Don’t Eat This If You’re Breastfeeding!

The Stir has put together a helpful list of stuff breastfeeding moms might want to avoid.

What's at the top of the list?

Alcohol. Do breastfeeding moms need to give up alcohol? It depends who you ask. The March of Dimes says yes and advises nursing mothers to forgo alcohol completely when nursing their babies as a precautionary measure. Many doctors, however, say that a little wine or beer here and there is okay as long as you're careful about it (no more beer pong for you). “It's probably not a bad idea to delay nursing for a few hours after consuming alcohol,” says Susan Crowe, MD, an obstetrician and director of outpatient breastfeeding medicine services at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford in Palo Alto, California. Moms should use their best judgment. “People need to be in tune with their body,” says Maria Parlapiano, RN, a lactation consultant who runs Postpartum Place, a parenting center for new moms. “If a mother had a glass of wine or two and is completely capable of taking care of her child, breastfeeding is fine.” Skip the breast milk alcohol test strips, she adds — they're not accurate and a waste of money.

Most moms are aware that alcohol and breastfeeding don't mix very well, but the next thing on the list is a little more complicated.

According to The Stir, if you're breastfeeding, you might want to avoid:

Spicy foods. When it comes to spicy foods, it really depends on the individual mom and baby. If you're a spice lover, a little experimentation may be in order. “Don’t avoid them preemptively, says Dr. Crowe. “If baby seems to have a problem, avoid eating and then evaluate things.”

Nothing I ate ever seemed to affect my son, but my daughter has acid reflux and spicy foods are a big no-no while I'm breastfeeding her.

Find out what else you might want to avoid eating while breastfeeding at The Stir.

Is there anything you've had to avoid eating? Tell us about it in the comments.