Will my breast milk contain everything my baby needs...?

Question

Will my breast milk contain everything my baby needs even if I don't eat as well as I did when I was pregnant? For example, I don't eat as many veggies and fruit now that I'm not pregnant. Am I robbing my baby of good nutrition, or is my breast milk good enough irregardless of what I eat?

I ate several servings of fruit and veggies! I had at least 10 "colors" a day. Now, I'm probably eating about two to four "colors" a day.

My doula said that babe would be fine b/c my milk would provide babe with all she needs even if I don't eat 100% well.

BTW, I still take prenatal's :-)

Answer 1

Stop being brainwashed by the formula industry! If women in third world countries make nutritious breastmilk on what little food they have the average North American diet is just fine.

NEVER take prenatal vitamins while breastfeeding. Most prenatal vitamins exceed the upper tolerable amount of iron as set by the FDA -45mg. This is a questionable thing to do when you are pregnant, but when you are breastfeeding you need less iron than when you are not pregnant. A normal woman 19-35 needs 18mg of iron, a breastfeeding women only needs 9 mg of iron. Excess iron is dangerous and can have many ill effects.

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/mom/mom-diet.html
How does a mother's diet affect her milk?

By Kelly Bonyata, IBCLC

* Do I need to maintain a perfect diet while breastfeeding?
* What IS needed for maintaining an ample supply of milk?
* How does mom's nutrient intake affect breastfeeding?
* Are there any foods that nursing mothers should avoid?
* Additional information


Do I need to maintain a perfect diet while breastfeeding?

The short answer to this question is NO – you do not need to maintain a perfect diet in order to provide quality milk for your baby. In fact, research tells us that the quality of a mother’s diet has little influence on her milk. Nature is very forgiving – mother’s milk is designed to provide for and protect baby even in times of hardship and famine. A poor diet is more likely to affect the mother than her breastfed baby.

It's common to hear women say that they want to wean (or not breastfeed at all) because they miss drinking coffee, or want to have an occasional glass of wine, or don't like worrying constantly about everything they eat. Guess what? You can drink caffeinated beverages (in moderation), have an occasional drink, eat what you want and still provide your baby with the absolute best nutrition and immunological protection - mother's own milk.

According to Katherine A. Dettwyler, Ph.D., breastfeeding researcher and anthropologist, women throughout the world make ample amounts of quality milk while eating diets composed almost entirely of rice (or millet or sorghum) with a tiny amount of vegetables and occasional meat.

Are healthy eating habits recommended for mom? Absolutely! You will be healthier and feel better if you eat well. It is best for anyone to eat a variety of foods, in close to their naturally-occurring state, but this is not necessary for providing quality milk or for maintaining milk supply. Although it is certainly not recommended, a breastfeeding mother could live on a diet of junk food – mom would not thrive on that diet, but her milk would still meet her baby's needs.


What IS needed for maintaining an ample supply of milk?

The main thing needed to maintain an ample milk supply is simple --
The more often and effectively your baby nurses, the more milk you will have.

Occasionally, a mother's calorie or fluid intake can affect milk production:

* Calories: In general, you should simply listen to your body and eat to appetite - this is usually all you need to do to get the calories you need. Counting calories is rarely necessary unless you are having problems maintaining a healthy weight. Excessive dieting can reduce milk supply, but sensible dieting is generally not a problem.
* Liquids: It is not necessary to force fluids; drinking to satisfy thirst is sufficient for most mothers. Unless you are severely dehydrated, drinking extra fluids is not beneficial, may cause discomfort, and does not increase milk supply. It is not necessary to drink only water - our bodies can utilize the water from any fluid.
* The main message on calories and fluids -- Eat when hungry & drink when thirsty.

See Do nursing mothers need extra calories or fluids? and How does milk production work? for more information.


How does my nutrient intake affect breastfeeding?

* Vitamin/mineral supplements (prenatal or otherwise) are not considered necessary if you eat a reasonably well balanced diet. See Vitamins (& other supplements) for Nursing Moms for more information.
* Your fat intake does not affect the amount of fat in your milk, but can affect the kinds of fats (balance of "good" vs. "bad" fats) in your milk to some extent. See What affects the amount of fat or calories in mom's milk? for more information.


Are there any foods that I should avoid while I’m breastfeeding?

* There are NO foods that you should avoid simply because you are breastfeeding. It is generally recommended that a nursing mother eat whatever she likes, whenever she likes, in the amounts that she likes and continue to do this unless baby has an obvious reaction to a particular food.
* It's suggested that everyone, particularly pregnant and nursing mothers, avoid eating certain types of fish that are typically high in mercury.
* It is a good idea to restrict caffeine and alcohol to a certain extent, but it is rarely necessary to eliminate them.
* Some food proteins (such as cow's milk protein or peanut protein) do pass into mother's milk. If there is a history of food allergies in your family, you may wish to limit or eliminate the allergens common in your family.
* Any baby might react to a particular food (although this is not very common). If baby has an obvious reaction every time you eat a certain food, it may be helpful to eliminate that food from your diet. For more information, see Dairy and other Food Sensitivities in Breastfed Babies.


Making women think that they must maintain ‘perfect’ diets in order to have thriving breastfed babies is an unnecessary obstacle to breastfeeding.

Answer 2

If you're breastfeeding, you need to continue to eat the way you did while you were pregnant, or at least close to it. The reason you ate that way DURING pregnancy was because your baby's growth and nutrition was 100% on you. It still is.

I have a condition that keeps vitamins from absorbing, and I ended up having to give formula, because my breastmilk wasn't as nutrient-rich as it should have been. I would imagine the same would be true if you just don't try to get those vitamins and minerals to begin with.

Regardless, what would it hurt for you to eat healthy? I mean, it may not do any damage for you to eat less healthy, but it won't do any good, either, ya know?

Answer 3

i know it's not the "approved' answer, but i can tell you that i am a horrible eater and my babies both gained weight and are very healthy from breastfeeding on. I eat a lot of junk, mostly candy, stopped taking my prenatals, and rarely eat any veggie at all and my youngest son tripled his birth weight (he was small) by 3 months. The doctor said i must be producing straight cream, and a ton of it even though i wasn't eating enough, let alone good food. The downside is that your body will take your nutrients to feed the baby if you don't have enough for both. Your body will start to steal the things YOU need to be healthy to ensure that your breastmilk is just right for your child.

Answer 4

Regardless of what a mother eats (or doesn't eat), her breast milk will contain all the nutrients and vitamins a baby needs until he/she is 6 months old. What does happen if you don't eat a healthy, well-balanced diet while nursing is that your own body is deprived of the nutrients it needs to stay as healthy as possible. Even in difficult circumstances such as with women in developing nations, a woman's body is able to produce breast milk despite the nutrition the mother gets. To keep mom healthy and in turn keep baby healthy, it is helpful to eat well, drink plenty of good beverages (such as water, skim milk, and non-caffeinated beverages), exercise, and get adequate sleep. All are difficult goals for new moms (or anyone else for that matter) to always achieve, but are good goals nonetheless.

Answer 5

Your breast milk absolutely has what your baby needs. Granted, if you starve yourself of certain things, your baby also misses out on those things, so it is important to maintain a healthy, rounded diet. If you are having trouble affording quality foods, apply for WIC at your local health department. This organization gets nutritious foods to pregnant women, nursing mothers, and children. They can also help you figure out what you should be eating while nursing.

You do not have to eat as much now as you did while you were pregnant. While you were pregnant, your body was building up fat stores for nursing. You may notice that you are lose weight easier than you ever did before, even if you continue eating lots of good, nutritious food.

Try to maintain a good diet, and especially do not purposefully cut anything healthy out of your diet. The more diverse your food supply, the more you and your baby get out of it.

Breastmilk is so much better than any artificial baby formula, however. So don't worry about that. So long as you are not starving yourself, going on a crazy fad-diet or anything, your baby should be just fine. Eat at least three meals per day and try to diversify your food. Drinks plenty of water and everything should be fine.

If you are worried that your baby isn't gaining enough weight or something, ask your pediatrician or physician to check the baby's weight gain. Chances are that if you're breastfeeding, your baby is doing wonderfully. Sometimes a baby doesn't latch on correctly or has other health problems that are unrelated to your milk's sufficiency, but nonetheless, must be taken care of.

If baby is soiling the appropriate number of diapers for his/her age, be assured that your milk is sufficient.

Answer 6

What you eat has a great bearing on your milk, but what the baby needs will often be delivered to him at the expense of your health. For instance, if you're not eating enough protein, the baby will get the usual amount at least for a time, but your hair will fall out and your fingernails will get soft.
Remember, you are providing what your baby needs now the same as when he was in your womb, so why would you not eat as well for his benefit and your own?

Answer 7

ABsolutely. Unless you are starving yourself, and your milk dries up.
Some things you eat will affect the taste of the milk. For instance, my babies hated it when I ate sour things, or cabbage. It gave them gas, too. Chocolate gave them diarrhea. Hot stuff did, too.
You should continue to eat well. YOU need your nutrition for your energy and stamina. You have a lot more to do now.
You want to get your figure back, breast feed as long as you can, eat well, and exercise --with your baby. Walk with her, take her to the park, take her swimming, there are even yoga classes for mama and baby.
Be a good role model for her. Good luck.

Answer 8

I was told my my Dr. to keep eating the way I would if I were still pregnant. Breast milk contains the nutrition that we give our bodies.

Ex. You can not drink alcohol, and if you do you have to wait a certain period of time before you can resume breastfeeding.

Answer 9

Yes, your breast milk will still give your baby everything he/she needs. What I would recommend is to keep taking your pre-natal vitamins. Also just try to eat as healthy as you can, even though time will be more limited now that the baby is here.

Answer 10

your body makes better milk if you eat better. try buying fruit and just setting out on the dining room table in a bowl. if it's out in the open for you to see, you'll be more inclined to eat it. also, try making a smoothie with meals, as a snack...it's good anytime.

Answer 11

your breat milk will still be good for your baby, but you might lose nutrients. your body will make quality breast milk by taking nutrients that your body needs to stay healthy. please eat just as good while you breastfeed. or take a good multivitamin.