Is it okay for a nursing mom to drink milk?

Milk and breastfeeding are a common cause of discussions among mothers about the benefits, harm and necessity of this product. There are many different versions regarding the fact that milk increases lactation, but this is not entirely true. Therefore, it is necessary to know what problems it causes and what essential nutrients milk has for a newborn baby.

Negative reactions when breastfeeding mothers consume milk

The period of breastfeeding is the moment when the mother gives her baby all the useful substances that come to him during feeding. And of course, every mother wants the most useful vitamins, minerals and microelements to be transferred to the baby with milk. Therefore, the diet of a young mother at the time when she feeds her child should include such products that are the most useful for the baby. Many are interested in the question of whether a nursing mother can have whole milk, and if so, which product is better to give preference to? This question is discussed by many mothers, and judging by their experience, all cases are very individual.

Milk is a product that contains proteins, as well as carbohydrates in the form of lactose and many minerals - calcium, phosphorus, iron, manganese. The benefits of such a product are undeniable for any person. But if a woman is breastfeeding, such a composition can not only be beneficial, but can also be dangerous. Can nursing mothers drink milk? It is difficult to give a clear answer to this question, since the approach is very individual. But in any case, nursing mothers can drink milk if there is no proven negative effect on the child. The issue of a moderate amount of milk is also important so that negative effects do not appear.

What problems can a mother face if she has milk in her diet? First of all, these are allergic reactions and lactose intolerance in the child.

The problem of a child being allergic to milk protein is actually not very common. Therefore, if there are no reactions to milk in the family, then the mother should not refuse milk in advance under any circumstances. In fact, avoiding cow's milk by a breastfeeding mother may even increase the chance of the baby developing an allergy to cow's milk. Mothers who drink cow's milk have higher levels of secretory IgA in their breast milk. Breast milk with high IgA blocks the absorption of undigested cow's milk protein by intestinal cells. Therefore, the risk of developing such an allergy is somewhat reduced. Therefore, breastfeeding mothers who do not have an allergy to milk should drink cow's milk.

Milk allergies in infants are much less common than many people think, and milk intolerance is even less common. What makes the issue even more confusing is that many people don't know the difference between a milk allergy and a milk intolerance.

Milk allergy: When a baby has this allergy, the baby's immune system reacts negatively to the proteins in milk. If the baby is exclusively breastfed, he reacts to the milk that his mother ate. In either case, the immune system views the milk proteins as foreign substances, and in its efforts to fight off the invaders, the body releases histamine and other chemicals that cause allergic symptoms in the body.

Milk intolerance has nothing to do with cow's milk proteins or the immune system. It occurs when a baby cannot digest the sugar in milk (lactose). That's why milk intolerance is also called lactose intolerance. Lactose is the sugar in milk. The amount of lactose in breast milk is not affected by the mother's lactose intake and hardly changes. The milk a baby receives when he first starts breastfeeding contains the same amount of lactose as the milk at the end of breastfeeding.

Lactase is an enzyme that is needed to digest lactose. Lactose intolerance occurs when a person does not produce this enzyme, or does not produce enough of it, and therefore is unable to digest lactose. If it is not digested and broken down, it cannot be absorbed. If this happens, lactose continues in the digestive tract until it reaches the large intestine. This is where bacteria break it down, producing acids and gases.

Symptoms of lactose intolerance include loose, sometimes green, foamy discharge and an irritable baby who has colic due to gas. Congenital lactose intolerance (intolerance to milk in infants from birth) is an extremely rare metabolic condition. Lactose intolerance is more common in older children and adults. The only source of calcium in this case may be lactose-free milk for the nursing mother. Can a nursing mother drink cow's milk in this case? If your baby has this sensitivity, then yes - if you drink or consume dairy products, it can cause various problems in your baby. The severity of the food reaction is usually related to the degree of sensitivity of the baby and the amount of the problematic food the mother ate - the more food consumed, the more severe the reaction. Food reactions can occur within minutes, but symptoms in breastfed babies usually appear 4-24 hours after the mother ingests milk. If the child has suspicious symptoms associated with allergies, such as bloating and colic, diarrhea, constipation, itchy skin and red rash, swollen eyes, face or lips, problems with weight gain, then cow's milk intake should be stopped completely until further examinations. What is the possibility of using goat's milk for a nursing mother in this case? If there is a confirmed diagnosis of allergy to cow's milk protein, then there may be a cross-reaction to goat's milk, so it should not be taken either.

If you think your baby may be sensitive to dairy in your diet, remember that it can take 10 days to 3 weeks to eliminate cow's milk protein from your system, and 2-3 weeks to completely eliminate the protein. If your baby is sensitive to dairy proteins, you can help your baby get rid of symptoms by eliminating only the obvious sources of dairy. These include milk, cream, yogurt, butter, cheese, sour cream, ice cream, cottage cheese.

If your child has a severe allergy, it is necessary to eliminate all sources of milk proteins, which requires careful reading of food labels. In certain cases, a nursing mother should not drink homemade milk or store-bought milk during the acute period. Also, it is not recommended for a nursing mother to drink soy milk, because there may be cross-reactions. Particular care should be taken when consuming cookies, sweets, cereals, because they may contain traces of dry milk, and a nursing mother should also not consume dry and baked milk if she has a confirmed allergy. If you have eliminated dairy products from the diet because your breastfed child is sensitive to cow's milk proteins, you can gradually reintroduce it after a few months. Many milk-sensitive children outgrow their sensitivity by 6-18 months, and most of them outgrow it completely by 3 years. To begin with, to expand the diet, a breastfeeding mother can start drinking tea, coffee, cocoa or Nesquik with milk. If after two days there is no reaction in the child, then you can switch to more frequent milk consumption. In the future, it is recommended that the nursing mother drink store-bought boiled milk with the gradual introduction of concentrated milk.

What dairy products can nursing mothers consume?

The most important question is whether a nursing mother can drink store-bought pasteurized milk or give preference to homemade milk? The answer is clear - if the child does not have any adverse reactions, which were discussed above, then any milk can be taken - either homemade or store-bought. Preferences are individual, and the benefits and content of microelements in different types of milk are almost identical.

If there are weak reactions from the baby, then you can exclude whole milk, but leave some dairy products. For example, you can use cottage cheese, kefir, or cook pancakes or an omelet with milk. This concentration of milk will not allow unwanted reactions to develop in the newborn. Can a nursing mother eat semolina with milk or buckwheat with milk? Definitely yes, because boiled milk is considered less allergenic than whole milk. Can a mother who is breastfeeding have cereal with milk if there are no reactions in the child? This combination can be dangerous because an allergic reaction can potentially develop to gluten, so sometimes it is difficult to determine what exactly the child is reacting to. In such cases, you can take the products separately to determine this. And if you eat cereal with milk, and the child feels great, then you can continue like this.

There is much debate about whether a nursing mother can eat condensed milk. Some say that it increases lactation and the amount of milk in a woman, which has no scientific evidence. Condensed milk contains a lot of saturated fats, which are harmful to the mother's body and can lead to fat synthesis. This is a very undesirable effect for a woman. Therefore, a nursing mother is allowed to take condensed milk in moderation, but it is of little use.

Can a nursing mother drink bird's milk? If the baby has a strong allergy to milk, then no products with traces of formula should be consumed, including dry milk. As for coconut milk, it is a plant extract that does not cause such reactions, so it is allowed to be taken. People often ask whether a nursing mother is allowed to drink honey with milk? Honey is a strong allergen, and can cause strong reactions in children in the first six months of life. Therefore, if there are cases of honey allergy in the family, then you should definitely not take risks.

When talking about the presence of milk in the diet of a young mother during breastfeeding, it is necessary to clearly understand that dairy products must be in the diet every day. Whole milk can potentially cause intolerance, in which case its use is limited. But over time, it can be used in the diet in a certain amount, replacing the rest of the calcium needs with other dairy products.