Eating for Two?
How to Eat Healthy While Breastfeeding
The quest to see their pre-pregnancy body staring back in the mirror or to finally eat the foods that couldn't’t be tolerated during pregnancy haunts many breastfeeding women. Seeing a favorite pair of jeans hanging lonely in the closet or having to steer clear of spicy foods not tolerated by an infant can be disheartening for new mothers hoping to maintain specific slivers of their pre-baby life.
With the arrival of a beautiful new baby, the role of mother and nurturer has only just begun, especially for a breastfeeding mom. “As you ate for two during pregnancy, you are now eating for two during breastfeeding,” says noted pediatrician Dr. James Sears, M.D., co-author of The Baby Book.
Improving your diet and perhaps making adjustments with foods that may upset the baby does not have to be a hardship. In honor of August’s distinction as Breastfeeding Awareness month, learning not only how you can get in shape but how you and your baby can enjoy satisfying meals will ensure this special time in your life is as memorable as it is meaningful.
Tips to give your baby the best nutritional start:
1. Drink a glass of water before breastfeeding, as you might not drink a sufficient amount after feeding
2. Caffeine can have a diuretic effect, causing you to lose valuable minerals and fluids
3. Eat well rounded calories
4. A nursing mom should not try to lose weight until at least 12 weeks postpartum
Foraging For Food
Many women feel trapped by the dietary restrictions associated with nursing. “One of the most important things for new moms to remember is that the myth of food restrictions should not discourage them from breastfeeding,” explains Dr. Sears. Research shows that a mother’s milk is only slightly affected by her diet and despite contrary belief; breastfeeding moms only need an additional 300 to 500 calories a day. Ironically, often breastfeeding actually helps women get back to their pre-pregnancy size quicker because it guides mothers to eat healthy, balanced meals.
Continuing to eat the healthy and nutritious foods you ate during pregnancy will help you stay healthy, which in turn will positively impact your mood and energy level. However, if you don’t always eat well, the quality and composition of your milk won’t be affected greatly. Your body will adjust accordingly to make sure that your milk is protected and that the maximum amount of nutrients are in the milk.
“Nursing moms should have daily helpings from each of the basic food groups: breads and grains, vegetables, fruits, meat and poultry, and dairy,” says Director of University Nutrition at Washington University in St Louis, Registered and Licensed Dietician, Connie Diekman, M.Ed, FADA. A breastfeeding mom’s caloric intake should also consist of a variety of carbohydrates such as pasta, whole grains and fruit, healthy fats such as fish, nut butter, olive oil, and avocado, and proteins found in seafood, eggs, dairy products, legumes, poultry, and nuts. “I frequently advise nursing mothers to eat less sugar and more omega-3s, which are the healthy fats important for brain development and immune function often found in fish,” adds Diekman. It is also important to remember that calcium is just as crucial when nursing as it was during pregnancy, “since it nourishes rapidly-growing bones.”
Feeding Fussy Eaters
Sears states that what a mother eats does not usually upset her baby, “however, some babies will be sensitive to certain foods in their mother’s diet.” These upsetting foods can affect the baby as soon as two hours after a mother eats them. Eating or drinking cow milk products may upset babies with milk allergies. Spicy foods eaten by a mother could distinctively alter the taste of her milk making it unappealing to her baby. “These situations can cause a baby to refuse to be fed or have colicky symptoms like crying and fussiness,” Sears points outs.
One option is changing the form that some upsetting foods are eaten in. When Melanie Norberg of Watkins Glen, New York noticed her son wasn't’ tolerating her eating gassy foods, such as broccoli, onions, cabbage and green peppers, she opted to steam or cook them. “He was much less gassy if I steamed the broccoli, or lightly sautéed the onions and peppers. It was an easy way to accommodate both of us!” she gushes.
If you suspect foods are causing your baby to be fussy, follow a simple three-step technique the Dr. Sears recommends to his patients. Chart the foods in your diet that are most likely to make the baby uncomfortable and list your baby’s corresponding reactions. Eliminate the foods for 10 to14 days to see if his symptoms disappear or diminish, and repeat with different foods as needed. Once the troublesome symptoms subside, slowly reintroduce the suspicious food to determine if the symptoms reappear. “If the symptoms do reappear, eliminate this food while breastfeeding,” says Sears.
To Diet or Not
Nursing mothers should not restrict particular food groups because their own body, as well as their baby, needs nutrients from all food groups. Diekman cautions, “Diets such as Atkins, South Beach, etc. are geared toward a general population, not nursing mothers, and put babies at risk for nutrient deficiencies.” Omitting carbohydrates limits iron and folic acid, which “can cause anemia or neural tube disease,” she adds.
Instead of dieting, look to make nutritional substitutions in your daily diet. Choose foods that are made with whole grains, watch your fat and sodium intake and switch to skim or low fat dairy. Look at getting nutrients from whole food before considering power bars or nutrient packed beverages. “Nutrients are better absorbed from intact food versus liquid processed shakes, vitamins supplements, etc.,” urges Diekman.
Balancing Beverages
Concern that breastfeeding prevents a mother from enjoying a dinner party or an evening out with her spouse often has women considering avoiding or ceasing breastfeeding their infants. Experts suggest nursing mothers pump milk prior to consuming alcohol and wait until the alcohol has cleared her system to begin breastfeeding again.
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