What Foods to Stay Away From...

The one thing I would not DARE touch when I was breastfeeding both of my daughters was onions...cooked or raw. It made a world of difference. Good luck!

I've heard a lot of women have trouble with onion. Like somebody else said, everyone is different. Onion and garlic were bad for my first son. I can't remember what it was with my second, but you just have to try cutting out different things for awhile and see what it might be. Chances are, when you find the right one, it will help.

Hi D., My first was very gassy at night as well. I was told that drinking cow's milk could affect her. I was trying to be so healthy and continue to drink milk while I was breast feeding (I am not a big fan normally) but I believe that did have some negative effects on my daughter. I agree with the broccoli, coffee (caffeine in general) and chocolate.
Hope this helps! S. L

this is long, but chock full of stuff, so i hope you read it and enjoy the advice...

i remember the first few months were just the same as the first few months of being pregnant.... anything you were comfortable eating during your pregnancy, you should be fine eating during the first months of breastfeeding. for me that meant avoiding anything strong, although i was lucky and did not get 'morning sickness'!

that being said, any food that gives you gas gives your baby gas. i could not eat broccoli, green peppers or cauliflower, or anything with a strong taste because it would be so... painful for my baby. it was almost like i knew that eating chili would make my baby's tummy burn! i could almost feel it myself! also, obviously, if caffine is meant to keep us awake, it will do the same to a nursing baby.

after a while though you do want to slowly add foods back into your diet, but back off again if baby reacts to them. without thinking, i ordered green peppers on my sub sandwich when my baby was 2 weeks old, and i NEVER did it again! LOL. he was screaming all night long.

mylecon drops are the BEST, you can give them as often as every 2 hours or more, and they always seemed to give my son IMMEDIATE relief, although, it will not last longer than 2 hours, you will have to give more at that point. they dont absorb into the body, so you dont have to worry about adverse affects, i still use them if i notice my son is gassy, and complaining about it.

hope it helps. its so sad when our babies are hurting!

however, im wondering if you are concerned that he is waking up so often.... babies do that. do not expect a baby to fully 'sleep through the night' until they are almost a year old. my son is 16 months and he still wakes up anywhere between 230 and 5 am, and thats ok. we are only disappointed with our kids when we expect too much right? your baby is only a month old, and has a very tiny tummy, as small as his fist, so food only lasts so long. it is also GOOD that he wakes up often, as that is a built in protection from SIDS, something no mother should have to ever experience. dont discourage waking at night because being too deep asleep can contribute to SIDS.

at the same time, keep it low key; nurse baby but keep lights to a minimum, keep from talking and playing, but certainly tell your baby you love him and that it is night night time and its ok to go to sleep. if you want to extend the sleep stretch a little, if baby starts to go to sleep - slows down nursing, adjust him, start to pull away from him, that should rouse him enough for him to nurse a little more instead of go right to sleep. however, dont force feed, and dont feel like you have to suppliment with formula or cereal, none of these things will help, and could actually cause more stomach trouble. so dont let anyone tell you to do that!

follow YOUR instincts on your baby. nothing that we say here means anything really, because we are NOT intimatly connected to your child the way you are. keep that connection, and you should be fine! dont let anyone tell you that you have to do things differently, you know whats best for you, your baby, and you family. no one else has the right to tell you how you should do it! remember, you cant spoil a baby, and you cant show you love them more than responding to them and doing whats best for them, not what someone tells you to do!

www.askdrsears.com has tons of good info - i have the baby book and i check it before calling the doctor! it is fabulous! so you might want to check it out - you can get slightly used ones on amazon for as little as 2 or 3 $!

good luck!

I HIGHLY recommend taking fennel capsules! I can't stress enough how well and how fast they worked to relieve my little baby's tummy aches! After I tried them and they worked, the very next time I saw the friend that recommended them, I grabbed her and hugged her and thanked her soooo much for her advice!
Fennel smells like black licorice, and is a tummy settler, but it also helps your milk become more creamy, or fatty, so that baby gets more full and that helps settle a little one, too.
You could also try keeping a diary of your eating and when the baby is cranky so you can rule out the foods that seem to cause it.

Hi, D.! I just wanted to put 2 cents in:) I b-fed my three kids, and I ate whatever I wanted and drank whatever I wanted. My kids too had gassy periods, but don't worry about it. I think they are just so little and are getting used to food at this age. It really should not matter what you are eating. Your baby will be fine in the long run. For now though, I would do what other mom's have suggested for the baby, rubbing tummy ( the best way to do this is set him on your legs in front of you on his stomach and gently rub his back to move him back and forth across you thighs), You may also need to try to burp him longer (sometimes we get one big burp out and it seems like it is out, but if you hold him up on you shoulder so that his stomach is pressing against it a little and rub all the way from top to bottom in big circles you can usually get one more good burp out), and the mylicon drops worked great too. I did not use these all the time, but if they were really miserable it helped tremendously. Soothing baths right before you nurse at bedtime are great too. Our kids got a brief one every night as babies with the lavendar scented Johnson's night time bath, even though it says to wait until three months to use this product. After the bath I would gently massage lotion on their backs, and other areas that comfort like feet, as they lay on the towel in front of me. Then We'd get on Pj's, wrap up tighting in receiving blanket, and snuggle in for feeding time. They would fall asleep fast, and I'd have to keep nudging them to finish eating and then make sure they burped good, but once done they would fall right back asleep while I danced with them and then I'd slowly lay them down to the crib. As long as they were wrapped up they did not flinch and startle when I laid them down. But I expected to be back in there feeding them 2 hrs later. And that will go on for several more months. I introduced cereal at about 5 months, and then fruits mixed in the cereal about 6 months, but it only gives you about an hour more sleep at night so don't rush it. You'll look back in a couple of years and miss these days:) Mine are 10, 4, and 2. And although I don't think I have the energy for anymore children I miss the baby stage. Good luck and congratulations on your new baby. It's great to hear other mom's stories here isn't it?

Both my first daughter and my current newborn (also 4 weeks) don't seem to be able to handle my ingestion of caffeine (Diet Coke, decaf coffee, regular coffee). This baby also seems to have problems when I eat chocolate :-( I've read to keep away from cabbage, beans, etc. However, my friend who has taken training through Le Leche League says that technically nothing is supposed to pass through the breast milk. I would say to pay attention to what you eat, look for patterns according to when she gets gassy, and go from there. Hang the "experts". Good luck to you, and congrats on the baby!

There aren't any foods that EVERYONE has to avoid. I eat and drink whatever I want and it doesn't affect my son.

However, the big 3 your SIL named off (broccoli, chocolate, coffee) are often--but not always--irritants.

What you could do is simply keep a food diary, noting what you ate and at what time. Then also record your baby's fussiness. You may see a pattern, you may not--we all have our fussy days, even grown-ups. ;-)

My son was sensitive to what I ate. First Dairy,dairy, dairy... that is the first thing I would try if anything. It usually take a good week to two weeks to clear out of your own system. Also my son was very sensitive to wheat and soy. I have food sensitivities and anything that I ate that I had a hard time digesting he had a triple hard time digesting. Some of the mom's in my mom group said Garlic or onions were the worst. The way I kind of thought about it was my milk is like a soup, everything I eat goes into that soup... and then I ask myself how can I make a really wonderful nourishing soup. My mom once told me during my son's very gassy time to eat simple foods- like if you wouldn't feed it straight to your baby, then you shouldn't eat it either. Gentile and balanced. It seemed to work really well for us. We'll I was tearing my hair out that I had to curb my pizza and cake intake! but it was way less work to say no to cake than it was to try and comfort my screaming gassy baby.
In the mean time when baby was gassy had good luck with Gripe Water
and with baby fart aerobics! http://www.slumbersounds.com/baby-fart-aerobics.htm

good luck.

When my daughter had colic she seemed to do a little better if I didn't drink anything (even caffiene free)that was carbonated.

I suspect that regular items that cause gassiness in adults (ie broccoli) will do the same thing through breast milk for your infant. My daughter was SOOO fussy once when she was an infant and I could tell she was sick or in some horrible discomfort. She really WANTED to sleep but couldn't. After a few hours, it was around midnight at this time, I gave her infant gas drops. FIVE SECONDS LATER her stomach burbled, and she fell asleep INSTANTLY and I laughed it was so weird. So I would recommend those drops. I keep some Target brand on hand and they say Infant Gas Relief on the label.

Be sure to get him tested for food allergies as soon as you can - 6 months ish. (pressure the doctor if you have to). Turns out my first son is allergic to dairy. I wish so dearly that I had known sooner so that I could have saved him so much agony. I used "tummy drops" from toys r us, which helped. But no dairy would have helped a lot more. Turns out he is also allergic to tree nuts.
My second son is allergic to eggs...it was the only food I craved when I was pregnant with him ...? So odd.
Good luck

Hi D.,
I'd have to agree with the Mom's on this one. Broccoli, spinach, eggs, beans. Think about it this way, if it is something that you might get extra gas from, then baby might too. When my son was afew months old we had a family gathering that had spinach dip...(I love spinach dip!) My son was sooo mad at me. It gave him alot of gas and he refused to breastfeed for a few feedings. I used the Mylicon drops, tummy massages and bicycle legs too. Those things helped once he had the gas. Avoiding the foods that tend to give me gas helped to prevent it. Which can be somewhat different for everyone, so think back on your own intake. I do think stress can even affect your breastmilk too.
Good luck,
V.

When my daughter was about three weeks old, she suddenly got terribly colicky. I did a food diary and eliminated all things dairy and that solved it. (Note that the lactaid milk didn't do anything to help either since that doesn't do anything to the milk proteins). No cheese, no milk, no ice cream.

Yes, some babies just cry. But when I stopped eating anything with dairy, my daughter became a fuss-free baby. She rarely fussed anymore (thankfully!) and that's still the case today. She's a pretty mellow babe, though.

We had the same problem with our (now) 8mnth old. I ended up going to a children's chiropractor just to see if it was food related, or to get him readjusted after being crunched up for 9 months. The chiropractor tested him/me for food sensitivities and this is what we came up with for us:
caffeine, garlic, citrus, oats, eggs, feathers.

I stayed aways from those for a month and it did seem to help with the gas and the crankiness. Now he's better with small doses (except garlic) since he's eating solid food, but other then that he'll spit it all up if it's bothering him. At least the screaming has stopped because of the gas.

You could always try gripe water or the baby GasX. It's a temporary fix but does help at times.

Congrats on your new baby! My SIL dealt with similar issues with her daughter. She gave up milk, tomatoes, peppers, basically anything somewhat acidic.

Another friend had similar issues and her son was diagnosed with acid reflux. He was put on Prevacid and started feeling better right away.

With my daughter's gas, I massaged her stomach counter-clockwise and did bicycle-legs while she was on her back. When worst came to worst, I gave her Infants Mylicon in her bottle or directly into her cheek.

Hope it helps!

Keep a food journal for a week or so, eating normally, make sure you write in how he sleeps and if he seems to have more gas that day. Then see what foods are in common for the bad days, those are the ones to avoid for a while to see if it helps him.

Good luck

I had to eliminate extremely spicy foods and I continued to be caffeine free except what was allowed in pregnancy (one cup). My second was extremely collicky and fussy. I tried the food diary and I never could figure out a correlation. I think it was just him. They even named him irratable in the hospital!

Hi D.,

I delt with the same thing with 3 of my 4 kids. With my oldest, I HAD to avoid chocolate, pop, and spaghetti. With my second, she really didn't seem to mind what I ate. With my third, spaghetti, mexican spicy, and chocolate. With my fourth, it seemed if I ate anything but chicken noodle soup and bread he would get gassy. Even ground turkey would make him very gassy, and I LOVE ground turkey. It was very frustrating, and ultimately ended up playing a huge role in my decision to discontinue nursing. Needless to say he is much happier now. He still gets gas, but not to the degree that it was.

My suggestion would be to eat a very bland diet for a few days (not even peanutbutter) and see if this helps. What I mean by bland are things like mashed potatoes (no garlic), eggs and toast, ham and cheese sandwiches, very mildly spiced meats (like hamburger with some season all), NO onions or beans, no broccoli or cauliflower or any other type of foods that could potentially give you gas. Also make sure that you do get your fresh fruits in, but avoid acidic ones (i.e. oranges). If his gas seems to improve, then gradually add something new in and wait a day or two to see if that affects your baby. If none of these suggestions work, then try Baby Gasex or Mylecon drops. Some people swear by it, but unfortunately, it didn't give our son enough relief. Best of luck to you.

B.

If you are anywhere near Lincoln, NE, there is a food sensitivities and intolerances support group at Milkworks. It's an amazing place with lots of help, lactation consultants, and even a full-time doc who just does that.

My daughter was like that if I had dairy, but who knows what it is for you. Trust your mommy intuition and keep track of what you ate.

D.-
I had the same issues with my son when he was an infant. My pediatrician really thought that changing my diet wouldn't help. I sought the advice of a friend of mine who is a Chiropractor. She helped me so much and together we figured out that my son was having a reaction whenever I had dairy. I mean, ANY diary! Once we figured that out, it was like I had a WHOLE NEW BABY! He was so much happier because his little belly no longer hurt. If I had dairy, he suffered for a full 24 hours afterward.

I highly recommend that you try to find a Chiropractor that can do muscle testing to discover what it is that may be bothering your little guys, tummy. Davis Chiropractic is located in St. Louis Park and Shorewood and that is who I see. They are fantastic! Let me know if you would like to try it. I can get you a gift certificate for a free wellness consultation and you can find out if they can help you.
Good Luck!

dairy. try avoiding it for month to see if it makes a difference. my son turned out to be lactose intolerant. if you breastfeed, don't eat any dairy yourself. if you formula feed try a soy based formula.

I found out first hand to avoid salsa's, cheeses, high lactose items. But spicy foods pass right through to baby also.

No more milk products. That was the first thing the doctor took me off with both my sons. Often babies are lactose intolerant. No more milk, cheese, dairy of any kind for you. Soy milk is a good replacement. Good luck! It's pretty hard once you realize there seems to be dairy in everything!

I could not for the life of me figure out what I ate that gave my daughter gas. I went out and bought some mylicon. they are gas drops for babies. It was amazing. they work great. I also tried Baby GasX but did not like them as well although they are a little cheeper than the Mylicon. Hope this helps.

This question was just brought up in my mother baby hour discustion. the instructure said that breast milk is made from our blood, and that people are quick to blame food for their child's gas and fussiness. fact is babies get gas and are fussy.

Your lactation consultant should go read a book (did she actually have a baby?). Coffee, chocolate and broccoli... cabbage and eggs are also gassy.

Try this: Take a teaspoon of anise seeds or fennel seeds and steep them in a cup of hot water. Strain the seeds and drink the tea a couple of times each day. These seeds are anti-spasmodic (calm soft tissue) and they also taste great. You can sweeten the tea and drink it warm or cold.

Homeopathically: Carbo Vegitabilis can be given directly to the baby. Also, all co-ops and Whole Foods stores have a section for homeopathics that include products for babies just for gas.

I would definitely think twice before consulting that consultant again!

I think gassy foods are broccoli, beans, potatoes, sometimes dairy products like ice cream. I hope it gets better!

I had the same problem with my daughter...cutting out dairy really helped her. Good luck.

If a food can make you gassy it can make him gassy. Broccoli, cabbage, beans etc. Milk/dairy can also cause problems. You may not have issues but he could be sensitive to it. Just try eliminating a food and see if it improves.

I was told the same thing your sister told you along with not much onions or spicy food. Try keeping a log of what you have eaten and when he is fussy and maybe you can determine what it is that is irritating him. It helped us when we were trying to find out what my daughter was alergic to.

I went through the same thing with my daughter when she was a month old (she's 10 weeks now). At 4-5 weeks she was fussy and seemed uncomfortable when she spit up (which was often), so I thought it was the food I was eating or that she had acid reflux. My pediatrician said it's actually more likely that she was just in her "fussy period," which happens at 4-5 weeks of age and lasts a week or two. She said a lot of people are quick to assume it's the food they're eating, but if it's the same kind of stuff you ate while you were pregnant, the baby is most likely fine.

I waited it out and sure enough, my daughter wasn't fussing as much. But if you think it's something you're eating, my lactation consultant recommended removing it from your diet for a day or two - if you don't see immediate results, then you can take that off your list.

Good luck and congratulations on your new baby!

I would have to agree with your lactation consultant. I have eaten stuff and Little one was gassy then i tried it again a few days later and nothing. Just watch the foods that tend to make you yourself gassy and then maybe only eat half the portion that u do. I was told that it is their digestive systems getting use to digesting our milk. They are use to the amniotic fluid. The foods that u mentioned are ones that tend to make me gasy but i love them so i dont give them up. There is gas drops out there and i have given them to my little guy. They work in a matter of minutes! Hope this helps.

Hi D.. I wouldn't avoid foods until you notice a pattern of your own..as to when your child seems to be gassy. All 3 of my children are/were breastfed..and the things I noticed that most bothered them were: cabbage (including sauerkraut), beans (baked), broccoli, chili, mexican, and other spicy foods. Their tummies seem to be able to rid themselves of gas after 4 mos. or so...so you won't have to be so conscious of what you eat. Good luck!

Hi D.,
Cucumbers and spinach would bother my daughter. But I just slowly incorporated them into my diet and now at 9 months, she has no problem at all when I eat them.
Good Luck!
F.

I had the same problem when I nursed my daughter. I kept a food/nursing journal for a couple of weeks and quickly found out that there was definitely a relation to some of the foods I ate and her tummy troubles. It ended up that I had to avoid tomato skins (skinned or in sauce was okay, but the skins were not - weird, but true), corn, tuna, peanuts and beans. As she got a little older, we later found out that she was actually allergic to peanuts (dangerous anaphylactic allergy) and has minor allergies/sensitivities to corn, tuna and legumes. I was advised by several doctors (including an immunologist and high risk ob) that if we have another baby, while I am nursing or pregnant I should avoid any foods that there is a family history of allergies to - trying to avoid early exposure to allergens and lower the risk of developing severe allergies. If there are any food allergies in your family, you might want to keep this in mind. Good luck!

Peppers, onions and sausage upset my girls' tummy.

I have BF both my children & never noticed anything that affected them. If you have a healthy gut none of the proteins should pass through. If it is likely you don't have one you should work on healing it with fish oil & probiotics (culturelle.com) It is more likely he is going through different stages of development. Children will sleep through nights & wake up others for many different reasons. A month old is pretty young to get into any real kind of routine.
Brekka

My parents are constantly warning me about eating apples because they had bad experiences with apples giving us kids gas way back in the day. However, I personally don't think it's just the apples, but WHEN you eat the apples. Some friends of mine convinced me to read Proper Food Combining Really Works by Lee Dubelle. It talks about the fact that fruits are not digested in the stomach but in the small intestine (further down) and if you have food already in the stomach (grains, for example) and then you eat fruit, the fruit will not pass quickly through the stomach like it would if you ate it first thing in the morning, and it will ferment, thereby giving you gas. So, to put it more basically, I eat all my fruit in the morning, first thing. Then I'll have my toast or cereal. Sometimes I'll pack an apple in my lunch, but I'll make sure to eat it after I'm done seeing people for the day, since there's nothing worse than having gas pains in public. If it makes you gassy, chances are it would make your baby gassy too. At least, that's my take on it.

I had problems with spicy foods. My daughter would scream endlessly after I ate it. It took 2 times for me to figure out what was causing the issues. Food journaling or just taking mental note that you've eaten something different during those periods can help.

Mylicon can help ease your little one's discomfort during those tough times. I know my daughter would stop crying within 5-10 minutes. I used to use them after her bath because she would often fall asleep while nursing before bed & wouldn't get out a good burp, which would result in a crying episode later that night. It will get better.