TY - JOUR T1 - “Something is wrong with your milk” JF - Canadian Family Physician JO - Can Fam Physician SP - 204 LP - 211 VL - 65 IS - 3 AU - Monica Kidd AU - Melanie Hnatiuk AU - Jocelyn Barber AU - Mary-Jo Woolgar AU - Maria Palacios Mackay Y1 - 2019/03/01 UR - http://www.cfp.ca/content/65/3/204.abstract N2 - 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. ER -