Understanding Abdominal Pain During Pregnancy: Causes & Relief

Question
Thanks in advance for taking a question. If you can't answer, perhaps you can lead me in a good direction. I'll try to be brief, but i need to be complete. During my pregnancy last year, around six months or so, i began getting awful pain, what felt like terrible tummyache, or more like crushed glass was traveling through my intestines. i kept aware of when it occurred and finally came to a conclusion that it happened after i ate broccoli, kale, other brassicas. so i stopped eating these during the pregnancy and the pain never returned. however, after my daughter was born (home birth, by the way, midwife etc., a long and difficult weekend, but all turned out well), i believe i started eating these again. i've been breastfeeding. sadie started having awful crying/screaming spells and i eventually figured out that these would be worst after i'd eaten brassicas, so i stopped, and eventually, after a long time, the spells of awful screaming stopped. sadie's a year old now, and a couple days ago i ate broccoli for the first time since i had stopped. today she seemed to have an awful tummyache, crying/screaming/writhing much of the day.  okay, the question is, could this broccoli thing be really causing her to have such tummyaches? should i stop nursing? stop eating brassicas again? she is, of course, teething, so she could be upset by the pain of that, but her behavior was just so similar to that she showed back when i was figuring out the food thing. ... anyway, let me know what you think. thanks so much.  

Answer
Hello Sally- you really do have it figured out very well. YOUR digestive system does not handle these foods well- therefore they get into the breast milk in a poorly handled state and thus cause problems for your daughter. Your breastmilk is far more important to her lifelong health than these foods are to your body. Just make sure you are taking a good vitamin supplement and eat all kinds of other vegetables that don't cause you problems- or her. Congratulations on taking responsibility for your birth experience- I hear so little of it on this site. All the best- Cheri.