Avoiding Certain Foods during breastfeeding

Avoiding Certain Foods during breastfeeding

Avoiding Certain Foods
1. Don’t consume alcohol when your baby is feeding.
No amount of alcohol is acceptable or safe for your baby to consume. Breastfeeding after you have had any alcoholic beverage will potentially transfer some of that alcohol to your baby, which is dangerous. Always wait for your body to fully process and remove the alcohol before breastfeeding your baby.
• Generally you will need to wait around two hours per drink before you can safely breastfeed again.
• One drink is considered 12 oz of beer, 5 oz of wine, or 1.5 oz or liquor.
• You cannot “pump and dump” to remove the alcohol from your breast milk. Only time will remove the alcohol from your body.
• Never drink while you are caring for any baby.

2. Cut out any allergens that you notice.
Eating certain foods and then breastfeeding may cause an allergic reaction in your baby. Carefully watch your baby for any signs of allergic reactions after breastfeeding. If you notice any allergic reactions, think back to any foods you may have recently eaten or any new foods in your diet. These foods will need to be removed from your diet.
• The most common symptom of an allergic reaction can be found in your baby’s stool. Any stool that is mucous-like, green, and blood-specked will indicate a potential allergic reaction.
• Allergic reactions may also cause your baby to become fussy, develop a rash, get diarrhea, become constipated, or in some extreme cases may cause difficulty breathing.
• If you notice any signs of allergic reaction, take your child to the pediatrician as soon as possible.
• Common foods that may cause allergic reactions are peanuts, soy, wheat, cow’s milk, corn or eggs.
• Keep a food diary to have an accurate list of what you have eaten recently. This will allow you to discover which foods might be responsible for the allergy.