I have nursed for almost six years straight across our family. We began GAPS in July 2024, so those nursing years include time before GAPS as well as time on it. Most days, I did not make a separate “nursing diet” for myself. I ate whatever I cooked for everyone else, because feeding eight people already creates enough dishes without giving the person nursing a baby a completely different menu.[1]
This is the family-experience part of nursing on GAPS: what I ate, what did not work after our fifth child was born, what changed with our sixth pregnancy and postpartum period, and how nursing fit around work, homeschooling, and the rest of our kitchen. You’ll also find links to my guides on Full GAPS, milk support and the baby’s first foods as we go.
Almost Six Years of Nursing in Our House
I have nursed for almost six years straight. Since our family started GAPS in July 2024, I have usually eaten the same food I made for everyone else. That is the everyday food experience I’m sharing here.[1]
That mattered because our days were already full. I homeschool before work, run the household kitchen, and work second shift outside the home. Breakfast, school, business work, lunch, dinner, and leaving for work all have to fit into the first part of the day. Nursing happened inside that real schedule rather than in a quiet routine built around one baby.
What I Ate While Nursing
Once our family was on GAPS, the food in the house was the food I ate. A pot of meat stock usually went on first thing in the morning. The exact pot changed with the budget, what was on sale, what was in the refrigerator, and how much energy I had. Chicken in meat stock with cilantro and lemon was the meal I could still make when I was exhausted.
We made yogurt, kefir, ghee, and sour cream in weekly batches. We also kept homemade ferments in the kitchen, especially sauerkraut, kimchi, and fermented kimchi hot sauce. Organ meats were the harder part. We all disliked them, so hiding them in ground-beef meals was the only approach that worked in our house.[1]
The official GAPS breastfeeding guidance names Full GAPS while nursing a newborn rather than the Introduction Diet. It includes the warm healing foods used in Intro, such as meat stock, soups, and stews, without limiting the mother to the Intro stages.[2] For the day-to-day food structure, read Staying on Full GAPS While Breastfeeding. Here is what that looked like in our home.
The Postpartum Intro Attempt I Would Not Repeat
After our fifth child was born, I did the Introduction Diet while I was nursing and then moved to Full GAPS. In my own words, it was too restrictive for postpartum and breastfeeding. “Not recommended” is still the clearest way I can put it.[1]
That experience is one reason I keep returning to the distinction between gentle food and a restricted stage. A nursing mother can eat warm meat stock, soup, stew, cooked vegetables, and plenty of animal fat without placing her whole diet inside Intro. I needed enough complete food, not a tighter list because I was tired.
The official GAPS FAQ explains when that changes. Once the baby is well, already eating solids, and breast milk is only a top-up, the mother may consider Intro. That is different from beginning Intro while a newborn depends on her milk.[2]
Our Sixth Pregnancy on Full GAPS
Our sixth child was the pregnancy I carried on Full GAPS. Compared with my earlier pregnancies, my moods were more stable and I had fewer pica symptoms, including eating ice and craving powdered laundry detergent. I gained the most weight in that pregnancy, then lost all of it and more within three months. Our baby was almost eight pounds, born two and a half weeks early, and healthy.[1]
Those are the changes I noticed in my own pregnancy. The practical difference for me was that after trying postpartum Intro once, I had the wider food range of Full GAPS during this later pregnancy and postpartum period.
After Our Sixth Child Was Born
After the sixth birth, I ate a mix of Full GAPS and Weston A. Price-style food, with some eating out. I cooked for myself because I wanted to. I love the kitchen routine, and I felt able to do it. My recoveries have always been easy, including this one.[1]
Cooking for myself was a choice that suited me. If help with meals would protect your rest, use the help. My postpartum support guide offers practical ways to arrange it.
What I Learned About Food While Nursing
Full GAPS gave me more meal choices than postpartum Intro. I could eat the food I was already making for the family.
If you need help with wet nursing, donor milk or mastitis, the guides below explain Dr. Natasha’s recommendations for those situations.
Choose the guide that answers the question you have now.
Our First Baby GAPS Start
Our youngest started Baby GAPS on Sunday, September 20, 2026, because we saw eczema signs on his back. This is our first time starting Baby GAPS with our youngest child. I had originally expected to begin in October, but those eczema signs moved our start to September 20.[1]
I’m sharing the beginning of our Baby GAPS experience here. For the feeding sequence, see Baby GAPS: First Foods and the Week-by-Week Weaning Plan.
The Focused Guides Behind This Story
| If You Need | Read |
|---|---|
| The GAPS account of breast milk and formula | Breast Milk vs. Formula on GAPS: What the Sources Describe |
| The first-days colostrum material | Why Colostrum Matters in the First Days on GAPS |
| The donor-milk fallback and vetting route | Wet Nursing and Donor Milk in GAPS: A Complete Guide |
| Nursing when mastitis is already present | Breastfeeding and Mastitis on GAPS: Nursing, Fever, and Antibiotics |
| Preventing mastitis with the source’s bacteria guidance | Mastitis Prevention With Beneficial Bacteria on GAPS |
| Fever and remedy limits during mastitis | Mastitis Fever Care in the GAPS Books: Willow Bark and Aspirin |
| The baby’s first-food sequence | Baby GAPS: First Foods and the Week-by-Week Weaning Plan |
A Full GAPS Plan for Nursing Mothers
My Nursing Mama on Full GAPS course is a practical next step for complete meals, enough food, and a manageable kitchen routine while breastfeeding.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did You Follow a Separate Nursing Diet?
No. I usually ate whatever I made for the family. Once our household was on GAPS, those family meals were the food available to me too.
Did You Do Intro While Breastfeeding?
Yes, after our fifth child was born. I found it too restrictive for postpartum and breastfeeding, then moved to Full GAPS. I would not repeat that postpartum Intro choice.
What Did You Eat After Your Sixth Birth?
I ate a mix of Full GAPS and Weston A. Price-style food, plus some eating out. I cooked for myself by choice because I love the routine and felt able to do it.
When Did Your Youngest Start Baby GAPS?
Sunday, September 20, 2026. It was our first Baby GAPS start with the youngest, prompted by eczema signs on his back. I do not have an outcome to share yet.
Where Can I Read About Wet Nursing and Mastitis?
This family account covers nursing, our food, pregnancy and postpartum. My related guides explain Dr. Natasha’s recommendations on wet nursing and mastitis.
References
- Garnica, Ebonie. Personal family account, including GAPS beginning in July 2024 and Baby GAPS beginning on September 20, 2026.
- Campbell-McBride, N. Official GAPS FAQs, “Baby,” question 2; Full GAPS while nursing a newborn and the later boundary for considering Intro.
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