Post-Pregnancy Diet for Breastfeeding Mothers, Foods for Lactation

Know the details on your diet post pregnancy when you are breastfeeding. What foods are good for lactation and milk formation? Know the foods you should eat and avoid.

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You should be extra careful with your diet post the baby. As a breastfeeding mother you should ensure that you produce abundant, nutritious milk for your child.

If you do not eat a balanced diet, the quantity of milk you produce may be reduced, but the quality of milk will have the right amount of nutrients, may be at the your expense. So you should always try to get a balanced diet. The feeding of special, nutrient-dense foods to nursing women is a practice in India.

Required Calorie Intake for a Lactating or Breastfeeding Mother

You will need to consume about 500 additional calories above your calorie intake during pre-pregnancy.

You may consume approximately 2,200 calories per day while breastfeeding, although the recommended value is 2,700 calories per day for most women. The deficit of 500 calories comes from body fat that you had stored during pregnancy! Thus body fat are decreased during breastfeeding, particularly in hips and thighs. So you can expect to lose weight gradually during breastfeeding.

1. Never aim fewer than 1,800 calories per day, as it places you at risk for reduced milk production. Never go on a crash diet.
2. Do not skip meals. Eat fruits in between meals. Eat three balanced meals a day. Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain breads and dals, cereals. Limit your intake of foods high in sugar, salt, saturated fat and highly processed foods.
3. Drinking plenty of liquids is good for milk production. Dehydration can diminish your milk formation.
4. Do not take too much of ghee or butter.
5. Increase fiber in your diet. High Fiber Foods

6. Breastfeeding & Vitamin D

   As the mother's milk is deficient in vitamin D (only about 25 IU per liter), the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that the infants on breastfeed should receive each day vitamin D supplements of 400 IU each day shortly after birth and continue until they consume ≥1,000 mL/day of vitamin D-fortified formula or whole milk. Consult your Doctor.<
   
   Infants who receive vitamin D supplementation have an 80% reduced risk of developing type 1 diabetes.
   Foods that contain vitamin D

7. Take care of your calcium intake (1000 mg per day). It is an essential mineral for the development of your baby's bones and teeth. Breast milk is a good source of calcium for your child. The calcium level in breast milk is not affected even if you do not eat sufficient calcium rich foods, but at the expense of calcium from your bones. This weakens your bones and may cause osteoporosis to you later in life.
   However, do not drink too much milk because you are feeding the baby. Remember that milk does not directly make mother’s milk. For making milk, a diet rich in calcium, iron, proteins, carbohydrates, fats and B complex is needed. Three servings of milk or other dairy products are suggested for breastfeeding women. This will help prevention of osteoporosis in later life.
8. Reduce sugar, tea and coffee.

Drink at least 10 glasses of water along with plenty of juices, soups, buttermilk, dals, etc. throughout the day. Water is a major constituent of breast milk. This will help in maintaining your milk production.

In every culture there are some special foods for new mothers to provide them the nutrients needed for milk production. In West, however, there is no such special food and they insist only on a balanced diet. In India a variety of foods are recommended for increasing lactation. Following are a few traditional foods that are believed to help increase lactation in breastfeeding women.

Herbs such as fenugreek, cumin, fennel, dill (suwa), barley, etc. have been used for centuries in India to increase production of milk in lactating women. Besides these herbs, gond (gaund, edible gum) and almonds are also believed to help increase the milk.

• Cumin: Thymol present in cumin is believed to increase secretion of milk in lactating women. It is a rich source of calcium and iron.
• Fenugreek: To increase milk supply within 3-4 days.
• Fennel (saunf): Believed to increase lactation and aid digestion and prevent colic.
• Dill (suwa): Dill is believed to increase lactation and appetite. It may also reduce gas and colic. It is a mild diuretic.
• Carom seeds (Ajwain): They are believed to help in cleansing the stomach and uterus.
• Dried Ginger (Saunth)
• Basil (Tulsi): It is believed to stimulate milk flow.
• Garlic: Studies have shown that the infants of mothers who eat garlic tend to feed for a longer time because many infants seem to prefer a variety of flavor in breast milk.

These herbs are boiled in water and this water is given to lactating mothers daily. In Rajasthan laddoos (laddus) are made with these ingredients and a small ajwain laddo, gond-badam laddoo or saunth laddoo is given daily to the mother in the morning and evening. Badam ka seera (almond halwa) is also given. These laddoos and seera are, however, rich in ghee (saturated fat) and calofries. Eat them in moderation.
In Gujrat, the special foods given to mothers during lactation are wheat rab, bajra rab, moong khichdi, bajra roti, battisa ladu, kotta, ajiwain kada, gond ka soont, bydku, ajmoo, pipramoor and methi bhaji.

Meal Plan for Lactation

The table below shows a recommended average meal plan for a lactating Indian woman who does moderate work during the day.

* Non-vegetarians substitute 1 or occasionally 2 servings of pulses and beans with fish/meat/eggs.

Note: Cook the above food groups in moderate quantities of oil/butter/ghee to get the required supply of oils and fats to the diet.

Foods to Avoid

There is no food that a breastfeeding (nursing) women should not eat. In fact you can eat whatever you like and whenever you like, unless you notice a reaction in your baby to a particular food.

Some foods can cause mild reaction to your baby, depending on your own body and the sensitivity of your baby.

Your child may experience colic, intestinal pain, abdominal bloating and gas due to something in your diet that is passing to the child through the breast milk. In addition to the symptoms of colic, the infant can show the symptoms of diarrhea, vomiting, runny noses, bronchitis or eczema and skin rashes.

Foods that may cause colic or discomfort to child are

1. Dairy products, partricularly cow milk and other milk products.
2. Caffeine foods such as coffee, tea and soda. Too much can interfere with your baby's sleep.
3. Citrus fruits such as lemon, oranges, tomatoes, grapefruit can cause your baby to get a nappy rash.
4. Meat and poultry products. Beef, Chicken, Eggs. Remove fatty portions before eating.
5. Shellfish. Avoid freshwater fish from contaminated water.
6. Nuts such as Peanuts
7. Wheat
8. Soy products
9. Chocolate
10. Corn
11. Juice, particularly pineapple juice
12. Some Vegetables: Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Chilli, Cucumber, Onions, Garlic, Green peppers, Tomatoes.
13. Some food dyes

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