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Hearing my sister-in-law parrot on about the adverse effects of eating broccoli and beans was somewhat funny to my naive pre-breastfeeding mind. I had a hard time believing that what she ate could really have much of an impact on her baby. Unfortunately I had to learn my lesson the hard way...

When my daughter was born, I jumped onto the breastfeeding bandwagon with abandon. As weeks of crying and raging began to turn into months, my husband and I were worn out and frustrated. What was her problem anyway? One minute she would appear peaceful and calm, then the next moment she would be screaming. My only solution to calm her down was to nurse her. She wouldn't take a pacifier, so whenever she would have sleepless night (which seemed to happen every night) I would prop myself up on the sofa and nurse her. She would usually calm down and fall into a fitful sleep as long as she was nursing. So my nights were spent dosing on and off while she sucked. Not your fairytale breastfeeding experience. Needless to say I was exhausted.

Then one day quite by accident it just clicked. I had nursed her and about a half-hour later she just started to howl. My husband and I had just picked up Starbucks and I had downed and nice frothy decaf beverage which of course was mostly made up of milk. After that day I attempted to cut dairy completely out of my diet and it worked (peace at last)! Trust me when I say that it wasn't easy. Cheese is my absolutely favorite food. Add cheese to anything and I'll love it! However, I love my daughter (and sleep) even more. On the days when I would backslide and indulge, I would pay for it with another sleepless night of couch nursing.

Strangely enough, my solution came when someone offered me raw milk claiming it would be easier for my daughter to digest. After doing a little research I found it to be true. Pasteurized dairy products are much harder for the body to digest. So in the end I didn't have to give up all dairy... My daughter's adverse response to pasteurized dairy only lasted a year. Now she happily guzzles her sippy cup full of pasteurized milk and then promptly asks for "moor."

What is the point of this saga? Don't assume that you just have a colicky or fussy baby. Analyze what you are consuming and how your child responds. When we breastfeed, we need to be vigilantly eating healthy and responsibly. Just because it looks yummy doesn't mean it's OK! Remember, your child is trusting you to provide complete nourishment. In the end it's worth all the effort!

Learn more about this author, Renee Sky.
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