What can you take for allergies if your breastfeeding
An exclusively breastfeeding mom needs to take an additional to calories per day on average. Eat 1 to 2 additional snacks a day such as a sandwich on wholegrain bread or two pieces of fruit.
Exclusively breastfeeding means that your baby’s diet is breast milk only with no other food or liquids.
Chest congestion
- Anise steam treatment: Boil a pot of water, remove from the stove and add about 3 teaspoons of dried anise.
Drape a bath towel over your head and breathe deeply for 5 minutes. Do this 3x a day to assist hold the chest clear.
- Drink fenugreek tea to relieve head and chest congestion and cough.
Staying hydrated
It’s significant to stay well hydrated while breastfeeding. Don’t force fluids but make certain to drink plenty of water whenever you feel thirsty.
Leave a water bottle beside your usual breastfeeding spot as a reminder to stay hydrated.
If you are finding it hard to discover the time to prepare food, enquire a partner or family member to assist. They can prepare handy bite-size snacks for you to eat while breastfeeding.
Related topics
Alcohol and breastfeeding
What to eat
Follow the daily serving suggestions on the food pyramid to maintain a healthy diet.
Eating a healthy variety of food will:
- pass on a variety of tastes to your baby through your breast milk
- make certain you get every the nutrients you need
- stop you eating too much of any one food group
If you own a family history of food allergies, you may desire to discuss this with a dietitian or your GP.
Head congestion
- Boil a pot of water, remove from the stove and (optional) add a few drops of essential oils (for example: eucalyptus, sage and balsam).
Drape a bath towel over your head and breathe deeply for 5 minutes. Do this 2 or 3x a day until symptoms subside.
- Put two inches of apple cider vinegar in a pan and heat until it begins to steam. Inhale the vapor.
If the vapor is too strong, add a little water. Repeat as needed.
- Cayenne pepper: Sprinkle it on your food, or put a quarter teaspoon in a glass of water and drink.
- A couple of cautions: Do not use the oil in the nose it can cause swelling. Do not use peppermint oil or menthol (one of the main components in peppermint oil) or camphor on or near the breast where baby might ingest it, and do not apply directly on the skin of a baby or young kid. There own been cases where the direct application of menthol or camphor products (for example, Vicks VapoRub™) to babys skin resulted in severe breathing difficulties or liver problems (see info on colds and congestion in baby).
- Drink fenugreek tea to relieve head and chest congestion and cough.
- What To Do When You Own Sinus Pain by Allison Ishman
General
- Garlic eaten raw, cooked, or taken as a supplement can assist.
Raw is always best, though its hardest to get down.
- Rest. Drink lots of water and take boiling baths. Run a humidifier.
- Echinacea is generally recognized to be safe for nursing moms.
- Homeopathic remedies, are considered safe for nursing moms.
- Take in additional vitamin C from foods, juices or in supplement form.
- OMT is a extremely tender form of osteopathic manipulation, which can enhance the immune system, and assist hold the fluids draining from the head and neck so bacteria and viruses are less likely to be capable to grow.
This can assist to reduce or even prevent chronic ear and respiratory infections. OMT has been shown to own a dramatic effect on fluid in the ears, and works well on any type of upper respiratory infection.
Other food and drink advice
Seafood
Breastfeeding women should avoid eating shark, swordfish and marlin.
You should also limit your consumption of tuna to 1 unused tuna steak or 2 medium cans (8 oz) of canned tuna per week.
This is due to mercury levels, which can impact the human nervous system and the developing brain.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland has more detail on the consumption of shark, swordfish, marlin and tuna.
Take care when eating scallops as this type of shellfish can contain biotoxins.
Read about The Food Safety Authority of Ireland’s Shellfish Safety Monitoring Programme.
Food poisoning
Make certain that your food is properly cooked and stored correctly.
This will assist reduce the risk of food poisoning. The Food Safety Authority of Ireland has more information on safe food storage.
Keep a food diary
Keeping a food diary may be helpful if you suspect something in your diet is causing a problem for your baby.
If you’re not certain about a specific food, start by introducing it in little amounts. If your baby has any problems such as additional gas or wind, cut out this food for now and attempt to reintroduce it at a later stage.
If your baby is reacting to something you own eaten, they’ll generally show signs of this within 2 to 4 hours.
Most babies can handle problem foods when they get a little older.
Attempt to re-introduce certain foods every 2 to 3 months.
Caffeine
The recommended limit for breastfeeding mothers is 6 cups of tea or 2 cups of coffee a day. For filtered coffee, you should only own one cup a day.
Drinking more than this will not be harmful but may lead to a fussy baby who has difficulty settling. If you’re having this problem, consider slowly switching to decaffeinated coffee or tea. This is best done slowly as suddenly cutting out caffeine may cause headaches.
Related topic
Food allergies and children
Speak with your public health nurse or GP if you suspect your baby is reacting to something in your diet.
page final reviewed: 14/11/
next review due: 14/11/
The common freezing will generally run its course within 7 to 14 days.
There are numerous natural remedies and over the counter products that are compatible with breastfeeding.
Image credit: Jerry Bunker on flickr
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