On This Journey: Breastfeeding Diet and Recipes for Mothers

Breastfeeding Diet for colicky babies

I am a dedicated breastfeeder. Though I had some problems in the beginning, at four months we are both doing fine. I found www.kellymom.com to be one of the best breastfeeding information sites.

Aidan is a "colicky" baby - he is also high needs/ high touch.

I have found that what I eat affects him greatly. As a mom, I am willing to do anything to help my baby be as healthy as can be, so I am willing to sacrifice all my favorite foods. On the upside of this, I am eating healthier than ever before -and I am losing weight!

I have found that I can NOT eat: dairy, wheat, corn, beef, gassy foods, soy, peanuts, apples, onion, garlic and more. As you can imagine, that leaves out most processed foods. It amazes me how much food contains either dairy or onions. :P

Di-Gize oil by Young Living on the bottom of his foot helps colicky babies A LOT! In my experience, in the midst of a colic attack, I can continue to breastfeed him within 30 minutes of application, after which he drops off to sleep.
An article on Di-Gize: http://mamalovesoils.com/monthly-oils/di-gize-december/129

I also like the Happiest Baby on the Block techniques. www.happiestbaby.com
Happiest Baby DVD

Here is Dr. Sears' version of the Elimination Diet:
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/t041200.asp

Another big plus, besides days and days of being colic-free, is no diaper rash. Oftentimes it is the foods you eat that give the baby diaper rashes.

And here is my version:

These are the things I regularly eat and does not give the baby any trouble:

1) Quinoa - (pronounced keen-wa) - very important. This is a grain that is a complete protein and its gluten free. I eat a bowl of this twice a day. That's at least 50 grams of protein! This is also a great pregnancy food for meeting the protein quota. I usually add in :

Christopher brand Eggs (660 mg of Omega 3s per egg!) found at Krogers*

or Chicken

or Turkey

and/or Organic Peas and Carrots (for convenience, I can find this in a bag in the frozen section of Whole Foods and Central Market).

* some babies cannot tolerate eggs - and some babies give off smelly poots with egg consumption

*Also organic rice can be eaten instead of quinoa, but it does not have the protein or the vitamins that quinoa has - but sometimes, you just want to eat something different!

Buy on Amazon: Bob's Red Mill Organic Grain Quinoa, 26-Ounce Packages (Pack of 4)
Arrowhead Mills Quinoa, 14-Ounce Packages (Pack of 6)
Quinoa - 10 Lb Bag / Box Each
RiceSelect Organic Texmati Brown Rice, 36-Ounce Jars (Pack of 4)

2) Salad - I eat Organic Kale, Romaine, and/or Green Leaf Lettuce with Cucumbers, tomatoes, raw sunflower seeds, avocado, boiled egg, and Enjoy Life brand Crunchy Flax cereal sprinkled on top.

The only dressing I have found (in the regular dressings and organic) that does not contain onion or garlic (both of which Aidan can't stand) is Ken's Restaurant Light Honey Mustard. This is not the most healthy dressing out there, but since I eat most everything else healthy, I am just going to ignore the unhealthiness of this dressing.

Buy on Amazon: Ken's Lite Honey Mustard Drss - 6 Pack

3) Cereal - Enjoy Life brand Koala Rice cereal (chocolate, yum!) with either almond milk or So Delicious Coconut milk. I also like sprinkling Enjoy Life brand Crunchy Flax cereal on top.

Buy on Amazon: Perky's 100% Natural, Crunchy Flax Cereal, 10-Ounce Boxes (Pack of 12)
Pacific Natural Foods Naturally Almond Non-dairy Beverage, Low Fat Vanilla, 8-Ounce Pouch (Pack of 24)

4) Fruit - pears, peaches, tomatoes, blueberries, watermelon, grapes. No apples or apple juices. I also like Knudsen's brand Pear juice and Knudsen's brand Pineapple Coconut juice. I also like organic white grape juice. I ate tomatoes every day of my pregnancy which is probably why he can tolerate them.

Buy on Amazon: R.W. Knudsen Family Pear, 8-Ounce (Pack of 27)
R.W. Knudsen Family Pineapple Coconut, 32-Ounce (Pack of 12)
Knudsen, Juice Pineaple Coconut, 8-Fluid Ounce (24 Pack)
Santa Cruz Organics White Grape, 32-Ounce (Pack of 12)

5) Coconut Milk - when we can afford it, I love the So Delicious brand of Coconut milk products - coconut milk yogurt, kefir, coffee creamer and ice cream.

6) Potatoes - preferably organic - either regular potatoes, or I buy frozen organic french fries or organic tater tots. I like the 365 brand of mayonaise with them because it does not contain onion or garlic.

7) Avocados - I like avocado in my salad. My own special version of guacamole is avocado, tomatoes and lemon juice (or lemon powder - True Lemon brand). Since I can't eat corn, I eat this with carrot sticks or the

Terra brand of Exotic Vegetable chips.

8) Treats - Enjoy Life brand of Semi-sweet chocolate chips - this satisfies my chocolate craving, and there is no dairy involved. A $5 bag can usually last me 2 weeks.

Larabars - these are raw food bars with nothing in them but nuts and dates. These are great for the purse in case you get hungry running errands. There is nothing in any restaurant that I can eat except french fries, and salads with no dressings, and even then, I have to be careful.

Mount Hagen Organic Decaffeinated Instant Coffee with So Delicious Coconut Milk creamer

Knudsen's Fruit Spritzer sodas

Buy on Amazon: Enjoy Life Baking Chips, Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, 10-Ounce Bags (Pack of 12)
Larabar Fruit & Nut Food Bar, 1.8-Ounce Bars (Pack of 16)
Mount Hagen Single Serve Organic Instant Coffee Sticks Decaffeinated, 25-Count, 1.76 Ounce Boxes (Pack of 4)
R.W. Knudsen Spritzer Vanilla Creme, 12-Ounce Cans (Pack of 24)

9) Vegetables - Peas, Carrots, Squash

10) Condiments -

365 brand of mayonnaise in an upside down bottle - this is the only mayonnaise I found that does not have onion or garlic.

True Lemon - though this has maltodextrin, its one of the only spices I could find that tastes good on avocadoes. Did you know that all Lemon Pepper spice blends have onion?

Sea salt - of course!

Smart Balance Light - this is a dairy-free margarine.

Buy on Amazon: True Lemon Crystallized Lemon Substitute, 10.7-Ounce Canisters (Pack of 2)

11) Fruit Smoothies and Green Smoothies - just experiment until you find fruit that doesn't disagree with baby. Costco usually has organic frozen fruit at a relatively decent price.

My favorite smoothie recipes as well as other great dairy-free recipes are in the recipe book by Serene Allison - Rejuvenate your Life! (Link)