Can I drink honey and lemon water while breastfeeding?
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A nursing mother want to find out if it is safe to take honey and lemon water while breastfeeding.
From my mailbox:
Good day doctor, I am a nursing mother. My baby is just 2 months old and she is on exclusive breasttfeeding . I am writing to find out if it is safe for me to drink lemon water and honey….is it safe for my baby?
Mimi writing from London.
My reply;
Congratulations on the birth of your new baby. Thank you for reaching out. Drinking lemon water is very beneficial to nursing breast feeding mothers. Lemon water is very good for gut health and aids digestion. Lemon water is also secreted into the breast milk and this promotes digestion in babies too. So lemon water is safe and healthy for breast feeding mums.
The safety of honey in breast feeding mothers is quite controversial. This is because honey can cause botulinium poisoning in babies less than one year, so nursing mothers mothers are advised to avoid taking honey. However, some medical experts are of the opinion that moderate use of honey during breastfeeding is safe for both the baby and the mother. Moderation is key here. There is this belief add a little of honey to your tea or food will not be expressed in your milk.
Giving your child younger than 1 year honey can cause botulism.
According to kidhealth.org
“Infant botulism can cause muscle weakness, with signs like poor sucking, a weak cry, constipation, and decreased muscle tone (floppiness).
Parents can help prevent infant botulism by not giving their baby honey or any processed foods containing honey (like honey graham crackers) until after their child’s first birthday. Light and dark corn syrups might also contain botulism-causing bacteria, but a link hasn’t been proved. Check with your doctor before giving these syrups to a baby.
READ ALSO: How to use papaya to remove pregnancy.
As kids get older, they can have honey because their mature digestive systems move the Clostridium bacteria spores through the body before they can cause harm.”
With this, maybe you will consider not adding honey to your diet while breastfeeding . It is risky. You can drink lemon water though.
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