Many times, colic in a breastfed baby can be traced to something in the mothers's diet.
The worst dietary offender is cow's milk. Many times, a baby's digestive tract isn't mature enough to handle the proteins in cow's milk which causes a gas builds up in the intestines. When this happens, your baby's will scream in pain as his intestines go into spasms.
Eliminating dairy from your diet can make a tremendous difference in the level of colic your baby experiences.
Cow's milk takes many forms and you need to be vigilant in reading the labels of food you consume.
Other names to look out for are:
Lactoglobulin
Casein
Lactalbumin
Sodium Caseinate
Whey
Many pre prepared items in the supermarket include some form of milk product.
These include, but are not limited to:
Batter Products: Waffles, Pancakes, Cakes, Cookies, Biscuits, etc.
Chocolate: Both milk and white varieties
Processed Foods: Bologna, hot dogs, pepperoni, salami, sausage (The exception to this is Kosher meat products because they are milk free)
Butter
Cheese
When you are trying to eliminate dairy from your diet, allow at least two weeks for your body to be dairy free. If after two weeks, you aren't seeing a marked improvement, you can safely assume that your child is not sensitive to dairy products.
If after two weeks, you don't see a significant change in your baby's colic, you can pretty much assume that it isn't the dairy products that are causing the colic.
The foods listed below can also cause reactions in your baby, but if you are eating a balanced diet and not eating too much of any one of these foods, they are probably not the cause of your baby's colic. Every baby is different and what may cause a reaction in one baby, may be perfectly fine for another baby. If you notice that your baby's colic acts up after eating a particular food, there is most likely a sensitivity issue for your baby. Avoiding consumption of this food in the future may be a good idea.
Other potentially colic inducing foods for breastfeeding moms include:
Onion
Chocolate
Eggs
Peanuts
Citrus fruits
Wheat
Corn
Soy
Tomatoes
Strawberries
Highly spiced foods
Legumes
Some vitamins
Artificial sweeteners
Caffeinated beverages
Licorice
Cruciferous vegetables:
Beet greens
Bok choy
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Chinese cabbage
Collard greens
Garden cress
Horseradish
Kale
Kohlrabi
Mustard greens
Radishes
Rutabaga
Swiss chard
Turnips
Turnip greens
If eliminating foods from your diet does not seem to make a difference, PLEASE seek the help of a Lactation Consultant or contact your nearest La Leche League group. Sometimes the support and guidance from someone a bit more knowledgabe and experienced in breastfeeding can make ALL the difference.
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