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Eating While Nursing
Smart Nutrition for Breastfeeding Moms
By Laurie Dove
For Margo Trueman-Roche, breastfeeding hasn't brought major changes to her eating habits. The Southern California mother has always been a healthful eater, enjoying a well-balanced diet. Now, as she continues to exclusively breastfeed her 8-month-old son, Trueman-Roche is simply taking care of the basics.
"I've always been a good eater — a salad a day, two or three pieces of fruit," she says. "I try to stay hydrated. I always keep a bottle of water beside the bed and the rocking chair, which are the two places I most often nurse my son."
It's a question that occurs the moment a new mother realizes she is the only source of nutrition for her breastfeeding baby: Am I eating enough of the right foods? According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, nursing mothers need to eat about 300 calories more each day than they normally would, the equivalent of a peanut butter sandwich and a glass of milk. For most women, this means between 2,000 to 2,200 calories each day while breastfeeding.
In general, mothers are hungrier during the first several months of breastfeeding, and should not ignore feelings of hunger when producing milk for Baby, says Debbie Swift, a lactation consultant with Via Christi Regional Medical Center in Wichita, Kan. Grab a one-handed snack to eat while breastfeeding or keep wrapped snacks near a favorite breastfeeding spot, Swift suggests.
The prenatal vitamins taken during pregnancy also should be continued, Swift says. The additional calcium, as well as other vitamins and minerals, can help mothers maintain their health. If there is something lacking in the mother's diet, it will be her body that feels the effects -- not Baby's. Folate and calcium in particular will be maintained at optimum levels in breastmilk at the expense of the mother, according to research from the Committee on Nutritional Status During Pregnancy and Lactation at the Medical College of Georgia.
