Diet and Breastfeeding
Diet and Breastfeeding
When you breastfeed, your body requires an extra 500 calories a day. This doesn't necessarily mean you need to eat that extra every day. Initially after the birth you will have a few spare pounds to lose - and this is why our bodies naturally accumulate them during pregnancy! (there IS a reason!) So to begin with your diet won't need to change much, if you are very slim or once you have lost any excess weight you may need to keep an eye on how much you are eating - but if you eat according to your hunger levels you should be fine.
When you settle to nurse your baby, it is always a good idea to get a glass of water and maybe some fruit ready at a table near you. Remember a feed can easily take 30-40 minutes depending on your baby and can often make you feel very hungry or thirsty - when you are just starting out, the last thing you need is to be stuck there not able to get to the kitchen!
An important thing to remember when breastfeeding is that anything you eat or drink will pass through to the baby in the milk (in smaller quantities), and of course babies can be sensitive to different types of food the same as anyone else. If you eat a lot of dairy one day - and the next the baby seems quite colicky, you may find baby has a bit of dairy intolerance - try to cut down a little in future, and slowly introduce it again to your diet later.
Your milk will change in taste slightly depending on what you eat - this is reported as a reason why breastfed babies are often more willing to accept new flavours when you start weaning. So don't completely cut out anything you enjoy simply because you are breastfeeding!
Breastfed babies and Colic...
Drinking camomile tea has been anecdotally linked to promoting calmness and soothing the pain of colic in babies. If you feel your baby is very unsettled try drinking it regularly and see if it helps - thats the only way to find out if it works for you and your baby. It can also help you both settle to sleep quickly.
Alchohol and breastfeeding...
As during pregnancy, the occasional glass of wine (or whatever) is completely fine - but do remember that a much smaller dose WILL pass through to your baby so try not to drink too much, or too often.
Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites
