What to eat when breastfeeding to prevent baby colic?
Colic in newborns and babies is very common and rarely concerning. It is however one of the reasons parents, especially new moms, don’t sleep. Is your food affecting your breast milk? What can you eat to avoid causing your baby colic when breastfeeding? These are some of the questions I will answer in this article.
Is your food affecting your breast milk?
Some foods alter the taste of breast milk, which may cause some discomfort to babies. No evidence links the mother’s food with the baby’s colic, it also varies from one baby to another.
The newborn stomach
Your baby’s stomach is still not fully developed and unable to produce the digestive enzymes that help digest all types of foods.
Keep a food journal
It is highly recommended that nursing mothers to keep a food journal to track the foods they consume and how they affect the baby. Write down when your baby has gas or colic and correlate it with the food you had that day. This will help you identify what foods bother your baby to avoid them.
What to eat when breastfeeding to avoid colic?
When the mom gets relief from gas and bloating by drinking a warm herbal tea, this will lead to the baby getting the same relief as well. Although there is no medical evidence behind this it works!
Herbal teas you can safely have while breastfeeding:
- Anise tea
- Mint leaves tea
- Fennel seeds tea
What foods to avoid during breastfeeding?
It is recommended to avoid foods that may alter the taste of breast milk and upset the baby such as spicy food, garlic, and onion.
Tips to prevent your baby from becoming colicky
- A nursing mom must follow a healthy diet and consume foods rich in all the healthy nutrients while avoiding processed foods as much as possible.
- Limit caffeine consumption to two cups of coffee or tea a day.
- Avoid foods that cause gas such as beans.
- Take supplements as directed by the doctor.
- Avoid consuming raw fish, as it contains mercury that can pass to the baby through breast milk.
Treatment of colic in babies
- If your baby feels colicky, vomits, has diarrhea, or has a rash after breastfeeding, you need to take him to the pediatrician right away. Check if he is allergic to any foods you are consuming.
- Give your baby the medicine prescribed by his doctor.
- Massage your baby using natural oils.
- Protect the baby from the cold weather as much as possible.
- Avoid giving your baby any herbal teas to treat colic.
Check out 10 tips to make weaning your baby easier
