Black Pepper and Milk Production

Your breast milk production is influenced by several factors, including the frequency of milk removal through nursing or pumping and the adequate intake of calories and nutrients. Although most nursing mothers produce sufficient amounts of milk, it can sometimes be difficult to discern whether your baby is getting enough at each feeding. Consequently, most pediatricians use a baby’s growth rate to gauge nursing success or the adequacy of breast milk production. While excessive consumption of certain herbs and spices can adversely affect your milk supply, black pepper is one of many spices that supports breast milk production, according to Mother Food author Hilary Jacobson.

Black Pepper

Certain foods are lactogenic, meaning they’re beneficial when included in a nursing mother’s diet because they support breast milk production. Fennel, dark leafy greens, carrots, beets, sweet potatoes, almonds, olive oil, lentils and oats are lactogenic foods, as are garlic, ginger, turmeric, basil, marjoram, dill and, in moderate amounts, black pepper. Although the composition of breast milk tends to be fairly consistent, its flavor is reflective of your dietary choices. When you eat a meal that incorporates garlic, for example, your milk may temporarily have a garlicky flavor. Similarly, spicy dishes — including those seasoned with black pepper — can flavor your breast milk accordingly.

Breast Milk Production

Breast milk production is most affected by how frequently and effectively your baby nurses, according to La Leche League International. Your milk production is stimulated by your baby’s ability to latch on correctly and nurse each side sufficiently. More importantly, your milk supply increases when your baby nurses often. In the past, health-care providers and lactation consultants advised mothers to nurse their babies every four hours to allow their breasts to “fill up” with milk between feedings. It’s now understood that breast milk is produced almost continuously, and greater demand results in an increased supply. Using a breast pump to express milk between feedings also boosts production.

Diet and Breast Milk

Lactation experts universally recommend that women who breast feed eat a nutritious, well-balanced diet rich in whole grains, fruits and vegetables, lean proteins and foods high in calcium. If your diet typically incorporates black pepper, it’s not likely that your baby will react to its flavor in your milk, especially if you consumed it while pregnant. During pregnancy, your diet's dominant flavors are imparted to your amniotic fluid, according to the website BabyCenter. As such, your baby is accustomed to the main flavors in your diet before nursing begins. It's possible, however, for something in your diet to cause your baby to be fussy or gassy after nursing. Common culprits include chocolate, citrus fruits, garlic, onions and spices such as cinnamon, chili pepper and curry.

Considerations

When consumed in large quantities, some herbs may decrease breast milk production, according to the Motherlove Herbal Company. These include sage, parsley, thyme and peppermint. Further, vitamin B6 supplements can also suppress lactation, as can decongestants and hormonal birth control medications. While some lactation experts suggest that the occasional alcoholic drink poses little risk of harm to your baby, drinking alcohol can interfere with the milk ejection reflex, and therefore compromise the amount of milk your baby can get from your breasts, according to the National Institutes of Health. If you’re concerned that you’re not producing enough milk for your baby, a lactation consultant can help pinpoint and address any issues.

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What to Take & Avoid for Breast Milk Production?

Breastfeeding has many health benefits for mother and baby. It can help a new mom lose her "baby weight" and protect her from heart disease down the road. It provides optimal nutrition for the baby as long as his mother is eating a healthy, balanced diet. It gives the baby building blocks for maintaining a healthy weight for life. Several factors are involved in healthy breast milk production. One important factor is the mom's diet.

Caloric Requirements

There are no specific diet recommendations for breastfeeding mothers, although experts agree that they must eat a healthy, balanced diet with plenty of complex carbohydrates. New moms need to keep blood glucose levels stable. Significant amounts of glucose and carbohydrates are necessary for breast milk production. The body uses about 500 extra calories to breastfeed, so not eating enough can negatively affect milk production.

Fluid Intake

The body uses one milliliter of water for each milliliter of milk it produces. Breastfeeding mothers must drink plenty of fluids to ensure optimal breast milk production. The current recommendation is approximately eight cups of water each day. One way to meet this goal is to drink a glass of water each time she sits down to breast feed. Without adequate water intake, the body cannot produce enough milk.

What to Avoid

Drinking too much water can actually decrease the milk supply. Do not exceed 12 glasses of water per day. It is important to note that tea and coffee should not make up much of the mother’s fluid intake; drinking too much tea and coffee can inhibit milk production.
Avoid simple carbohydrates like white bread and other foods made with refined flour and sugar. Mom's diet should consist mainly of complex carbohydrates, protein and fats. Simple carbohydrates can decrease milk supply by spiking insulin levels.

Sleep is More Important

What mom eats is not the biggest factor in breast milk production. Although she must eat a balanced diet and drink plenty of fluids, it is even more important that she sleep as much as possible. Stress and lack of sleep are a bigger threat to low breast milk production than diet.
Effectively and frequently expressing her milk through feedings or pumping is the last factor that affects breast milk production. Expressing the milk is important to show the body it is being used and is still needed.

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Foods to Avoid for Breast Milk

Everything you eat as a nursing mother affects your breast milk, either subtly or directly. Most of the time it's the former; what you eat provides the building blocks for your breast milk in the same way that what you ate while pregnant helped build the little body that is now your nursing child. In some cases, however, what you eat can be directly passed onto your baby via breast milk. Sometimes this is as innocuous as a new taste; other times you need to be concerned about toxins and allergens.

Colic

There's no hard and fast cause-and-effect rule here, but for certain mothers and babies, some foods cause colic. Foods such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, tomatoes and green peppers can cause excessive gas and thus digestive discomfort in your baby. Other foods may simply irritate your baby's digestive system, including caffeine, chocolate, citrus and wheat. Try cutting out suspicious foods from your diet for a week or two and see if you notice any improvement.

Mercury

Unfortunately, you can pass environmental contaminants such as mercury through your breast milk to your child. Avoid shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish and limit your intake of canned solid white or albacore tuna.

Alcohol

Although you may now drink small amounts of alcohol since you're no longer pregnant, you will want to limit the amount you consume. Lay off breastfeeding for three hours after drinking so your body has time to metabolize and eliminate the alcohol, recommends the website Kidshealth.org, and don't drink more than one drink a day.

Allergies

If your family has a disposition toward dietary allergies, be careful about ingesting common allergenic foods. Take caution with peanuts and tree nuts, soy products, corn and shellfish. Dairy sensitivities are also not uncommon among newborns, so if you see a rash or other signs of an allergic reaction, try avoiding milk, cheese and other dairy in your diet for a few days.

Taste Concerns

Even if colic and allergies are not a problem, what you eat may affect the taste of your breast milk, and your baby may react accordingly. For example, some nursing babies dislike it when their mothers eat spicy food. Eating a variety of different foods also assures your baby will be introduced to a wide range of flavors and thus possibly have a more flexible palate when they're older.

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Posted in: Breastfeeding