom line is they tried it - cured. No more colic.
Worth a shot in my opinion. Good luck!

The advice I got was that any foods that give you gas would give your baby gas as well. So, I would stay away from the usual culprits (beans, broccoli, etc.). I would also try to cut out dairy from your diet for a short period of time to see if that helps. During this time, I suggest taking a calcium supplement.

I suggest keeping a journal of everything you eat and your baby's reaction when you nurse him. I thought that my son had colic, but as it turned out, he just had reflux (which he would get really fussy after eating, and then once he spit up, he was fine). His pediatrician said that once his esophogus (sp?) developed (around 9-12 months), this would stop.

What I did was I made a doctor's appt around the time he was going to nurse, so the doctor could witness first hand what goes on during and after a nursing session.

Hang in there, and good luck!

Hang in there sweetie! I was just there not too long ago! My daughter is almost 6 months and poor baby has the most sensitive tummy.
Try to eat snacks that are not hard to digest, anything that is hard for us to digest is hard for tham to. Keep a journal of what you are eating so maybe you can pinpoint what is hurting his tummy.
When/If that fails between 12-14 weeks their digestion balances out better so it gets easier for mom and baby.
Warm baths always did the trick for my daughter or atleast for 30 minutes! ( : good luck to you and congrats!( :

V.,
you have recieved some great advice about milk products, don't forget to take a calcium and vitamin D supplement if you cut out diary. I don't think however that it is all food related. All Babies have gas, and learning how to pass it sometimes makes them cry. However what causes colic is a neurological immaturity that prevents them from being able to self soothe. Read Dr Harvey Karp's Happiest Baby on the Block. Attention to the 5 s's (swaddling, sidelying, shushing, swaying or swinging, and sucking, in that order) works like a charm. I teach these classes and have watched it work everytime even in cases of severe reflux. Get the dvd and watch the babies faces as he teaches you how to use the techniques. You can even rent it at the local library if money is tight. I give the dvd with my classes, and I have a special blanket to help with the tight swaddling called a miracle blanket that really works. You don't have to suffer through a crying baby, this can help.
K. W @ The Nesting Place in Grapevine.email me offline if you are interested in more information.

It could be some type of dietary allergy or intoloerance and will not last for ever. You do not have to give up breastfeeding just make the right choices. If you cut things from your diet take supplements. My teeth suffered from cutting soy, dairy and wheat from my diet. Diet eliminations may help but you may just have a high needs infant like I did. Dr. Sears has some interesting reading for moms with high needs infants. Not a great deal of help out there but it is nice to know you are not alone. Some suggestions are to go online to Whole Foods and you can print off a dairy (soy and wheat) free grocery list to help limit the time on label reading. Just do not forget to take care of yourself! Keep reading you will eventually find something that works for you. White noise was ours...in everyroom and even in the car at high volumes. That was all that worked for us! Best of luck.

V.,
My son, who's 9 now, cried for three months, he was colicky, there isn't much you can do about that. Are you sure he is getting enough to eat? Does he sleep through the night yet? Turned out my son wasn't getting enough with breast milk I had to switch him to soy formula and that helped him so much. Depending on how much he is crying you may want to try that. Sometimes we can't breast feed our babies and that is just something we have to deal with. Good Luck

You're right! gas drops don't work. Nothing works except finding and eliminating the cause of the gas :-)
Gas problems are often due to milk or lactose intolerance. Try cutting dairy products out of your diet for about a week and see if there's any change. You should notice improvement in 3 or 4 days if this is the problem.

Another thing that can cause an overly fussy baby is acid reflux. If your baby cries for 2 hours or more, or is inconsolable, you should talk to your pediatrician about it.
It's perfectly normal for a baby this young to cry a lot. However, if the crying seems random (not due to hunger or tiredness) you definitely want to ask his doctor about it.

Also, if he's overtired he may cry more. At 7 weeks, he may only need about 30 minutes of awake time after a feeding. There may be a feeding or two where he's awake for an hour, but more than that is actually overstimulating. If he's been awake for half an hour you might try putting him to bed. I know it seems weird to put a seemingly happy baby to bed, but if you wait til he's screaming, you've waited too long. I tried this approach with my second and it really helped. He never really gave me any "I'm sleepy" cues until he was screaming like a banshee, so watching the clock after a feeding was the best way for me to avoid some of the over-tired crying.

If gas or reflux is the problem, sleeping upright may help. I have friends who let their babies sleep in the infant carrier or bouncy seat when they were tiny. Reflux and gas are actually painful if they are laying flat on their back. You can put the carrier or bouncy seat in a playpen or into the crib.

Definitely no foods that are known for causing gas (beans, cabbage, broccoli), and no caffeine or chocolate.
I've heard that young babies can start out being sensitive to different things in your diet, but they aren't bothered later on (like after about 12 weeks or so). So, you may not have to banish all the good stuff very long!

Hang in there!

My second child was quite a screamer. However, after he was around 10 or 12 weeks old he mellowed out into his sweet and laid-back self. Your little guy is in for some big changes in the next few weeks. Most babies become a lot more content at around 12 weeks, so you're more than half-way there!