Breast milk is clearly the best choice when it comes to nutrition for your newborn baby. Unfortunately, concerns about diet, allergies and food sensitivity can make breastfeeding a stressful experience for both mother and baby. If you're lactose intolerant, it's fine to switch to a lactose-free milk product to help conserve your health and comfort while still providing the best possible nutrition for your baby. Dairy milk products are not necessary to help produce human breast milk.
Milk Production
The notion that milk products are necessary to help you produce milk is a myth. Your body naturally produces breast milk so long as you have an adequate diet and sufficient hydration. Dairy products from cows will not help to increase your production, nor do they lend any extra protein or nutrients to your breast milk. Consuming dairy products while breastfeeding is more of a dietary choice than a necessary component of a healthy diet.
Dairy and Lactose Intolerance
When breastfeeding, the difference between dairy intolerance and lactose intolerance is important to distinguish. Some babies may have a dairy intolerance, meaning their digestive system has trouble in breaking down cow-produced products such as milk, cheese and yogurt. Cutting these out of your diet could result in easier nursing. Lactose intolerance, which is a rare occurrence in newborns, refers to an intolerance of the sugar in any milk, human or cow. The result is clear discomfort during each feeding, regardless of the changes you've made to your diet.
Baby Sensitivity
You may have heard that some babies can be sensitive to milk products when breastfeeding, resulting in gassy, colicky newborns. While it's true that some of the flavors and enzymes from the foods you eat can be passed on to your baby when nursing, switching to lactose-free milk will not help your baby's sensitivity to dairy products or lactose. Since a truly lactose-intolerant baby is sensitive to the lactose in your breast milk, you may have to stop breastfeeding and switch to a soy-based formula to help remedy the problem.
Healthy Diet
The best way to ensure that your baby gets the nutrients that she needs through breast milk is to eat a healthy diet yourself and monitor changes in the breastfeeding experience. If you notice that your baby is gassy and fussy in the hours following breastfeeding after you have eaten a large serving of dairy, it may be a sign that your baby has a dairy sensitivity. Keeping a journal of the foods that seem to aggravate your baby's digestive process can help you identify foods to avoid. If avoiding certain foods doesn't help, see your pediatrician. Your baby may have a true lactose intolerance, which will not be affected by changes you make to your own diet.
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