Now I'm hungry.

Updated to Add: Eek. In my rush to get this out, I realize I didn't really emphasize what I was getting at. I do think the lists can be helpful when there is a problem with a fussy baby and that yes, the lists can assist a mother in narrowing down what the problems might be in her diet. I just hate it when they make it sound like ALL babies are bothered by spicy foods, etc. And for sure, I have yet to see a list include Greek food or gyros which most definitely made my kid squirmy all night long, although I confess, I still partook in a yummy gryros every now and then. Gulp.

When I was in the hospital with Arun, I starved. The hospital food wasn't bad per se, but it mostly consisted of a piece of meat, a potato, some sort of boiled side veggie and it certainly wasn't spicy. It didn't help that I was there for such a short time that by the time I filled out the "menu" card and it got processed, it was time for me to leave anyway. For whatever Fool Head Reason, I turned down all of my husband's kind offers for bringing me food - a mistake I will NOT be repeating the next time around, believeyoume. The day I went home with our son, I craved something spicy so bad it physically hurt and we picked up some Thai takeout on our way home. Sure, I saw a brief question mark hovering over that Styrofoam takeout container because all the Wise Baby Tomes tell you to avoid spicy food while breastfeeding. However, I quickly brought myself back to reality as I pondered, “What the hell do women eat in Thailand?”, then I promptly dug in and stuffed myself to the gills. And that, my friends, set the standard for what I ate while my son was breastfeeding. If something obviously bothered him, I cut it from the menu - otherwise, it stayed. We cook mostly South Indian at home and primarily other varieties of ethnic when we go out. Sure, we do pizza and some other "American" standards, but primarily, we eat exotic. Which probably explains why my 19 month old is pretty damned close to our level of spicy eating and doesn't even flinch when presented with a jalapeño on a sandwich.

Regarding "foods to avoid while breastfeeding", I found this article interesting. Actually, I find most of these types of articles chuckle-worthy because often they are presented as a "complete list". Furthermore, I've seen loads of new moms take them to heart and then kick it up a notch- I knew a gal who didn't eat peanuts the entire time she breastfed because if her son got a peanut allergy, "she would never forgive herself". I'm definitely not saying the lists aren't helpful, but I think they should be presented as a " keep in mind" sort of thing.

As it turned out, my son was most bothered by milk, soft cheeses and Greek gryo meat (Bonus Sidenote: It's properly pronounced "yee-ro"). Oh and these days, he calls Pad Thai noodles "pye-pye" and weeps when I put them in the microwave for reheating. Poetic.