Breastfeeding Food Relationship

It is important when you’re pregnant and when you are breastfeeding not to count calories and not to go hungry. At some moment you have to let go of your anger or frustration to loose weight as fast as possible. You have to give your body time to adjust and feel nurtured.

A breastfeeding mother can eat around 1800-2200 (or more) calories per day to maintain an abundant milk supply. Consuming less than 1500-1800 calories per day may put milk supply at risk, as may sudden drop in caloric intake. (Staying Health with Nutrition, Elson Haas (Author), p. 576)

Foods that are good to eat are: Protein, Carbohydrates, Fats and Fibre.

For Proteins you can eat: Eggs, Chicken, Cottage cheese, Quinoa, Spirulina
Fore Carbs you can eat: Carrots, Oats, Sweet Potatoes, Lentils, Beets
For Healthy Fats you can eat: Wild Salmon, Flax Seed Oil, Coconut Oil, Avocado, Seeds
For Fibre you can eat: Nuts/Nut butter, Legumes, Navy Beans, Greens (Vegetables), Tempeh

If you want to eat extra fibre due to constipation, you could eat psyllium husk or flaxseed fibre.

Besides pregnancy, drinking is also important during pregnancy.

• Herbal tea
• 100% fruit juice
• Smoothies
• Shakes
• Vegetable juice
• Coconut water

To heighten the milk production you can:
-drink more fluids
-eat more protein, carbs and healthy fats (more calories)
-Try adding the following foods to your menu:  alfalfa, barley, oats, oatmeal, wheatgrass, coconut oil/butter, almond oil/butter, potato, quinoa, chick peas (hummus!), and brewer’s yeast.

There are also herbs that can boost the milk production. When you start taking a herb, you have to look afterwards if you still need it, as you should take it only at a limited time when you have a low milk supply. There are different herbs that are used to boost milk supply, and some women prefer one over the other or a mix of different herbs:
Chamomile, Red Raspberry, Fenugreek (1 teaspoon a day), Fennel (in hot water), Cumin (in warm milk), Caraway, Nettle Leaf, Shatavari (1-2 capsules, 2x per day), Blessed Thistle, Alfalfa, Brewer’s Yeast, Aniseed, Goat’s Rue, Moringa/Malunggay, Cinnamon (with warm milk and honey), Garlic, Basil Leaves (with hot water and honey), Drumsticks Veggie, Oatmeal (Iron, consume with milk and fruits), Combine Carrots with Beetroot (juice and honey),

You can buy these kinds of herbs at the Integrative Pharmacy, the Drugs Store, some Groceries Stores, or even order it online from a recognized supplier. Don’t just mix everything up, but consult a herbalist, or naturopath if you need assistance with the right combination. You can make a tea out of these kind of herbs, or drink them as a supplement.

There are also premade herbal tea’s available.
Milkmaid Tea (certified organic and kosher) – company, Earth Mama Angel Baby
Organic Mother’s Milk Tea (organic) – company, Traditional Medicinals

Other food that may help boost the milk supply:
Spinach, Oatmeal, Carrots, Papaya, Flax Seed, Raw Almonds, Raw Cashews, Fennel, Beets, Yams, Barley, Brown Rice, Sesame Seeds, Garlic, Ginger, Turmeric, Brewers Yeast or Nutritional Yeast, Spirulina

To eliminate to possible causes of low milk supply, you should take into account the following causes:

-Lack of enough quality sleep
-Alcohol
-Caffeine
-Medications (consult the Doctor or Pharmacist)
-Low Caloric Intake
-Cabbage against engorgement (when the breasts overfill with milk, blood and other fluids)
-Sage, parsley, oregano, yarrow, peppermint and jasmine

To support the milk production you can also think of massaging and at forehand use a warm water towel or compress. There are several (electronic) breast massagers on the market, you can use a lactation pump after lactation to stimulate the milk production, and you can do different kinds of massage techniques to support your milk flow.

To heal your nipples you can use coconut oil, cacao butter and bees wax. Don’t just use aroma’s or aromatherapy, as it might irritate the sensitive skin. Use edible herbs and essential oils only as an additive, it is not needed.

If you have engorgement (milk overflow), the best way to deal with it is breastfeeding itself or use a lactation pump to reduce the pressure. Another technique is the use of cabbage (green) on the breast, for 2 hours at a time.

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article sponsered by Northern Michigan certified lactation consulting and Mother Hubbards Country Cupboard