"Something is wrong with your milk": Qualitative study of maternal dietary restriction and beliefs about infant colic

Abstract

Objective: To investigate new mothers' perceptions about the role of maternal diet in infant fuss-cry behaviour, and to explore patterns of food restriction in breastfeeding women.

Design: Qualitative study.

Setting: Calgary, Alta.

Participants: Twenty-one mothers of healthy singleton infants aged 6 months and younger.

Methods: Focus groups and one-on-one interviews with a semistructured interview guide, followed by content analysis.

Main findings: Most respondents believed that infant cry-fuss behaviour was related to abdominal pain linked to feeding and had eliminated items from their diet in an attempt to change infant behaviour. Typical targets of elimination were caffeine, cruciferous vegetables (eg, broccoli and cabbage), garlic and onions, spicy foods, gluten, and beans. Women commonly viewed elimination diets as an extension of neutral or benign choices made during pregnancy, even when it led to extreme diet restrictions. Participants reported feeling appraised by society for their infant-feeding choices, and often harshly judged. Many women reported feeling confused by conflicting sources of reliable information on breastfeeding and preferred advice from trusted friends and family to that from health care providers or the Internet.

Conclusion: The breastfeeding women in this study believed that maternal diet influenced infant cry-fuss behaviour, in spite of scientific evidence demonstrating the contrary. An understandable desire for a calm baby, as well as to be favourably judged by friends and family, can drive breastfeeding women to restrict their diet, often to the point of hardship.