Nursing Mothers

Are there foods I should eat to stimulate breast milk production? 

Are there foods I can eat to help my baby be smarter and develop more quickly? If you’ve been asking those questions you are not alone.  Women have been asking the same questions through out history.  There are some very interesting articles and products on the web that claim that certain foods will help a woman produce more breast milk.  There have been claims that certain supplements will stimulate brain activity in a newborn, and spur on the infants development.  

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The facts are that all a nursing mother needs for milk production is a good healthy diet. You are what you eat.  Common sense should be your guide. You may get all the calories you need on a chocolate cake diet but that isn’t quite a balanced healthy diet.   

Organic Diet for Breastfeeding

If you are looking for an organic diet while breastfeeding there are some real good resources available.  An all natural lifestyle with organically produced food is very beneficial.  It may not be a bad idea to stop eating foods that contain ingredients we cannot pronounce.   

A nursing mother needs everything that is listed on My Plate.  ChooseMyPlate.gov is the USDA’s nutrition guidance and nutrition education website.   The site tells how many servings of vegetables, proteins, grains. Fruits and dairy products a person should have to maintain a healthy lifestyle.  There is a neat interactive feature for breastfeeding mothers.  You enter in your body weight and height and you get a daily food plan that give you approximate amounts required in each food group.  The link to that site is http://www.choosemyplate.gov/mypyramidmoms/index.html.  

There are some things that a nursing mother should keep in mind.  These are all common sense thoughts. You are providing all the calcium in your breast milk that your bay needs. You need to make sure that you have enough for yourself.  So make sure that you eat enough calcium rich foods.  In other words drink milk or eat cheese and yogurt.  MyPlate gives the guidelines.  

The same thing goes for protein.  Your baby’s getting what she needs, just make sure you have enough for yourself.  Folic acid and iron are also important.  Dark leafy vegetables are just one of many good sources for these two items. Ask your health care provider about any vitamin supplements for breastfeeding  that they feel are beneficial.  Follow there advice  

A very important thing that is very often overlooked is liquid intake.  Breast milk production id definitely tied to the amount of liquids in a nursing mother’s bloodstream. Drink plenty of water.  Don’t wait until you are thirsty.  By that point you may already be slightly dehydrated. Do not drink a lot of coffee. Up to a couple of cups a day of any caffeinated drink is enough.  If you drink more and you have a jittery baby, cut back.  Alcohol may be taken in limited quantities.  Allow several hours per drink to pass before breastfeeding.  

The bottom line is common sense    Make sure that you are eating enough of the right kinds of food. The food you eat must be nutritious so that you produce both the quantity and quality of the most perfect food there is:  breast milk.