During my pregnancy I’d have moments where I would suddenly discover that it was ill advised to ingest something Id been consuming – hibiscus tea to apple cider vinegar -this was followed by a brief moment of panic .
All in all though – my diet was clean – as In; no processed foods , natural vegetable juices and whole balanced meals.
I became much more conscious of my actions directly affecting another. Good or bad.
It was easier to be kind to myself- knowing it would also affect my son, George.
When I gave birth – I had a feeling of having autonomy again. I remember eating the hospital food along with -a cup of coffee -without thinking what was in it -or how it would affect George.
From the beginning George slept little. Yet – somehow -I still hadn’t internalized our continued interconnectedness via breastmilk.
I’ve been thinking about this and why I was unable to see something so apparent to me now. After all- everything affects everything.
Maybe it was the state of consciousness I was inhabiting after labor- well , after surgery. And the fog that followed.
I continued to drink coffee – allowing myself a half a cup of pour over coffee in the mornings. Fortunately- I inadvertently made a bit too strong a cup one day which allowed me to clearly see how it was affecting George.
Quite frankly he was acting like a speed freak. A little twitchy – sleepless and unhappy about life.
So – I consulted Google about it. The estimated amount of caffeine transferred to breastmilk is about 1.5% of however much coffee mother drinks. Yet – with the caveat that newborns are especially sensitive to caffeine.
The half-life of caffeine is about 97.5 hours in a newborn, 14 hours in a 3-5-month-old baby and 2.6 hours in a baby older than 6 months. In comparison, the half-life of caffeine in an adult is 4.9 hours (Hale, Medications and Mother’s Milk 2017).
This put things into perspective for me and – seeing how it affected George – it was easy to entirely nix the coffee. (I did find a delicious alternative . Herbal coffee but – we’ll get into that some other time).
After this – it took some time but – George began sleeping more. Though, I’m sure – still not nearly as much as other babies.
At some point he developed what I initially believed to be an irritation or diaper rash. It was early on and still seeing his pediatrician pretty regularly. She suggested a butt paste and I dutifully applied it without seeing any improvements.
The redness appeared to be a ring surrounding the anus and I finally realized it must be something I’m eating.
After much searching I found a term. It was known as an allergy ring and the most common culprit was cow proteins – ie dairy , red meat . Also – that it was relatively common in babies but -most would – outgrow it.
I decided to eliminate all the potential problem foods . Eggs , dairy , wheat , soy and nuts. Which encompassed a large part of my diet.
I’d now suggest -to start with one food group at a time or -even just dairy . Dairy and red meat were – by far -the worst. And – was surprised to find all the different terms for dairy and how – it was seemingly , in everything.
It can take up two two weeks for the protein to successfully clear a babies system and despite having a log of everything I was consuming – I did drive myself a little mad about it.
With the new-found limitations I began supplementing with some “OSSO good “ bone broths -mixed with rice – bok choy – and , this became a staple for lunch. Along with, oatmeal , fruit , avocados and dates.
Always dates
Lentils were also a go-to in those days.
The allergy ring did finally clear up but the repeated irritation led to a slight fungal infection. This – I found -after many late night searches through forums, community groups and so on. Grateful for those moms desperate enough to post a picture.
I found exactly what George seemed to have and applied very little -over the counter -anti fungal cream – as suggested by other moms -and -it cleared up within two days. After agonizing over the state of his butt for so long I was relieved to say the least.
I slowly reintroduced many foods but dairy still seems to cause a bit of redness but nothing like it used to.
The whole experience of having my options limited has helped reframe my relationship with food. I eat simple , nourishing meals and enjoy them for the sustenance they provide .
In addition to nursing three times a day – George and I also share three meals a day. We eat the same things – the only difference being how it’s served ie mashed or cut into bite sized chunks.
In The wonderful world of breastfeeding – part 3 id like to share all the goodness
Entitled “all the good “
