Pregnancy is a magical period. The expectant mother with excitement follows each movement of the crumbs, enjoys the new stages of its development, strictly evaluates her diet. But with the birth of a baby, many believe that it is time to relax a bit. This is far from the case. Not only does the maternal body continue to supply the baby with everything necessary for growth and development (now not through the placenta, but through breast milk), so the baby begins to grow very quickly, which means that its nutrient needs increase every day. There is another important point: the body of a newborn child must independently take care of heat transfer, respiration, metabolism, that is, it consumes additional energy. So, a woman’s diet should be as diverse as possible, and today we’ll talk about what kind of fish can be given to nursing mothers.
Individual reaction comes first
We are all different, which means there can be no single answer to this question. If the mother calmly ate all types of fish during pregnancy (which is very desirable), without experiencing allergic reactions and any discomfort on the part of the digestive system, then after birth the crumbs can not be very worried about this. However, most nutritionists and pediatricians agree that in the first three months after birth any fish should be excluded from their diet. It is by this age that the baby’s digestive system finally matures; colic disappears. Now it’s important to make out which fish can be given to nursing mothers, and which should be abstained for now.
Fish: Pros and Cons
Fish is rich in fats and amino acids, vitamins and proteins. It should be emphasized that these elements are absorbed in the body very easily. Eating fish 3-4 times a week, you fully provide the need for protein, that is, it is an alternative to meat. Do not forget about the wonderful fish oil, which will be useful both for recovery after the birth of the mother, and for the growth and development of the baby. However, despite all the useful properties, you should not eat only fish and even more so eat it indiscriminately.
What harm can a mother and child do to fish? The only thing that can be said about this is that it is a fairly strong allergen. That is, first of all you need to figure out what kind of fish can be given to nursing mothers, and only then decide at what age and in what quantity to include it in the diet.
Planning your diet
Of course, children and fish need children for normal growth, as well as for the formation of the skeleton. However, you should first of all pay attention to the features of your own body. If during pregnancy a woman constantly ate fish, then after the birth of the baby you can continue in the same spirit, only more attention should be paid to the choice of its varieties. However, if during the period of carrying the baby you did not eat a single piece of fish, this does not mean that you can not eat it further. But in this case, the question of what kind of fish can be given to nursing mothers is even more acute. And you can enter it into the diet only in small portions, constantly observing the reaction of your crumbs. A doctor can advise a full withdrawal from fish dishes if the child is prone to severe allergic reactions. In this case, fish is introduced into the diet much later, when complementary foods begin.
Choose a fish
First of all, you need to give preference to the most familiar varieties. Most often, for our country, fish when breastfeeding is recommended river or low-fat sea. Excess Omega 3 is an increased risk of allergic reactions, which now you do not need. If you decide to try fish for the first time after giving birth, it is best if it is pollock, hake, pike perch, cod, sea bass, carp and herring. These are varieties with white meat. If your choice is exclusively river fish, then prefer species such as trout, bream, river bass, burbot and pike. Such a fish contains a minimum of allergens and is easily digested. We emphasize once again that the way you cook it is very important. Any fish is fried in about 15 minutes, and during this time all nutrients are destroyed. At the same time, the same cooking time for a couple allows you to save them in their original form.
Cooking fish
Of course - this is a valuable and useful product, which is very important for every crumbs. However, breast-feeding fish should be selected very carefully. Not only the variety matters, but also the quality, as well as the method of preparation. Choose only trusted suppliers and a fresh, beautiful product. In order for the fish to retain all the beneficial qualities during defrosting, do this with a saline solution. The most useful is boiled, stewed or steamed fish. It may not be as tasty as fried dishes, but in your case the benefit is more important. Salted fish is also undesirable.
What you should refrain from
We all love to treat ourselves to delicious, but when a baby is in the arms, we will have to weigh the expected benefits and harms. In particular, salted fish is not at all useful. Excess salt is harmful to the crumbs. When choosing a product, one must also take into account that dried, smoked and dried fish often hides spoiled goods. No matter how you like sushi, but now is not the time for exotic goodies. Well, if for their preparation the producer takes salted fish, but in the original it should be raw. It may contain organisms that are not at all useful for a nursing mother, and especially her baby.
Despite the obvious benefits, red fish for lactating women is not very useful. An excess of omega-3 fatty acids can be too heavy for the baby and cause various digestive problems. This is primarily our favorite mackerel, herring and salmon. This includes sea trout, salmon, as well as some other varieties that contain a lot of fat.
Today, a lot of seafood has appeared on the shelves. These are mussels and clams, crabs and shrimps. Of course, they are tasty and healthy, but this fully applies to the fresh catch, and not to what we usually see on the shelves of supermarkets in the form of preserves. Mom’s nutrition should not contain products of such dubious quality. We have described in sufficient detail what is most beneficial for a nursing woman and what can be a threat. The choice is yours.