What shouldn't a Nursing Mother Eat?

This issue has been really my concern. I always love hot & spicy. When I buy food, I order 'extra hot', 'more chilli', 'more pepper' and so on. The fact that what I eat will affect the taste of my my breast milk reeaaally make me sad. I eat almost everything with chili paste (but not ice cream and sweet stuff of course).

I found an article written by Angela White, a breastfeeding counselor from the link http://www.breastfeeding123.com/does-eating-spicy-food-make-mothers-milk-spicy/

Here is what she wrote:
With my kitchen torn apart for a redecorating project, I indulged in a lot of take-out food recently. That meant yummy Thai, Mexican and Chinese food. I enjoyed a tantalizing array of flavorful food, but when I bit into a particularly spicy chile relleno (stuffed pepper) the other night, it occurred to me to wonder whether the spicy foods I enjoyed made my breast milk spicy.
In fact, spices in a mother’s food do flavor the breast milk. Does that mean that nursing mothers should avoid garlic and spicy foods in favor of a bland diet? Absolutely not! The varied flavors of the milk may actually help breastfed children learn to enjoy a greater variety of table foods once they begin eating solids. In observation of my own two nurslings, I’ve found that to be true.
However, nursing mothers know their babies best and they may start to suspect a correlation between something they’ve eaten and fussiness in the baby. The Nursing Mother’s Companion says:
Some babies fuss for up to 24 hours after their mothers have eaten garlic, onions, cabbage, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, chiles, or beans. Citrus fruits and their juices, chocolate, and spices such as chili powder, curry powder, and cinnamon can also bother young nursing babies.
p. 123. I have not found this to be true and have never had to restrict any foods while nursing. So, while nursing mothers need not eliminate foods arbitrarily, if a mother suspects her child is having a reaction to a particular food she ate, she can eliminate that food from her diet for a couple of weeks to see if the baby’s symptoms improve.

Anyway, this is just a source I found among other sources. People may have different opinion, but I found this article really make sense. SO.. the conclusion is, foods that nursing mothers should avoid are those which give bad flavor the breastmilk, according to the baby. Babies have appetite too :) Mothers should observe what they eat today and whether the babies like the taste of the breastmilk after mothers eating particular kind of food. I must remind that it is not an easy thing to do, coz what make a baby fusses is not only the taste of breastmilk, it can also be caused by the flow of the breastmilk (extreme forceful letdown causes baby to fuss too), and other causes that make a baby feel not comfortable (colic etc).
Happy observing!

About vaccine & immunization halal status

I have just heard that some vaccines (in this case in Indonesia) probably contains haram material. Of course this issue is dilematic for me. It is true that there are some groups of people who declare that they don't trust vaccines and they prefer to use natural medicine. Well, I cannot agree or disagree, but I still have a good trust on medical intervention (going to doctors, consuming antibiotics, etc). That is why I do not dare to leave vaccines and immunizations once they are invented and affordable, or may be even compulsory.

The thing is I have a newborn baby here. I read his medical record book and found out that there many vaccines and immunizations to go.

"Our elder generaton did not take any of them"

Yeah I know. I must believe that human body is created with its mechanism to fight disease. But, it is Jakarta gitu lho. Air pollution, water pollution, bacterias and viruses that change form are the issue now. Then I browsed things about this halal status. I found a blog quite informative.

http://imunisasihalal.wordpress.com

Allow me to paste one of the article that fulfil my curiosity..

Source:

http://www.eramuslim.com/berita/nas/8504125543-menkes-jamin-vaksi-indonesia-halal-digunakan.htm
Menkes Jamin Vaksin Indonesia Halal Digunakan

Minggu, 4 Mei 08 14:19 WIB

Menteri Kesehatan (Menkes) Siti Fadilah Supari menjamin kehalalan vaksin yang beredar di Indonesia. Menurutnya ada dugaan asing melakukan upaya pelemahan industri farmasi dalam negeri dengan menghembuskan isu vaksin haram digunakan.

“Masyarakat tidak perlu khawatir, saya jamin kehalalan vaksin yang beredar di Indonesia karena dibuat oleh Pabrik Farmasi dalam negeri Bio Farma, ” ujar Menteri Kesehatan dalam acara bedah buku karyanya: Tangan Tuhan di Balik Virus Flu Burung di Serang Banten.

Indonesia sendiri, lanjut Menkes, merupakan pasar yang menggiurkan. Namun, di sisi lain Indonesia, sebagian besar juga sudah bisa menyediakan dan memproduksi vaksin sendiri dan tidak tergantung pada negara barat yang maju.

“Hanya tiga negara berpenduduk Islam di dunia ini yang bisa memproduksi vaksin sendiri, yaitu Iran, Malaysia dan Indonesia, ” katanya.

Karena itu, menurut Siti Fadilah, ada negara atau perseorangan yang tidak suka Indonesia mampu memproduksi vaksin sendiri. Selain karena latar belakang motif ekonomi juga dikarenakan motif ideologis. “Salah satunya isu kehalalan vaksin, karena ada dugaan negara lain tidak ingin melihat kita maju, ” kata Menkes.

Yang menjadi keprihatinan Menkes, ada salah satu negara di Timur Tengah yang kurang mendukung program vaksin halal hasil riset dan produksi buatan pabrik dari negara-negara Islam.

“Kami kecewa, negara Islam paling kaya sendiri yang malah membeli vaksin dari Amerika Serikat, dan kurang mendukung upaya memajukan vaksin halal, ” kata Menkes RI yang masuk dalam anggota Menkes negara-negara OKI itu.

Sentimen persaingan bisnis dan motif ideologis dalam hal ini WHO juga disampaikan Ketua Medical Emergency for Rescue Committe (Mer-C) Joserizal Jurnalis. “Biofarma pernah didiskreditkan oleh WHO hanya karena BUMN ini menguasai pasar yang sangat besar, ” kata Jose.

Lebih jauh ia menilai Arab Saudi kurang peka terhadap isu kebersamaan dan ideologis di balik bisnis vaksin ini. Hal itu terbukti dari kewajiban masyarakat seluruh dunia menyuntikkan vaksin meningitis sebelum menunaikan ibadah haji.

“Dan anehnya Arab Saudi membeli vaksin meningitis tersebut dari Amerika Serikat, ” ujarnya. (novel)

Welcoming Radhika

[gallery]

After 3 years waiting, finally our first son arrived on October 18th 2008. at 7.10 am

Name: Radhika Naufal Auliya

Nickname: Raul

Height: 49 cm

Weight: 3.25 kgs

His name represents our prayer for him. Radhika (sanskrit) means prosperous. We hope that Allah shower him with prosperity: having wealth, knowledge, etc. Naufal (arabic) means generous. With the prosperity he has, he also share with people. Auliya (arabic) has quite wide meaning (at least according to wikipedia ;p). In a simple version it means protector, friends of others, someone who can be count on.

Whatta heavy meaning huh..

Well it is truly our hope, that someday he will become a leader (any kind of significant leader: president? CEO? whatever influent people for good). With his power he will improve other's life to be better.  

Finally, we hope that he will be our savior in the day after :) Amiiin..

First Post

Alhamdulillah, I finally arrived here in wordpress after couple of years blogging in multiply (well, I am still blogging there). I made this site for collecting articles about parenting, children, and other family stuff, - that I need-, especially those which may help me raising children.

I will try my best to write my own post (other's articles are not included) in English. Since the past 4 months I quit working that I rarely (or I suppose to call it 'never') use my English. In order not to make my English aired out -:D-, allow me to write in my so-so English.