Hey nursing moms, here is a list of 5 foods to avoid for breastfeeding moms

Guessed you know the stage you’re in now?

It’s that special stage of the life of every mom where you don’t consider the food you want to eat because you choose to but also because you have a baby you’re breastfeeding.

And as such, you have to be proactive about the kind of foods that go into your body system.

Now, just like we have common foods that increase breast milk supply, we also have foods you should avoid to a reasonable extent.

And today, you will get to know from this article, the kind of foods you should avoid as a breastfeeding mom or if need be, you’ve to be extremely moderate with them.

The reason for this--- is not to affect your baby’s health, as they feed on the breast milk you give them.

Now let’s get down to the business of why you’re here...

Here’re The 5 Foods To Avoid As A Breastfeeding Mom…

1. Caffeine
2. Citrus Fruits
3. High Mercury Fishes
4. Alcohol
5. Spices

Caffeine

If you’re a mother who likes to drink coffee or any other drinks that contain caffeine, then this is for you.

Caffeine is not good for the system of a baby as it messes up with their sleep or causes irritation for their immune system. This is why you might be having your baby being awake at night.

Let’s say you pump in the day when done with taking a cup of coffee and you go ahead and feed that baby at night with such. You should be ready to have the baby awake at night.

And so if you’re breastfeeding, there has to be a stop to the intake of this.

Other examples of where you can find Caffeine are:

• Tea
• Chocolates
• Energy drinks
• Soda

So it is advisable to be mindful of how you consume this as a nursing mother.

Citrus Fruits

Another food to be moderate with as a breastfeeding mom are foods that contain citric acid.

This is because the gastrointestinal tract of a baby is still very small and as such, they can’t cope with the acidic content from Citrus fruits.

The acidic content in these fruits cause fussiness for babies and also leads to them spitting up.

This is because the citrus juice is present in the breast milk of a nursing mom and as a result, might irritate the baby.

So care must be taken to have a moderate consumption of this.

High Mercury Fishes

Now it’s time for the fish lovers.

If you’re into fish-eating, then it’s time for you to be selective about the kind of fish you eat, as fish high in mercury content are not good for your babies...

Rather you should stick to low mercury fishes if you have to feed on one, and examples of such are Salmon and sardine.

Avoid high mercury fishes, such as …

• King mackerel
• Shark
• Tilefish
• Swordfish
• Tuna

Alcohol

Alcohol content affects the process of milk production by the milk-producing hormones in a nursing mother.

And it also affects the process of milk let down by nursing moms while breastfeeding.

In this case, not drinking alcohol is the best option but if need be that a nursing mother wants to have a thirst for some…

It should be done moderately and also for at least 4 hours before breastfeeding so as not to have any significant effect on the baby via breast milk.

Spices

As a breastfeeding mom, this might come as a surprise to you and it’s because you may wonder if the spices used in cooking your meal won’t get dissolved in the course of cooking the food.

Yes, they do, to some extent.

But the point is ---you have to be moderate in using it for cooking, as this goes a long way to reduce breast milk supply when consumed in large quantities.

Not only that, excess consumption of these spicy foods tend to cause fussiness and Rash for these babies when they consume the breast milk that comes from these mothers.

So care must be taken on how spicy you cook your meals as a breastfeeding mom.

One Last Word…

Just like we have individual body system reacting to things differently.

So also is the way babies react to foods differently.

And so what goes well with one breastfeeding mom might not go well with another.

Therefore, the point is you should see your doctor or lactation consultant if you happen to eat other foods not on this list and it happens to have a reaction on your baby.

But to play safe, the 5 foods listed above are common to have a strong effect on most babies when being fed on the breast milk that comes from nursing moms.