Nutritional Impact on Infant When Mom Has a Sweet Tooth

Hi Jennifer: I don't have any actual experience, but this story may give you some reference. My daughter-in-law told me that when she recently visited her sister, who has a two-year old daughter (that still breast feeds), that the little girl has had a yellow spot on one of her front teeth and recently chipped one. Her sister took her to the dentist, and the dentist told her that her teeth were rotting from breast feeding. She has to end up having a couple of root canals done and caps put on. Sad!!! Apparently the mom is a total candy freak and drinks big amounts of soda and coffee every day also.

I don't know if the sugar content of the milk goes up in relation to how much you eat - that would be interesting to research. If the baby was getting a significant amount of extra sugar, the only risk I could think of would be some sort of insulin imbalance...since the baby would have to release larger amounts of insulin to process the sugar. I know that's true with diabetic pregnant women...there's that risk of the baby being prone to diabetes. That's pretty extreme though. We all probably consume more sugar than we think, since it's in everything. Another possibility would be that the baby would crave foods high in sugar and not be good at eating vegetables...which is so unusual for children ;)

Might be good to ask a doctor or lactation consultant (sorry I'm neither).

hi jennifer!

i know how you feel! i share that same sweet tooth. i know that too much sugar can contribute to candida (yeast) overgrowth. also, chocolate can have an irritating effect on babies. weather it makes them irritable or not able to sleep i do not know. i personally never experienced the chocolate issue with my kids, but was always reminded by my midwife. i have has issues with yeast and cutting down/out sugars greatly helps. i hope this info helps you! happy mothering!

D. r :o)

What you eat they eat. Sugar is sugar whether it is organic or not. There are kinds that don't spike your blood sugar. Just keep in mind that if you want a good immune system sugar kills that and will do the same to your baby. Everything in moderation! Sugar can feed yeast problems and and myriad of other conditions. I too have a sweet tooth and am nursing. I eat "naughty" stuff in small quantities.

Hi Jennifer, I don't have any advice b/c I too have a sweet tooth. I just wanted to say thanks for asking. I learned a lot, and will start watching myself. I'm nursing an almost 6 month old. I have horrible digestion, and to think that I could be passing that on to my baby with all my sugar ingestion - I'm stopping now! Although, I have noticed my sweet tooth diminish a bit after having him. I can't keep up with my husband's intake anymore. Anyway, Good luck to you on cutting out the sugars. Let me know how it goes for you!
S.

Sugar is very bad for you and your baby. If you stay away from sugar for two weeks, you should stop craving it. I use stevia in my coffee. I like the liquid stevia, no bitter after taste. I eat fruit, but otherwise eat no sugary foods. I had a party for my mom last week and sat right in front of a chocolate cake and watched everyone else enjoy it and I was fine, no cravings. You can do it! It is worth it. In the meantime, eat an apple or make lemonade with stevia. I also put it in plain yogurt with some lemon juice, or chocolate or vanilla extract. mmmmmm

Hi Jennifer,

Yes, your baby gets everything that you consume. It is definately okay to eat sweets but if you are eating them at every meal and every day then you are giving too much to your baby! Do you like Splenda? or honey? I have reasearched sweeteners because I am also a fan of anything sweet and full of sugar...the specialists reccommend honey, molasses and stevia. I cant stand the tastes of stevia but i do love Splenda. Research on the computer low sugar and alternative ways to make/buy the sweets that you prefer like cookies, ice cream, smoothies, etc. It will not be just helpful to your baby but also to YOU as well!

S.

Eating sugar will not hurt your baby, so please try not to worry too much about it. Just make sure Mom is getting enough nutrients to keep her healthy, too. Good luck!

From parenting.ivillage.com

"All nursing moms appear to have the same proportions of protein, fat and carbohydrate in their milk. Lactose, or milk sugar, is the main carbohydrate in milk. It appears to be the least variable of these three macronutrients (Nutrition During Lactation, 1991). There is little evidence to show that it is affected by your diet, even if M&Ms make up a large part of it. Even when a mother's diet is far from ideal, her milk will still be the best feeding choice for her baby. Certain vitamins are affected by maternal diet such as Vitamin B6, B12, and C, though the amounts of these vitamins will plateau when they reach a certain level. The calorie count of breastmilk ranges from about 18 to 25 calories an ounce."

Too much sugar can breed yeast in your system, causing more yeast infections. My daughter would get more yeast rashes when I ate too much sugar, and we all know how miserable those are.

There is a lot of false information and old wives tales out there on how breast milk is composed and how our bodies produce it.
In a nutshell: it consists of three main ingredients fat, sugar (lactose) and water. The ratios of these ingredients vary, depending on what phase of lactation you're in and even during the day to adjust to your baby's nutritional needs.
There will not be more sugar in your milk because you eat more sugar, just as your milk won't be fattier if you eat more fat. If you don't consume enough nutrients (no matter if it's sugar, fat or vitamins) your body will deplete what is stored in YOUR fat, sugar or vitamin reserves, or calcium from your bones to give it to your baby in your milk. The female body will go to great efforts to properly feed your baby, that's why you should have a balanced diet, so YOU don't become deficient in nutrients.
If you eat to much sugar or fat, you body will deposit it in fat reserves and you will gain weight.
Your body can covert sugar to fat and vice versa if needed.

As for the caries, once a baby has teeth, they should be cleaned regularly, no matter if you're breast or formula feeding.

Yes, baby could end up with thrush, or overgrowth of yeast, ie; digestion issues and painful gas. What you eat is what your baby eats, thus what your baby is made of. I've seen this happen to a baby in my circle. The mom has a wicked sweet tooth. Baby is not the healthiest, but that could be from other variables. Bottom line, nutrition is very important. If you are eating lots of sugar you may not be eating enough nutritious stuff. Just be careful. Indulging sometimes is okay, as long as you are making sure you are getting enough healthy stuff.
Good Luck!

I'm not an expert but my opinion would be that it would only effect your babe's nutrition if you are replacing nutritious meals with candy and fake foods. If you are just snacking in between meals to satisfy crazy cravings then I would say that's fine. Don't be suprised if you gain weight, but if you eat good food first and then the yummy sugary stuff then your little one is going to be getting the nutrients he/she needs. You might also keep in mind that the flavor also makes it into your breast milk so by eating a lot of sugar your milk will taste sweeter and your babe (when started on solids) may have a serious preference to sweet things. You may want to scale back on the sweets so that you don't teach your little one to have such a sweet tooth. Just some food for thought. Good luck!

Actually, I believe there is a negative impact. I have read that sugar suppresses your immune system by as much as 50%. Also, you could be putting yourself at risk for thrush while breastfeeding. Thrush is basically a yeast infection and sugar will totally feed a yeast infection of any type. Also, if you are trying to lose weight, sugar will not help you with that at all. It makes your blood sugar spike and crash and you want your levels to remain steady so that your metabolism can function properly. If you have a sweet tooth, try and find things with honey or agave syrup or maple syrup as the sweetener. These are better than cane sugar. Also, if you like stevia (I don't like it), but this is a great way to sweeten stuff and stevia technically is an herb and doesn't raise blood sugar at all. Another thing to remember about sugar is that you need fat to balance out the sugar. for example, eating icecream that is REAL and has real cream in it is actually better for your glycemic levels. The fat in the icecream helps to balance out the sugar and keeps your blood sugar more stable. My friend had gestational diabetes and her doctor told her if she wanted icecream, to eat one with the most fat in it. This helps to balance the sugars. This concept works well on other things too. If you have a piece of bread, put butter on it to balance out the sugars in the bread. I know it seems counter-intuitive, but sugar makes you fat, not fat (as long as it's good, healthy, REAL fat). I eat real butter, cook w/ coconut oil, use heavy cream in my coffee and I have lost 50 pounds in this last year without even trying. I basically cut out sugar and anything that turns into sugar (bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, etc). I actually don't eat any grains and this has been the best weight loss plan ever. I also have had my cholesterol levels checked after eating this way for a couple of years and my cholesterol was really good. I know reducing sugar intake is super hard but you almost have to think about it like a drug. It takes about a 5-7 days to get through sugar withdrawls and then after that, you really don't crave it at all anymore. My husband and I both experienced this first hand and it is truly amazing and we both feel so much better.

Hi, I was a total "sugarholic" while nursing both of my kids (now 2 and 4 1/2). They are totally fine with normal healthy bodies and no more love for sugar than the next kid. The bad thing is that I gained a ton of weight while breast feeding both of them (more than when I was pregnant). As soon as I was finished breast feeding at around 14 mos (their idea not mine), I was able to cut the sugar out (I do think their was some physiological component). All, I did was quit all sugar (except fruit and milk) and I dropped 30 lbs in 3 months both times. Of course, the best thing for you to do is sugar in moderation and eat healthy. Good luck. S.

I see you have quite an array of answers about the nutritional (or non-nutritional) aspect of sugar in your diet. I would like to just mention from my experience nursing 3 babies that you are more prone to thrush with your baby while nursing, and sugar is a food for bacteria. Bad bacteria flourish when fed simple sugars, so if you are consuming a significant amount of sugar and white flour products it is pretty necessary to be taking some probiotic acidophilus every day to balance out the good and bad bacteria in your gut. Kudos to you for trying to get your sugars from natural sources rather than candy! Personally, I took a couple months and whittled my chocolate cravings from a candy bar of junk chocolate to a small square of healthy dark chocolate each day. You could try that. ;)

Hello Jennifer, I know how a sweet tooth can be...however (and I think you already know this, or you wouldn't have posted the question)...yes, whatever you consume will pass through your breast milk. Also, sugar will give you more empty calories, and when you're breastfeeding, you're truly "eating for two", so when you're craving sugar, eat a protein. Also, you don't want dental decay, and your body is already putting a lot of your calcium into your breastmilk, which decreases the amount of calcium your teeth (and bones, for that matter) are getting. So, since you asked, I felt the need to reply. Eat healthy, high protien/carb meals... your baby and your body will thank you. Peace.

I had a bad bad bad sweet tooth years ago, and my acupuncturist said it could be brought under control by making sure I had enough protein in my diet. Protein has made a huge difference. I used to have problems with my bloodsugar ( hypoglycemic) and that is a thing of the past since I have traded most of my sugar for protein. I still enjoy things with sugar, but it's in control now.

Here are two links for protein sources

http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/guide/good-protein-...

http://www.theveggietable.com/articles/protein.html

I know you've gotten a lot of "Sugar is bad" commments, but it's all in how you look at it. I talked diet over with my son's pediatrician, who I've know and trusted for years. His take on things is this. If you are eating healthy and taking care of yourself it doesn't hurt to indulge cravings, whether it's sweets or whatever. As long as you are eating enough of the right things and taking your prenatal viatims to ensure that your breast milk has enough of the essentials for your baby then eat what you please. My son is part of this thing called the TEddy Study, where they are trying to figure out what causing type 1 diabetes in children, and they all tell me that what I eat really doesn't matter. These are all doctors by the way. They say just take your vitamins and that with make sure your baby gets all the essentials. I personally get sweet craving frequently as well, I try to eat a lot of fruit, but that doesn't always cut it. I eat my sweets, but I also eat healthy foods regularly. My son is very healthy, he has no issues with weight, or yeast or anything else. He's a happy healthy little boy. Don't worry! :-)

Too much sugar could lead to Diabetes...so that would be a danger to you and baby. But, eating some natural sugars would be okay, as long as you are eating a balanced diet. Are you getting a good veggie, protein and carb balance? This is most important while breastfeeding, you are giving up more and need to make sure you are eating well. Honestly, as long as you produce milk with breastfeeding, baby will always get what they need, it is more your health that would be of concern.

The child can actually taste what you have been eating - a mild version of it. So, if you have a lot of sugar, your milk will have more sugar and be sweeter as well. The baby as he grows up will also develop a craving for lots of sugar.

The problem is, when you are consuming products that are high in sugar, you can ony eat so much, then (as I have found out myself) I no longer have room to eat the healthy things. It's not good for you or the baby. Sugar is bad for you on so many levels. It brings down the immune system - for number1. It's better to make yourself a salad, eat some greens, eat some nuts or fruit. Often people who eat a lot of sugar are protein deficient. Try eating more beans, nuts, meats to offset this craving. Try purchasing foods that don't need a lot of work to eat - such as apples, celery, pre-finihsed carrots.

Hi Jennifer
This is a NO Brainer..
If your sugar leval is high your insolin leval is high and that is not good for YOU OR THE BABY. Prosessed Sugar is like a poisan to the body and if you are prone to diabetis that will just make it more likly that the child will develop it also.
Sugar cravings are a symptom of other things going on in you and that is something that needs to be looked at. If you get sick you can help no one. Eat more proteans, less fat and sugar and lots of fruits (they are sweet) and vegies. Your habits WILL be past down to your children.....
Children are spunges and learn even when you are not looking.

Good luck on kicking the Sugar addiction.

I totally empathize. I had a major sweet tooth that I had to nip in the bud when I was pregnant, so that I didn't give my baby all the sugar that I craved. It helped a little bit that chocolate didn't taste as good to me when I was pregnant.
Anyways, I just moved to eating fruit instead. Fuji apples are great when you have that sugar craving, and coming into the summer there will be so many more yummy nutritious fruits out there for us. Strawberries, mangos, raspberries, pears, kiwi, I can barely wait!
As far as nutritional value, your baby gets what you get. If you eat a lot of sugar, you will probably end up having a more hyper baby who doesn't sleep so well, and possibly has some stomach issues. Sugar causes the adrenal gland to go into hyper mode and drains it. It has a terrible effect on our adrenal system. The other thing to think about is our body has cravings because of definiencies (I know I didn't spell that right). Read up on some natural health websites as to what it is exactly you are craving and what your body might be deficient in. I can't remember what deficiency it was that caused a chocolate craving, but I do know that wheat grass took care of it. I would go to Jamba Juice and get a shot of wheat grass in one of their shakes and I no longer craved chocolate. But every sugar-addict has a specific thing they crave. Sweet/sour things, chocolate, ice cream, whatever. I suggest getting to the root of the problem, and in the meantime, eat lots of fruit!!