take care of breast feeding during lactation It is very important and it is necessary to know the recommended foods and those that should be avoided.
A mother's ability to produce milk, both in quantity and quality, is taken for granted.
However, the Breastfeeding it can change the mother's body composition, as well as her nutritional status.
On Dra. Gómez Roig Institute, our midwife offers continuous support for breastfeeding, from prenatal visits to the immediate postpartum period.
We also offer a educational program to women, and their partners who wish, to promote breastfeeding with a series of Online Breastfeeding Courses.
In this post we are going to talk about everything related to breastfeeding during breastfeeding.
Effects of maternal feeding during lactation
You must know the effects of breast feeding on lactation and in the health of babies.
Maternal feeding influences lactation, since it requires an increase in energy and additional nutrients in the diet.
A chronically deficient diet can deplete the mother's nutrient stores and also negatively affect milk quality.
The information that should be known is presented below:
- Breastfeeding generally does not affect the amount of proteins of milk.
- El fat intake on the mother's side has minimal effect on the amount of fat in the milk. Instead, the type or quality of fat is important. For example, the omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, favor the development of the infant's brain. Some scientific societies recommend one or two servings of fish per week to supply this recommended amount of fat.
- Vitamins: the concentration of vitamins in milk is reduced in cases of maternal deficiency and increases after supplementation.
- The vitamin D deficiency They may require supplements to avoid diseases such as rickets.
- Vitamin K deficiencies it can put babies at risk of bleeding, which can be prevented by routine administration of vitamin K at birth.
- Main iodine deficits are for a diet without iodized salt or dairy products. This deficiency can also be further aggravated by smoking. Iron deficiency and the consumption of foods that interfere with the production of thyroid hormones: Brussels sprouts, kale, cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli. Both iodine deficiency and iodine excess can cause neonatal hypothyroidism.
Food requirements in breastfeeding
Food or nutritional requirements during breastfeeding are high.
energy needs; protein; vitamins A, C, E, B1, B6 and B12; folate; and minerals: iodine, selenium and also zinc increase in women who breastfeed.
On the contrary, the requirements of vitamins D and K and minerals such as calcium, fluoride, magnesium and phosphorus do not differ between lactating and non-lactating states.
In women with a balance diet, the increased food intake can meet the increased dietary needs needed in this period.
In addition, in some restrictive diets, dietary supplements may be necessary.
Just as maternal nutrition during lactation is important, nutrition during pregnancy is also important. See more.
Energy and Calorie Needs
In maternal feeding during lactation we must know the estimated energy and calorie needs that are needed.
Energy needs depend on the mother's age, weight, height, and level of physical activity.
Needs per month:
- From 0 to 6 months postpartum: 330 kcal per day are needed more than women who do not breastfeed. In well-nourished women, the energy cost involved in lactation is helped by the mobilization of existing reserves after the weight gained during pregnancy. The mobilization of fat reserves helps to recover the pre-pregnancy weight.
- From 7 to 12 months postpartum: 400 kcal per day more than non-lactating women are required. In these cases, the mobilization of deposits is not contemplated because it is assumed that the mother's weight is already stable.
En healthy women, with average weight and height, we can calculate energy needs ranging between 2130 and 2730 kcal/day during the first 6 months of lactation and 2200 to 2800 kcal/day thereafter. Depending on maternal age, weight, height, and activity level.
It is necessary to know the recommendations for a healthy pregnancy in order to make a good forecast in the immediate postpartum period.
Proteins and vitamins
The recommended dietary allowance for protein during the first 6 months of lactation is 71 grams per day, which is 25 grams more than the requirement for non-lactating women.
recommended intakes of vitamins and minerals during pregnancy and lactation are also studied.
- The recommended daily doses for vitamins A and E they increase during lactation to compensate for the vitamins secreted in the milk. After 6 months of lactation, the requirement returns to that of non-lactating women.
- The maternal requirements of vitamins D and K do not increase during lactation.
- The recommended daily doses of vitamin C and B vitamins for lactating women exceed those of non-lactating women.
- Calcium, phosphorus and magnesium: The recommended daily dose of calcium during lactation is 1000 mg daily. These requirements are the same as for non-lactating women, although approximately 200 mg of calcium are secreted into milk daily.
- Breastfeeding mothers should not eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel, or large fish that contain high concentrations of mercury.
milk volume
The volume of milk is also influenced by the mother's diet.
The volume and production of breast milk depends on the mobilization of the mother's reserves and her dietary intake.
- Healthy, exclusively breastfeeding women produce approximately 750 to 800 ml of milk per day when lactating. lactation is fully established.
- Milk volume is low for the first 3 days postpartum, increases markedly on days 4 and 6, and then gradually increases to levels seen in established lactation. Milk volume generally decreases later, beyond XNUMX months postpartum, mainly due to weaning.
- Changes in maternal body composition vary during lactation. There is usually a slight gradual weight loss during the first 6 months after delivery.
- baby's demand is the main factor in determining the volume of milk needed. Maternal factors associated with decreased breast milk production include maternal stress, anxiety, fatigue, illness, diabetes, smoking, and less contact with the baby.
Recommendations for maternal feeding during lactation
Among the Breastfeeding recommendations during lactation we highlight:
- Lactation requires energy and additional nutrients in the maternal diet, including protein, vitamins A and E, and other vitamins and minerals.
- A recommended intake of calcium and vitamin D in lactating women is the same as for non-lactating women.
- Fish consumption by breastfeeding women provides omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are beneficial for brain development. Nevertheless, uncontrolled consumption of large fish and shellfish it may also pose some risk associated with high amounts of mercury. Excessive consumption of large fish such as shark, swordfish, mackerel, and croaker should be avoided because they contain relatively high concentrations of mercury.
- A moderate diet to achieve gradual and controlled weight loss is not harmful to the health of the mother or her baby.
- Vegetarian diets: one must be aware of the potential risk of mineral, protein and vitamin deficiencies. Depending on the degree of dietary restriction, calcium, vitamin D, and vitamin B12 supplementation may be required.
- vegan diet: women who are healthy but do not eat meat, poultry, fish, or dairy products should take a B12 supplement. Most commercially available multivitamins contain an adequate dose of B12.
- breastfeeding mothers they should not consume alcohol.
- Breastfeeding women can drink a controlled amount of caffeine.
- There are no specific food restrictions for the lactating mother. In particular, unpasteurized dairy products or undercooked meats do not pose special health risks to lactating women or their babies.
Comprehensive breastfeeding support services
Within the comprehensive services of the Dra. Gómez Roig Institute is available of the Breastfeeding Support, as well as pelvic floor rehabilitation and other services aimed at women's health during pregnancy and postpartum.
Comprehensive breastfeeding support services include counseling during pregnancyabirth, immediate postpartum, and puerperium.
The possibility of holding a group masterclass is also offered, in which the woman and her companion are trained and information material is provided.
midwives specialists in breastfeeding from our center accompany the woman throughout the pregnancy and puerperium offering comprehensive support services for breastfeeding.
The possibility that the midwife who accompanies you during the pregnancy can also advise you on the breastfeeding or formula increases the quality of care in pregnancy and childbirth care.
We care about you and your baby
On Dra. Gómez Roig Institute of Barcelona We care about our pregnant women and that is why we prioritize information for our patients on maternal feeding during lactation.
If you are interested in learning about breastfeeding, you can sign up for our virtual breastfeeding course. Do not miss it. Informing, and transferring knowledge, is also the basis of good care.
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Head of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Service at the Sant Joan de Déu Hospital in Barcelona. Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Coordinator of the Sixth Course of Medicine at the University of Barcelona, UB. Director of the Dra. Gómez Roig Institute and Coordinator of Obstetric and Gynecological Processes at the Corachan Clinic in Barcelona.
Hello Gómez Roig team. A very complete and necessary post. Breastfeeding while breastfeeding is rarely discussed in such depth. Most of the literature is based on analyzing and describing the feeding of the baby and the guidelines that it must follow.
Thanks for the comment on the post, we always try to inform to improve maternal-fetal and perinatal health.