week 3: eat this
I’m not one to brag excessively about my babies, nor ascribe their qualities to my mothering. I’m of the Tibetan school of parenting: souls chose their parents to be re-born, and if you have smart, easy children, it’s because they decided you would be a suitable parent to them, for reasons you cannot possibly anticipate. However, I do believe there is one area in which you can make your baby’s life considerably better: if you are breastfeeding, make sure not to eat foods that upset their stomachs, and make sure to eat foods that increase the fat content in your milk. On a good diet, your baby will thrive and you’ll have many fewer moments of tears and baby distress.
When my son was born, I had no idea of the relationship between what I ate and how it would affect him. So I learned by trial and error, which is a very inefficient way to gain knowledge. I ate broccoli, which gave him gas. I ate out, which gave him gas, in particular after a meal in an Indian Restaurant. I ate lots of breads and pastas, and probably not enough dairy nor meats. Babies with gas are fussier. They try to stay at the breast longer to relieve discomfort; they are woken up by gas pains; they have more difficulty falling asleep. There’s an easy way to prevent any “mother-made” gas: change your diet.
In preparation for my daughter’s birth, I looked for a book that might help me design the right diet for me. In my last trimester, I read a fabulous book on means of regaining strength and staying happy after childbirth (Natural Health After Birth, by Aviva Jill Romm). I found that many of the food mistakes I made with my son were described in the book. Better yet, the author recommended foods to increase milk quality and supply.
You can buy the book here: http://www.amazon.com/Natural-Health-after-Birth-Postpartum/dp/0892819308
My favorite tip from the book was drinking home-made chicken broth daily - which I did for the first month after giving birth. I’d drink it as my fuel to revive me in the morning, and after my late night feeds. I’d also drink it between meals if I started to feel light headed.
Since I wasn’t going to cook for myself (15 weeks into it and I’m still doing little to none of the cooking in my household), I came up with a simple list of foods to avoid, so that anyone helping me could get on the program. The list is glued to my fridge (see below) and I’ve been following these simple principles for over three months now. My daughter is a world class sleeper and seems to have very little digestive discomfort.
()
button
