Ask a Nurse

Today's Ask-A-Nurse question comes from Beckie in Orem, Utah:

How long does it take what I eat to transfer into my breast milk? It would be nice to know if what I am eating is causing odd behavior and gas.

Sometimes babies have reactions to certain foods their mother eats. Common foods that can trigger these reactions are spicy foods, gas-causing foods, or dairy products. If your baby has an allergy to something in your diet, you may notice symptoms like diarrhea, gas, fussiness, a rash, or dry skin. Usually if the mother can determine what food is triggering the symptoms and avoid eating it, the problem will go away on its own. If the problems persist, you may want to contact your health care provider.

It takes about two to six hours for your body to digest and absorb the food you eat and pass it on through your breast milk. So if your baby starts having reactions in the evening, think back to what you ate about four hours earlier. You may want to start keeping a record of what and when you're eating so you can see if there is any correlation between your diet and your baby's reactions.

If you have a question you would like Nurse Brittany to answer, e-mail it to healthyhappychildren@gmail.com.