Can breastfeeding cause mothers to have gas?

When it comes to breastfeeding, the benefits are obvious but there can also be side effect, especially for mom. Both mother and child benefit from the experience although mothers occasionally complain of pain, soreness, and infections that occur as a result of breastfeeding their baby. Some mothers experience digestive issues after pregnancy, leading them to ask, can breastfeeding cause gas in mothers?

There is no correlation between problems with gas and nursing an infant. Although pregnant woman experience issues with gas and indigestion, often during the latter half of their pregnancy, once the baby is born these problems usually go away. Any problems with gas after giving birth are most likely a result of your current diet, which may have changed since the period before you were pregnant.

• Read tips on what to eat while breastfeeding
• Read tips on what not to eat while breastfeeding

Look at you choices and consider eliminating ones that may be giving you gas such as:

• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Beans
• Cheese
• Onions
• Cauliflower
• Corn

While mothers rarely experience gas as a result of nursing, parents commonly express concern about infants who are gassy. Both formula-fed and breastfed infants can have issues with gas that surprise parents.

One reason that infants experience burping and gas is that they ingest too much air along with their formula or breast milk. This can occur whether one is using bottles or the baby is drinking directly from the breast.

• Change feeding position. Positions that use gravity to pull the milk toward the baby’s mouth are best for eliminating excessive air consumption.
• Let the baby empty one breast before moving on to the other. Some moms try to rotate between breasts, but this can lead to irritation. The foremilk and hind milk are slightly different in composition, so it is good for the baby’s digestion to get some of both in each feeding.
• Try a vented nipple on the bottle. This helps with airflow for bottle-fed infants. 

There are many less than desirable side effects for mothers who breastfeed such as sore nipples, itchy nipples, and painful swelling of the breasts. However, gas shouldn’t be one of them. If you are struggling with gas, talk to your doctor about changes you can make in your diet to help this problem.

This article is intended to serve as a guide to the questions asked here.  However it should not be considered medical advice, and if you have specific questions about your health or that of your baby, make sure to consult your doctor for medical advice.