Little baby toots may be adorable and make you laugh (especially when they startle your newborn), but they can also be painful to your baby's stomach. Moms who bottle feed their babies may try to minimize gas by using special bottles that keep air from trapping or special formula, but what about breastfed moms? Do you have to do a complete overhaul on your diet to rid your body of foods that make breastfed babies gassy or is a gassy baby just part of life?
If you're breastfeeding your baby, it's very likely that someone has told you not to eat certain foods for fear of making your baby gassy. People will advise you not to eat spicy foods, to limit your fruit intake, to watch your fiber, and to portion out fruit. Obviously, you want to do what's right for your baby, but breastfeeding makes you hungry. According to KellyMom, breastfeeding mothers generally need to take in 300 to 500 calories more per day in order to maintain their pre-pregnancy weight and breastfeed their baby. So when you have a list of foods you can't eat, especially if they are some of your favorites (hello, hot wings), you're bound to feel frustrated. In fact, Dr. Ari Brown, a pediatrician in Austin, told Parents that restricting the lifestyle and diet of a breastfeeding mother is one of the reasons why they give up nursing.
I know — you're determined to breastfeed, but you don't want to make your baby fussy or give them gas pains. So what foods make breastfed babies gassy? IBCLC Lisa Fortin from My Milk Matters tells Romper that, "any and none would be the most accurate answers." Fortin says that there is no research to support the idea that certain foods make babies gassy, but that instead, some babies may be sensitive to common allergens like cow's milk protein, eggs, tomatoes, or soy.
KellyMom notes the same on their website, recommending that you don't cut anything from your diet unless you notice an obvious reaction in your baby every time you eat a certain food. The list of possible gas-inducing foods is so long, that a breastfeeding mother would have to watch every single thing she ate in order to avoid them. It's actually important to eat a wide variety of foods, as research has shown that babies' palates develop from the foods you eat and the flavors it gives your breast milk.
If you notice your baby is gassy often, KellyMom suggests that the problem may be that your baby's digestive system is still immature or that they are gulping down too much milk too fast. An oversupply, a fast let-down, and bottle feeding can all cause your baby to gulp too much air while trying to eat, causing gas. And as always, if you have any concerns over your baby's health, you should consult your pediatrician.
