It is vital that whilst sustaining life for baby you have to look after yourself too!
Yes it is possible to lose weight whilst breastfeeding. A gradual loss of about 500g per week through healthy eating and regular physical activity IS possible and will not effect milk supply.
So what is a good healthy diet whilst breastfeeding?
You may find you have an increased appetite which is fine as long as you make healthy choices.
Nutrients that are important.
Protein-Vital for a healthy body. Protein is found in Meat,fish poultry,eggs,legumes dairy foods,nuts and seeds.
Calcium-Has many uses including keeping bones and teeth strong. A breastfeeding woman needs 3 serves of dairy or fortified soy every day.Dairy is Milk,cheese, yogurt.Other calcium rich foods include salmon,sardines,tofu and almonds. If you do not get regular amounts of calcium it is important to consider supplementation.
Iron-This is needed to make red blood cells that carry oxygen around the body (know as haemoglobin)
Pregnancy and childbirth may have reduced you stores of iron and this can lead to tiredness.To get a good intake of iron you need adequate intake of red meat/fish/meat alternatives (nuts/legumes)
Iodine-important in hormone production and babies brain development. Sources include seafood,eggs and fortified bread.
Water-You need about 9 cups of fluid a day when breastfeeding. This can be any fluid but nothing beats good old water!
Fish- Fish is a wonderful food as it contains omega 3 fats ( Good fats!)
SO WHAT IS THE RIGHT AMOUNT?
Cereals/breads and grains:5-7 serves
1 serve is - 2 slices of bread
- A medium roll
- 1 cup cooked rice/pasta/noodles
- Half cup muesli
-1 Cup cereal
- 1 Cup cooked oats
Vegetables : 5 or more
1 serve is - Half cup veggies
- Half cup dried beans/lentils
-1 Cup salad items
- 1 small potato
Fruit : 5 serves
1 serve - a medium piece of fruit
-2 small pieces of fruit
-1 cup canned fruit
-125ml fruit juice
Dairy-3 serves
1 serve is- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup custard
- 40g cheese
-200g yogurt
Proteins - 2 serves
1 serve is-100g cooked meat
- 120g cooked fish
- 2 small eggs
-1 third cup sunflower/sesame seeds
The above is a guide only . If you are finding a healthy diet difficult consider seeing a Dietitian to assist you.
SNACK IDEAS
Yogurt
Low fat milk
Fruit
Veggie sticks with a Tzatziki or salsa dip
Home made popcorn.
Savoury wholewheat biscuits
Sandwiches
Fruit loaf/bread
Healthy muffins (eg Bran )
To follow : Meal ideas for a busy mom
Meal ideas when breastfeeding
Make meals nutritious but simple at the same time.
If you can, prepare ahead of time as evenings are an especially busy time with a baby in the house.
-Stir fry is an excellent choice,use a machine to chop up everything.
-Grill meats take little preparation
- An omelet or scrambled eggs are easy and quick to cook and you can add anything you like.
-You can choose frozen dinners to re-heat for those days that you can't get anything prepared.
Check ingredients before buying.
-Make a large casserole and freeze portions
-Buy ready made Pita bread and stuff full of veggies.
-Bolognaise sauce can be made ahead of time a freezes well.
-Make a big pot of soup
NEXT: What should you avoid when breastfeeding?
So what are the things you should avoid if you are breastfeeding?
It is safest to avoid intake of alcohol especially for the first month after birth.
- Alcohol passes into breast milk and can effect the taste.It takes about 3 hours for alcohol to clear
from breast milk after 2 standard drinks.
Tea and Coffee?
- Caffeine from Tea and Coffee passes into breast milk.Try to limit intake to 4 cups over 24 hours.
Remember that Cola also contains caffeine.A good alternative is caffeine free alternatives.
Spicy foods?
- If your normal diet is a spicy one then it should not be a problem to continue especially if this is the
same diet you had in pregnancy.
Some babies react when moms have certain foods. This could be something like onions or a certain veggie like cauliflower. Each baby is different so you cannot say certain foods will definitely effect baby. If you find baby is especially unsettled keep a food diary and you may identify the food causing the problem.
I remember being told in classes that chocolate would give my baby wind....didn't happen with my kids!
