Nutrition for a nursing mother during breastfeeding

When it comes to feeding a nursing mother, many have associations with strict rules, restrictions, a strict diet and big problems for the baby if the mother ate "something wrong." Recommendations and opinions can be contradictory, so we will sort it out together.

We advise you to bookmark this page, the page will be constantly updated and links will be added describing (the pros and cons) of food for a lactating woman during breastfeeding. There are many video tips in the article, we recommend watching.

What does the food have to do with it?

Strictly speaking, lactation does not depend in any way on mother's nutrition. The milk production process is regulated only by hormones (prolactin and oxytocin). Breast milk itself is produced from blood plasma elements, so nutrition affects lactation in much the same way as blood composition - very indirectly, slightly changing the content of certain elements. Even with very poor nutrition, a woman is able to breastfeed, and the baby will not suffer from a lack of nutrients. The body of a nursing mother is configured in such a way that everything that is useful and necessary for the baby goes into milk, and if anyone suffers from a deficiency of necessary substances, it is the mother herself. It turns out that a nursing mother needs to monitor nutrition in order for her body to have enough resources for itself, since the baby will take his own in any case.

We have already written an article on nutrition, you can read: what can a nursing mother eat, what is not recommended

Video consultation: mother's nutrition during breastfeeding - general principles

What and how to eat for a nursing mother

The diet of a nursing mother is not much different from the diet during pregnancy, and the recommendations for organizing meals are similar.

It is advisable to increase the daily calorie content by 500-600 kcal in comparison with the usual state. If you do not go beyond these numbers, then this will not affect the figure in any way. Milk production requires increased energy consumption, so there is a lot to spend extra calories.
It is recommended to eat often and in small portions to ensure a constant supply of nutrients to the body. There is no particular point in trying to fit the meals into a certain regimen; it is enough to eat according to appetite. It is good to have something available for a snack. Considering that at first the baby is at the breast for a long time, the feeling of hunger can be found during or immediately after feeding.
The basis of nutrition for a nursing mother after childbirth is the classic nutritional pyramid. The diet must contain cereals, meat, sometimes fish, vegetables and fruits. Generally speaking, the more varied the diet, the better. There are no strict prohibitions, but there are some foods that you should be careful with and introduce them into the diet in a special way. They will be discussed separately.
A breastfeeding woman needs to drink enough fluids. Usually it is about 2 liters per day, but if you don't really feel like drinking, you should not force water into yourself. Here it is important to find a middle ground and not get carried away by a watering hole, since we are talking about a sufficient amount of liquid, and everyone has their own, determined by weight and constitution.

Anna Sergeevna Fedyaeva, a neonatologist, an employee of the department of pathology of newborns and premature babies at the Children's City Clinical Hospital No. 1 in the city of Nizhny Novgorod, talks about the nutrition of a nursing mother.

"Not allowed" for a nursing mother

Strictly speaking, there are no strict prohibitions and restrictions on the nutrition of a nursing mother. However, some foods are associated with the risk of allergies in the baby, so it is better to limit their use and generally eat with caution.

Cow's milk protein. Contrary to popular belief about the benefits of cow's milk for babies, this product is extremely undesirable for consumption not only for the baby himself, but also for his mother. In terms of its composition, cow's milk is very far from human milk and contains proteins foreign to our body. Eating whole cow's milk can cause problems with the intestines in the baby or cause allergies. A completely different matter is products made from fermented milk (kefir, fermented baked milk, cheese). There, the same protein is in a different, slightly modified form and is perceived by the body much better.
Vegetable protein is gluten free. All mothers have heard and know about gluten-free cereals for babies, but not everyone excludes this protein from their diet. Gluten is found in all cereals, with the exception of rice, buckwheat and corn. Sometimes it causes allergies, so you need to be careful with other cereals, introduce them gradually and monitor the reaction.
Chemical additives (dyes, preservatives, flavorings). The body of a newborn child has not yet prepared for such "chemical attacks", and what goes unnoticed for an adult can cause an allergy in the baby.
Exotic fruits. At this point, it all depends on the region of residence. So, in Spain, oranges are used for the first feeding, and in our latitudes they are exotic. The best option is to consume local, seasonal fruits, this reduces the risk of an adverse reaction.
Fruits and vegetables are red. Red pigment is a potential allergen, and in high doses. So the child can be "sprinkled" from a whole plate of strawberries or tomato salad, but nothing will come from a couple of berries or spoons. In some cases, the allergen can be eliminated altogether, for example, by cutting off the skin from a red apple.

It is believed that if the mother is not allergic to anything, then the baby is unlikely to have it. Sometimes, quite unexpectedly, there is a reaction to seemingly harmless and familiar products, to certain types of fish or meat. Attention to the child's reactions and the timely elimination of unwanted food can help avoid lingering problems. Usually, mothers gradually expand their diet and by 6 months they do not deny themselves anything, since the baby's body adapts to new substances and becomes able to perceive them.

Consultation by Irina Zakharova (professor of DMN)

Breastfeeding Nutrition Myths

There are many misconceptions about the nutrition of a nursing mother that are passed by word of mouth and confuse mothers. Which of this is pure truth, and which is still the case?

The more fluid enters the nursing mother's body, the more milk she will have. We have already determined that the amount of milk depends only on the hormone prolactin produced as a result of breastfeeding, therefore it is impossible to increase milk production by increasing fluid intake. However, another hormone, oxytocin, is involved in lactation. He is responsible for the "flow" of milk from the breast. The release of this hormone provokes hot flashes known to all women. A warm drink triggers the production of oxytocin in the body, so it's easier to feed after a cup of tea - the milk flows into the mouth by itself. This process does not affect the amount of milk, so if you need more milk, you do not need to adjust your diet or increase your fluid intake. The only way to achieve this is to put the baby to the breast more often.
Nuts increase lactation and make milk fatter. In general, the composition of breast milk is practically constant regardless of the products consumed, and it is generally impossible to increase the fat content of milk with the help of nutrition. Passion for nuts does not increase the fat content of milk, but changes the composition of fats, making the milk more viscous, and therefore difficult to obtain for the baby.
Cucumbers, cabbage and grapes cause increased gas production in the baby. This is not entirely a myth, such a reaction can really be, but if the mother herself does not suffer from bloating after these products, then the child is most likely not afraid.
Onions, garlic and spices make the milk tasteless. Here, too, not everything is so simple. The taste of milk can change, but this does not mean that the baby will abandon the breast, so there is no need to categorically refuse these products. In existing studies on this subject, children who are on HB did not neglect their mother's breasts.

Klevoshina Ekaterina Nikolaevna - a breastfeeding and baby care consultant - tells how to eat right for a mother during her newborn period. Gives recommendations on nutrition: what should be excluded from your diet for the feeding period, and what should you pay attention to (the composition of the products, their combination and the method of their preparation). Thanks to these recommendations, a nursing mother will be able to eat quality and varied food without consequences for her child.

It turns out that the nutrition of a nursing mother is not associated with special difficulties and is not something extraordinary. With care, you can eat absolutely everything.

It is believed that the more varied the mother's diet, the less problems with digestion and allergies in the baby, since a breastfed baby through mother's milk gets to know different foods and his body adapts to them. When we say "everything is possible", we mean everything within the framework of a healthy diet. Fast food, alcohol and a huge amount of sweets have no place in the diet of a nursing mother. By and large, adhering to the principles of a healthy diet will not hurt anyone, but for young mothers this is especially true. Often, after the birth of a child, the whole family switches to proper nutrition, which in itself is a big plus for everyone.