All new moms want to breastfeed their little ones as long as possible. The new phase of nursing could be confusing and occasionally difficult. All relatives, friends, neighbors start pouring their suggestions about what food you should eat and what to avoid if you want to have good lactation. There are different kinds of foods, which help in increasing milk production in nursing mothers. And there are many food items which may have the opposite affect on breast milk production. Taking small portions of such food items will not be risky. But if a nursing mother already has problem of less milk production, it is recommended to avoid these food items.

Here is a list of food you should avoid if you want to breast feed your baby.

1. Alcohol and cigarette: Alcohol does have negative effect on your baby. Although small amount of it goes to breast milk but it takes almost 1-2 hours to metabolise so you can wait to feed your baby if you had one or two drinks. Cigarette also effects your milk production as it contains It’s very harmful for your baby as it goes into your breast milk and your baby is exposed to these chemicals. Neither e-cigarettes nor smokeless tobacco are advisable while you breast feed.
2. Caffeine: Chocolates and coffee are high in caffeine and too much intake of these may affect your baby. Although a very small amount of caffeine usually less than 1 percent goes to breast milk. It is difficult for your new born baby to break it down and makes your baby cranky and irritable if you feed him just after having coffee or chocolate. It’s advised to take it in moderation limiting your caffeine intake not more than 300 milligrams per day.
3. Fish: You need to be very selective while eating sea food. You should avoid fish high in mercury which again can go to breast milk and can affect your baby’s brain also. Other fish are high in protein and omega-3 fats which are important for development of your baby’s nervous system.
4. Peppermint: Peppermint is used in candies or cough drops. Consuming too many candies a day might lead to drastic reduction of breast milk production in women. If you enjoy tea and keep it limited to no more than a cup or two of peppermint tea once in a while it should not be a problem. But regular consumption might affect breast milk production.
5. Dairy: If you find your baby fussy after nursing or has some kind of skin allergies or sleep issues it could be because of dairy allergy. For this you should be avoiding dairy products. Although completely elimination of dairy is not possible but reducing could help. Stop taking dairy products for some time and if there is any change in your babies condition than you know who is the culprit.
6. The topical application of cabbage leaves – Cabbage can work wonders to relieve breast engorgement, but don’t over-do it! Applying cabbage more than once or twice a day can decrease your milk supply. Topical creams made from cabbage extract can have the same effect.
7. Thyme/Parsley – Thyme is among one of the most popular herbs which are used extensively in culinary delicacies. Whereas Parsley is a popular diuretic. If the amount of thyme and parsley is increased in the diet of nursing mothers, it will lead to lesser breast milk production.
8. Wheat: Some babies may have wheat allergy just like dairy allergies. Gluten is a protein which is found in wheat. Some babies are gluten intolerant which cause bloody stools, fussiness, and painful tummy. To check whether your baby has wheat intolerance or allergies you again should try eliminating food. You can also follow the slow reintroduction of wheat later to the babies to help in reduced allergy or intolerance.

Breast milk contains all nutrients required for an overall growth and development of a newborn baby. Thus, a nursing mom should have well balanced and healthy diet and should keep feeding the baby, this helps in increased milk production.

The above given list is recommendation from various sources. If you are having low breast milk supply, please check with your doctor to make any changes in your diet.

Happy breastfeeding..!