Breastfeeding - San Jose,CA

Different babies respond to different stuff. Have you noticed any changes in her poop or spitting up or having an upset stomach? If not then enjoy. I craved chocolate really bad the 1st several weeks after having my twins and was pumping(they were in th NICU).

Enjoy the chocolate as long as your baby doesn't seem to be spitting up or having more gas than normal.

Alcohol and caffeine (like chocolate and coffee) are okay in moderation (this means eating 12 chocolate bars is probably not okay, but 2 or 3 is probably okay). The same applies to coffee (not the whole thermos, but 2 or 3 cups is okay) and alcohol (1 to 2 glasses of wine with dinner three times a week is okay as well). Here is more info from My Mamma's Milk (http://www.mymammasmilk.com/NursingTips.html):

Q: What is the recommendation about drinking and breastfeeding? I am getting conflicting information . . .

A: Alcohol in MODERATION is usually safe, though it is believed that the consumption of beer can cause an increase in milk odor, which may bother the infant. If you have a small amount of alcohol (one glass of wine) 3 days a week, there is no issue with breastfeeding. If you drink more that 2 drinks A DAY, you should wait 2 to 3 hours before nursing. Excessive drinking and significant infant problems (psychomotor delays) have been reported and studied. Best bet? If you really want ONE glass of wine with dinner once in a while, feel free to enjoy. This information is found in the Thomas Hale, M.D's book Medications and Mother's Milk 13th Ed.

:)

Well, the caffeine isn't good for her. Use the alcohol rule. Eat the chocolate while you are nursing. The milk is already made for that nursing session. Then the caffeine should work it's way out of your system - like a glass of wine oxidizing - until your next nursing session. And opt for organic, fair trade dark chocolate. It has less sugar and more antioxidants and was produced without pesticides and fair labor conditions for workers. Everybody wins!

As long as she's not excessively gassy or spitting up, it's fine.

no. It fine as long as you are eating your other food groups, veggies, fruits, whole grains, etc. :) Eat away. Might take longer to lose the baby weight, but if you are enjoying ... let it be. :) I didn't eat chocolate until I was pregnant with my son and now I Love it. had a brownie and chocolate icecream like every night. if you think it is a problem, just try to wean yourself and not keep so much of it in the house. Happy St. Patty's day!!

Hi R.-

Are you the same R. who posted about the 7 week old daughter crying for 15-20 minutes for the last few nights? I would do some experimenting and see if there is a connection between the crying and the chocolate. Maybe its too much for her little system to handle?

I had an episode where my family had gone to dinner. I had a cajun dish. Afterwards, we got home and I was trying to nurse my daughter. She was crying horribly but refused to nurse. Finally in desperation, I had my husband thaw some of my breastmilk stash and give her a bottle. She happily took the bottle. The cajun seasoning must have come through my milk and was too spicy for her. That night I did a 'pump & dump' and was more careful about my diet. It never happened again but I always made sure I had a good back-up supply of frozen breastmilk.

I am not saying give up chocolate while nursing but try experimenting and see what happens. Even if there is a connection, you can try adding it back in slowly as she gets a bit older.

Good luck to you.

I couldn't help but notice that you posted the colic question today, too. Chocolate (especially milk chocolate) was the only thing I couldn't eat much of when I was nursing my son. It made him really fussy. It wasn't forever, fortunately. I think by the time he started solids he had outgrown the sensitivity. If I were you I would cut it out for a few days and see if it makes any difference.

Well, I don't know if it is bad for your baby, but I have had 8 children and I love chocolate as well. I continued to eat it when I wanted it and saw no ill effects on my babies. I nursed all 8 of them, the longest being 3 years. The ones that are now adults, 6(ages 32-21) are all perfectly healthy and happy. The two still at home (17 & 11) are both healthy and happy as well. If you feel like you are consuming too much, I would try to eat it in moderation. (dark chocolate is better for you, so I'm told!)

I have read that chocolate can uspet a baby's stomach and you have to be careful because there is caffiene in chocolate and too much caffiene intake can make baby jittery..having said that I too love chocolate and still ate as much as I wanted and it did not seem to bother my baby!!