What is good to take for energy for a breastfeeding mother?

Question

Redbull, coffee, tea, energy drinks, vitamins, herbs? Anybody got an idea? I dont want it to interact with the baby but my wife really needs a pick me up.

Answer 1

Instead of a supplement which could interfere with breastfeeding, I would suggest taking a look at how much protein your wife is getting. Protein can be found in bananas, meat, etc. and is a good source of energy. Drinking coffee and redbull, while they might temporarily fix the problem, will make her feel worse in the long run because of the caffeine crash.

I added this website below which explains the importance of protein and other valuable nutritions which can naturally give your wife more energy.

Honestly though, pregnancy- during and after- is very tiring on the mother. She's going to be exhausted, moody and the first few months can be daunting. I have a 17 month old and am expecting my second in 2 weeks. I wish there was a magic pill to give me energy but my best advice it to really watch what you eat, eat healthy balanced meals and get lots of rest.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Make sure your wife is not anemic. If she is, an iron supplement can help. She should probably continue taking her prenatal vitamin or another multi-vitamin.

Make sure she is getting enough to eat- human lactation requires about 500 extra calories per day. Also it is important to drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration.

Moderate amounts of caffiene should not be a problem while nursing, so if your wife likes coffee, tea, iced tea, or cola, it's okay for her to have.

Answer 3

***NO CAFFEINE: anything with caffeine will decrease the aborption of iron in the mother's body and she needs to have iron for her baby.

HAS SHE GOT LOW IRON? This will often affect energy.
***ALFALFA will help increase iron. I take 4 tablets a day. I get mine from Walmart for $4 for a bottle of 300. I have raised mine and my grandmother's iron levels with Alfalfa.

DURING THIS PREGNANCY (my 3rd-and I am currently breastfeeding the 16-month old) I will be taking:
ALFALFA and
ULTRA BLUE GREEN ALGAE (from Walmart as well). It contains Spirulina which is great for women. It did not give me a BURST of energy, but helped me to feel better and I felt able to do more. I know this is safe because my midwife recommended it.

Excerpts from The How to Herb Book
The name alfalfa means "Father of all Foods." It has been called the King of plants because it is extremely rich in vitamins and minerals including IRON, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, sulfur, chlorine, sodium, potassium, silicon, and trace elements.

A good source of carotene (Vitamin A) and a little known vitamin –Vitamin K, the blood clotting vitamin which has been known to help peptic ulcers.
Has eight of the essential amino acids and the highest chlorophyll content of any plant.
Prevents tooth decay and helps rebuild decayed teeth, contains natural fluorides.

(Spirulina is also high in iron.)

http://www.beeyoutiful.com/index.php?id=26&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=1&tx_ttnews[backPid]=21&cHash=3da4631e60 information on Spirulina. (There is a product on this site called Supermom. It contains Spirulina and other good herbs.)
www.bulkherbstore.com has good information on herbs

If you are in doubt, do your own research on these herbs and find out why/how they are good for your wife. I only use natural products. Any time a doctor prescribes or suggests something man-made, I find the natural equivalant and take that. See my other ANSWERS to see herbal/natural remedies for babies (thrush, ear infection, yeast, ect.) If you have trouble finding them, you could just EMAIL ME. I love to help.

Answer 4

Water and actually being active does all the work you need. when I was breastfeeding I had no time to think of what was healthy and needed energy. A small sandwich and water every so many hours did th etrick. You just need to eat. I ate more when I was breastfeeding than I didi when I was pregnant and I lost weight

Answer 5

Ensure used to have this product called Ensure Healthy Moms that was a health drink and snack bar, but it didn't get enough feedback so it got discontinued. But if you check out their web site they can give you coupons for other healthy ensure products, which will do about the same thing as the healthy moms line. Good luck dear, I know it's really hard for us to get her nutritional value when you're raising baby!

Answer 6

i have had 3 kids so i would suggest her continue taking her prenatal vitamins, if that doest work she should go ask her doctor because i was tired alot too and come to find out i had low iron so she might want to check that out.