If i don't eat anything all day will that affect my breast milk?

Question

Usually i dont eat anything until the end of the day but i drink alot threw out the day and i just want to know will that be unhealthy for my breast milk

Answer 1

You need to eat nutritiously throughout the day to keep a healthy supply of breast milk. This is not the time to diet. It's even a good idea to keep taking your multivitamin (prenatals you took when you were pregnant). You need the nutrition to make the milk and not deplete your own body....your baby gets nutrients from what you eat too.

Be sure to talk to your doctor if you need solid nutritional advice.

Why are you fasting all day?

(please ignore Sky B above me, by the way. You won't kill your baby. If you keep fasting, the worst thing that can happen is your baby starts to reject your milk, or doesn't gain enough weight from your milk alone, or your supply goes down).

Answer 2

Well, you need to keep your fluid level up. That is extremely important and it seems like you have that covered.

You need to take vitamins too.

Are you trying to lose weight? You will use about 500 calories a day just in the act of creating breastmilk so eating a little bit should not hurt your diet.

Your breastmilk is a reflection of what you are eating so the only thing I can think that would be bad would be your production. If you are only eating at night, then your production or supply during the day may not be enough to support the baby. You might need to use formula for a few feedings, but don't use formula unless you have no milk and need it. The more formula you use means the less milk you will be using and if you use less milk your body will produce less and can cause a worse supply problem than before.

Most women have more supply during the mornings and then less throughout the day. This is because as your baby gets older you will probably feed less and less throughout the night so that gives you more time for milk. I would think you would be one of those morning women because you will also be eating at night.

I would suggest pumping throughout the night during missed feedings and during the morning hours so you have milk on reserve if your supply drops during the day.

Answer 3

This is one of those common sense questions. Where do you think your body gets the nutrients needed to put in the breast milk? If there are no nutrients in the milk, that means the baby is not getting them.

If you're not eating, baby is not eating. If you're only drinking, baby is only drinking.

You have to eat all day, you use more calories making breast milk than you did being pregnant. 500 extra a day. If you dont take in those calories your body will stop producing milk, the baby will be malnourished, and your body will lose the nutrients is needs to stay healthy.

This isnt about what you usually do, its about what you now do. Now, you eat all day. You'll snap right back into your regular routine once you're done breastfeeding, trust me. Ive been there.

Answer 4

Im not really sure but you should probally want to take vitamins to be on the safe side and to keep your baby healthy.

Good Luck with the newborn.

Answer 5

There are many reasons a women may not produce enough breast milk. Some of the most common are: improper latch, not nursing or pumping enough to meet supply, certain medications, birth control, illness, dehydration.

As you wrote that you drink alot that means it will help to increase the size of your boobs.

Oatmeal or Coconut have also been known to increase milk production in lactating women

Answer 6

I think you should be eating 3 meals a day and taking your prenatal vitamins and dont forget your mumomega...fatty omega oils which help with brain development!

Answer 7

As long as you aren't severely dehydrated or malnourished you will generally continue to make adequate amounts of breastmilk. Moms in third world country make breastmilk from diets consisting almost only of millet. That isn't to say mom won't suffer.

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/mom/mom-diet.html
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.



Religious Fasting and Breastfeeding
http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/mom/fasting.html
Breastfeeding research tells us that short-term fasting (not eating) will not decrease milk supply, but that severe dehydration can decrease milk supply.

There have been a few studies on short-term fasting and breastfeeding (see the references below). Prentice et. al. studied women in West Africa who were fasting for Ramadan (no food or fluids between 5:00 am and 7:30 pm) and found that milk volume was not affected but milk composition did change to a certain extent. The researchers noted that the women appeared to superhydrate themselves overnight when fluids were allowed to lessen daytime dehydration. Studies in the United States by Neville et. al., Neville & Oliva-Rasbach and Tigas et. al. likewise showed no significant decrease in milk supply after a short fast (the women in these studies did drink water during the fast). The breastfeeding woman's body appears to make several metabolic adaptations during short-term fasting to ensure that milk production is not affected.

Mothers may want to err on the safe side, and drink water even if they are not eating. There are two risks to not drinking all day: (1) mom gets dehydrated, and (2) if the dehydration is severe enough milk supply can decrease. Mom's dehydration is comparatively easy to deal with -- if she feels thirsty (or urine gets very yellow, or she feels dizzy or ill) she needs to drink. The decrease in milk supply related to dehydration may be a bigger issue for some fasting mothers - some mothers have a hard time getting supply back up (this is often seen in mothers who don't eat or drink due to illness). When a mother does not drink fluids for a day, baby generally nurses as usual the day of the fast, but often needs to nurse more often the next day or two.

Some mothers have found that drinking water on fast days is more of a need during the first six months when baby is exclusively breastfed (not taking any food or drink other than breastmilk); once baby is older and taking other foods, it may be feasible to neither eat nor drink during the fast.

Keep in mind that mothers who have sugar metabolism problems (diabetes or hypoglycemia) or other health problems, fasting could be risky (for mom). Consult both your doctor and your religious advisor if you feel that you might have health issues that preclude fasting.

Answer 8

You WON"T kill your baby

Occasionally it won't cause harm, but to keep up your suppply it helps to graze on healthy snacks all day.

For lots of info on breastfeeding check out www.kellymom.com