10 Foods to avoid when breastfeeding in Nigeria

Here are 10 foods to avoid when breastfeeding in Nigeria. There are foods that are healthy and good for the body but should be avoided by breastfeeding/nursing mothers. It’s important to be knowledgeable about what to eat or not to eat while still nursing because every food that a nursing mom eats goes into her baby’s system.

Eating the wrong foods while breastfeeding can affect the baby negatively; keep the baby awake when he should be sleeping; give the baby diarrhea, make the baby sick or even harm the baby generally.

While still nursing babies, there are sacrifices to be made to keep the baby healthy. If you eat everything you crave at this time, you may be harming the baby or making parenting difficult for yourself.

Every nursing mom needs to eat well for her health and the proper growth of the baby. Eating unhealthy will affect you and the baby negatively; eating less than needed will make you and the baby fall sick easily by weakening you both immune systems.

There are foods that are good but when eaten during breastfeeding can make you baby gas a lot and feel uncomfortable.

Below is the list of foods to avoid when breastfeeding in Nigeria.

FOODS TO AVOID WHEN BREASTFEEDING IN NIGERIA

1. Peppery (spicy) beans porridge; Try to avoid eating beans porridge that’s hot hot hot because it can make your baby uncomfortable and gassy. I have no problems eating beans and even ate while breastfeeding all my kids. However, if you know that eating beans at a certain time of the day affects your digestive system, then know that it might also affect your infant.
   Aside pepper, avoid foods cooked with ogogoro or other forms of alcohol like  gin, whisky and the rest of them. Try not to drink alcohol at this time because you will inadvertently be feeding your baby alcohol through breast milk.
   Eating beans porridge may be ok but we all know how Nigerians beans is cooked with lots of fresh pepper. Avoid that and cook beans with less pepper. Combining beans and hot pepper together may not be too great for a nursing baby. Some babies actually do get runny stomachs after mom eats hot beans.
2. Milk: Milk on it’s own is great for nutrition but not good for you and the baby if you are lactose intolerant. If you fart a lot after eating milk, then you may be lactose intolerant and what if the baby took that from you? You may add very little milk to your drinking garri or avoid it completely. Both milk and dark chocolates too should be eaten in moderation if you must eat them.If you baby sucks and then starts to fart a lot, then she may be lactose intolerant and you have to avoid eating milk while still nursing a baby. You can take your pap without milk and try to supplement with other proteinous products.
3. Pepper soup: Nigerian pepper soup can be very spicy and full of nutrients but not the best for a breastfeeding mom. There are pepper soups and there are pepper soups. I thought I can tolerate any pepper soups until I ate pepper soup at Makurdi Benue State while travelling by road.I nearly cried. The seller then asked me ‘madam why you no like am abi nor be pepper soup again? If I was breastfeeding any baby at that moment, my baby would have developed a runny stomach or diarrhea and dysentery with that level of spiciness. If you must eat pepper soup, cook it yourself with very little pepper for the baby’s sake.
4. Coffee; The reason a breastfeeding mom needs to avoid coffee or take just one cup a  day at most is because of its caffeine content. Caffeine will surely find its way into the breastmilk and pass to the babies system. Babies don’t need caffeine unless you just want that little baby to remain awake the whole night and unable to relax and rest. Don’t let your baby take in the caffeine through your breastmilk please mom.Avoid energy drinks too. They contain caffeine. I love monster energy drinks but not when I’m breastfeeding any baby.  During breastfeeding, the energy drinks are forgotten until we wean the baby off breast milk. I take soft drinks in moderation onstead.
5. Kola Nuts: Kola nuts also contain high doses of caffeine. Do not chew them at this time until you have successfully weaned the baby from breast milk. Eating kola nuts while still breastfeeding might just mean that you are feeding the baby with caffeine.
6. Garlic: Garlic is great. Doesn’t harm anyone. However, garlic smell in the breast milk might prevent your baby from nursing properly. Haven’t you noticed that after eating garlic, the baby doesn’t really suckle even when she’s hungry. Sometimes, they suckle, stop and fuss and cry before sucking again. The smell can put babies off.
7. Over ripe bananas; These fruits are very sweet and nutritious with loads of potassium but may purge the little infant if you eat the. Atimes, eating in ,moderation may not pose any harm. If you must eat very ripe bananas, eat just one or two and stop. They may upset the babies and make them poop more frequently.  Avoid eating over ripe bananas during breastfeeding.
8. Citrus: Citrus fruits like oranges and tangerines, lemons and even lime can also upset the baby’s digestive system. These fruits are acidic especially when they are unripe. They can make the baby poop more frequently. Oranges are given to babies to help with bowel movement. Eat citrus fruits in moderation during breastfeeding.
9. Soft Drinks: Soda, soft drinks like coke, fanta, sprite, seven up, cocacola, and other forms of soda should be taken in moderation during moderation. These drinks might contain caffeine and aside the caffeine, the sugar content may not help the baby after she takes it in through breast milk.
   For me, I took soda  (soft drinks) during breastfeeding. Al though my family frowned at it I still took in moderation and my babies never had any issues after suckling. Babies are different. Try to be observant and see how your baby reacts after you take soft drinks. Do they purge? Cry and twist their bodies like their stomach is hurting? Do they suddenly develop diarrhea?
10. Vegetable soups like afang soup, efo riro and edikang ikong soups: Green vegetables should be eaten in moderation. Some adults purge after eating too much of these soups. Be careful when you eat green vegetable. Watch the baby’s poop. If the poop is just green with normal consistency, then no problem but there is a little problem if after eating green vegetable soups, your baby’s stool turns green and watery or kind of slimy. When you eat vegetable soups, try to eat something else in between before eating anymore vegetable soups. Eating only these soups with no form of carbs might upset the baby’s digestive system.
    Eating just the vegetable soups alone the whole day for say breakfast, lunch and dinner will upset that little baby and you’ll notice that in the baby’s stool.

 

The foods listed above are the 10 foods to avoid during breastfeeding in Nigeria.

Before you leave, please look at our list of foods to eat during pregnancy in Nigeria.

Have you tried our Post Partum Nigerian Chicken Pepper soup? When it’s time to wean your little bundle of joy. You will sure need our List of Nigerian foods for weaning babies. Save it for then.