Yes, Your Breasts Need Energy Too! (Or more accurately, Energy Requirements During Breastfeeding/Lactation)

After my first blog post about how much extra food is required to support growth in pregnancy, I had a breastfeeding Mum ask if any extra energy is required after birth while breastfeeding her bub. As usual in the world of nutrition, there is a generic answer, but of course the answer can change depending on a variety of other factors. These include volume of milk production, stage of lactation, metabolism, weight loss and physical activity. So if you’re worried about your intake during this time for any reason, it’s best for you to have an individual consult with your doctor or dietitian to determine just how much extra energy you’re likely to need.

In saying that however, I will go ahead and give you the generic answer as it can still be used as a guide. So without further ado…. Good news Mums, the current estimated requirement during lactation/breastfeeding is for an additional 2000-2100 kilojoules (480-500 calories) on top of what your body usually requires when you are not pregnant or breastfeeding.

To put this in perspective, that’s about the equivalent of:

• 1 large McDonalds fries. No, I don’t recommend you get the extra energy from fries, it’s just to give you an idea of how much 2000kJ is.
• Approx. 90-100g dark chocolate. This is a whole block of Lindt 70% cocoa chocolate. But again, perhaps don’t eat all of your extra energy from chocolate. I wish I could recommend it – Yum!
• 1 large banana + 1 large Apple + large handful of nuts (3 nutritious snacks!)
• 1 cup mashed potato with butter & milk + 1 cup steamed broccoli + 1 cup steamed carrots + 1/2 grilled chicken breast (1 large nutritious meal!)

As these examples show, depending on the type of food you choose, 2000-2100kJ can be either a little or a lot of food. Going for the more nutritious foods will allow you to eat a bit more, as well as giving you a healthy dose of vitamins & minerals. But hey, we’re all human, enjoying a little chocolate every now and then might help to keep you sane.

Until next we meet, remember to have a bite to eat yourself as well as feeding your hungry bub, you need and deserve it!

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