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.
About the Author
Vickie Barnes is a colic veteran of two colicky babies.
Please visit her website ColicHelp.com,
for more support and resources for dealing with colic
