Garlic for breastfeeding moms

Herbalists have long embraced garlic as a beneficial supplement to nursing mothers' diets.

The herb's distinctively pungent odor does not appear to bother most nursing babies and may in fact encourage babies to nurse longer. Garlic's strong antifungal and antibiotic properties may help nursing babies avoid thrush and help relieve mastitis suffered by the nursing mom.

Longer successful nursing helps a nursing mother maintain an adequate supply of breast milk and allows the nursing baby to feed until he is satisfied. Because babies seem to respond to the garlic odor, deodorized garlic supplements are not an effective substitute for raw garlic.

Garlic is a potent antifungal. Nursing babies sometimes contract a fungal-based yeast infection called thrush, which presents as a sore throat, white-spotted tongue and red diaper rash. A yeast infection in the nursing mom is known as candida. Babies with thrush often have difficulty breastfeeding, as their mouths and throats become irritated, and the babies unlatch frequently from their moms' breasts. Raw garlic may help a breastfeeding mom prevent or eliminate the yeast infection, relieve the irritation and help the baby breastfeed more.

Make photos of your baby with garlic, upload to the App. Write whether you like to eat the beneficial herb and how your little one reacts to it.