I Gave Up Something I Love to Breastfeed

on March 23, 2011 at 1:21 PM

baby with rash I adore tea. I love the smell, the taste, I would drink dozens of cups of it daily. I spent $50 in Chinatown in Seattle on fresh green tea leaves (which look like a jar of weed on my counter) and I don't spend that much money on much of anything! I LOVE TEA.

My daughter Aurora, however, doesn't. She has sensitive skin, but when I drink tea, and she nurses, well, she breaks out in a rash all over.

Before I knew it was tea, I tried to cut things from my diet to rule out common culprits. Dairy, soy, I changed soap and detergent. I talked to many people about it, and everyone seemed as baffled as I was. I did a lot of testing too, but it always came back to tea.

Typically, a breastfeeding mom doesn't need to change her diet, contrary to popular belief. Obviously, my current tea-ban isn't nearly as bad as some moms have it, but for me, it's pretty sad. At least I still have my coffee! For the moms who have to cut out dairy and soy, the most common culprits of everything from rashes to reflux, it's NOT easy. They are in a lot of foods, and if you're not already cooking a lot from scratch with fresh ingredients, it can be really daunting. Fortunately, there are lots of resources for moms who need to be soy and dairy free, and many more items in average grocery stores now, too.

However, me cutting out my beloved tea (or for moms who need to cut other things) is so worth it. My daughter has got the best immune system I can possibly give her. Aurora has the ideal protection against obesity, leukemia, and a slew of other things, because she's been fed the way nature intended mammals to be, and I figure if it means I have to give up something I love, it's totally worth it to me.

Considering she's going to live to be over 90 years old, and hopefully I will too, a couple years out of our lives in extra effort or missing out really don't seem like much anymore. I know things can be a lot harder for other moms, and sometimes their problems are so large that they have no choice but to take a different route, whether it's donor milk or formula, but when it is something in your control, one or two years really isn't that much of a sacrifice.

But once she decides to wean, I'm definitely drinking nothing but tea for a solid week -- half of which I'll be in the bathroom peeing, but it'll totally be worth it.

Did you have to cut out anything you loved to breastfeed?

About the author Christie Haskell

is fueled by caffeine, whether in coffee or tea form, to aid in chasing around a toddler and elementary schooler. When not online (hah!) she has her nose buried in a book or TV show.

Filed Under: breastfeeding, natural parenting, skin care

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Comments (52)

tyrelsmom

on Mar 23, 2011 at 1:35 PM

I had to cut out dairy the first few months, as well as anything with caffeine. I missed my tea, too, herbal just doesn't do it for me. I didn't really miss milk, but I missed ice cream, yogurt, and especially cheese.

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sunnybunny5us

on Mar 23, 2011 at 1:38 PM

Tequila.

buffalove23

on Mar 23, 2011 at 1:39 PM

Is it true you can't have anything spicy while breastfeeding? Just wanted some opinions before tourchering the babe lol

Nonmember comment from Cynthia

on Mar 23, 2011 at 1:53 PM

buffalolove23, no you don't have to cut out anything spicy, especially if it's something you've been eating regularly while pregnant, but be prepared to possibly cut it out if babe doesn't like it in you milk. While I ate lots of vinegary things while pregnant, any thing citrus or highly acidic wasn't something I could have while nursing. My kids still can't have anything too strong like that. Juice still has to be cut with water when they're 5 or they get diarrhea.

HistoryMamaX3

on Mar 23, 2011 at 2:05 PM

buffalove- I ate spicy all the time. My kids never had a problem. :-) Some kids might, but each is different. I never changed my diet when I was nursing, which is lucky for me.

MadelynMc

on Mar 23, 2011 at 2:08 PM

That's interesting! I've never heard of tea as a particularly allergenic food. Hmmm.

Buffalove - I think there was a post on here a few weeks ago about that. Apparently, breastfed babies end up being less-picky eaters because breastmilk is flavored with whatever mom eats. So it should be fine to eat spicy, unless you notice your baby reacts to it I guess.

LittleManMama

on Mar 23, 2011 at 2:14 PM

Dairy and soy. Finally at 8 months I could add diary back but am afraid to attempt soy as it he was SO sensitive. It's not that I don't like to cook mostly from scratch items but with a "high need" baby who freaked out every time I was away from him it was particularly challenging. It was a huge source of stress for me when I would go to other people's houses, I was often hungry and exhausted because I wasn't getting the right nourishment and it was isolating as well. I couldn't even take my prenatal vitamins because they had soy. I seriously considered hypo allergenic formula but guess what, it has soy that is "hydrolyzed" for easier digestion. I didn't dare chance it. now that I can have dairy life is so much better. I'm glad I stuck it out of course but I understand better than anyone why breastfeeding doesn't always work out.

Facebook comment from Deranged Housewife

on Mar 23, 2011 at 2:39 PM

I had to cut out ALL dairy once I realized my daughter had a milk protein problem. The poor thing was in so much pain, had crazy poops and blood in her stool - it sent me into a panic. I did some research on kellymom.com (a great website!) and ignored my idiot pediatrician's advice to put her on formula for three days (dumb) and she was like a new kid in 10 days. It was a pain at first, but once I got used to it it was more of a challenge than anything else. I searched for dairy-free foods and read the parve labels - the Orthodox Union labels *everything* because of kosher laws and it will tell you right up front without having to even look at the label (almost always). It was a great help to me and made eating so much easier. You'd be surprised what's out there that you can eat.

She grew out of it by about 9-10 months and I delayed solids for awhile but otherwise she is fine now and a healthy milk-drinking 4-year-old.

TanyaR1024

on Mar 23, 2011 at 2:44 PM

I have to limit caffiene in the first few months or my baby would get fussy. And Dr. Pepper happens to be my drug of choice lol. Then at 5 months, she developed eczema so I have been off of dairy for about a month now. And ice cream is my other drug. But now I'm starting to think it wasnt the dairy at all and I cut it out for nothing but thats ok! It helped me lose weight and she certainly needs breastmilk more than I need ice cream or cheese!

Lynette

for my 1st son it was dairy, broccoli, & anything spicy. For my 2nd son it was dairy & nuts. And for my daughter it's dairy, gluten, eggs, cane sugar, HFCS. The dairy was never a big deal because I'm lactose intolerant so I never ate much anyway. But my daughter's sensitivity was a lot harder to adjust too. But to watch her body that was covered in eczema head to toe go to clear smooth baby skin it was so so worth it. And with that sugar sensitivity even if I had put her on formula(I wouldn't) she wouldn't have been able to handle all the sugar they put in it. She is now 26mo and still nursing so I'm still on the diet. When she weans I am looking forward to a burger, fries, & a coke. lol Here is a link to a post that I put her before and after pics w/ the change of diet .