That left behind a long nine months of waiting, childbirth, a hospital and the first meeting with the baby. Ahead is your joint and surely happy future and a lot of questions. The first on the list of most women in labor: "What should a nursing mother eat?" Probably, all women heard about the strictest diet to be followed during breastfeeding, and the list of products prohibited for this time.
Every person they meet has their own opinion on this, and even those who have never had children are happy to give advice. If you need to know what you can eat a nursing mother after childbirth, be sure to read our article. In its recommendations, we are guided not unfounded speculation and unfounded inferences, and the actual results of research and practical experience.
Eat for two or for two?
Numerous compassionate relatives will try to feed any woman after discharge from the hospital. Grandmothers, mothers and aunts are very fond of saying that a woman in labor needs to eat a lot, because now she is not alone, she has a baby, and therefore her portions of food should be doubled so that the baby does not starve and the milk is not “blue”. Caring and kind women interpret any squeak of a newborn as a call for help and a request for increasing milk fat.
As a result, mothers are treated with liters of condensed milk, tons of nuts and fat home-made cottage cheese. And the baby does not get better from this, on the contrary, he cries heartbrokenly and suffers from pain in his stomach. The fact is that his undeveloped digestive system is simply not able to process such an amount of fat. As a result, diarrhea, colic, sleepless nights and tearful eyes in both the child and his mother.
Who needs a diet?
Yes, of course, a woman needs to eat well, but can a nursing mother eat for two? If she wants to quickly return her “pre-pregnant” form and provide the baby with ideal food, then no. You need to eat correctly, choosing healthy and safe food in the diet. The body spends about 500-750 kcal per day for milk production. Therefore, to say that the food should be more high-calorie, it is not necessary. On the contrary, care must be taken to the menu are foods rich in protein, complex carbohydrates, vitamins and microelements. This is necessary for a woman, because nature has taken care of all the necessary for the development of a newborn baby was contained in her milk. While the mother is breastfeeding, her body is depleted, and with the help of normal nutrition, she will be able to make up for these losses.
The main reason why all women need to know what nursing mothers can eat (lists of allowed and prohibited foods will be presented later) is the ability of milk to absorb not only useful substances from the body, but also allergens, alcohol, and various chemical compounds. Some may cause the child to feel unwell, others may cause a rash, and others may cause diarrhea or constipation. To avoid health problems of his child and provide him with a comfortable existence, you need to learn what to eat nursing mother immediately after birth and during the first year of baby's life. A little further we will talk in detail about the correct diet for each age of the baby.
Why is it necessary?
As we have said, on milk production body spends every day more than 500 kcal. But do not forget that the young mother has to live in constant stress. Even if a woman is surrounded by ten nannies, she is still very tired. Sleepless nights, pregnancy, childbirth and lack of time for rest lead to exhaustion of the body. Irrational diet can cause an exacerbation of chronic diseases, nervous disorders, and a decrease in lactation. Fast food and sweets quickly replenish energy reserves, but such food does not bring benefits to the body.
Then what to eat a nursing mother? The first month after birth is the most difficult. At this time, you need to take care not only about yourself, but also about the baby. You should eat such food that does not provoke increased gas formation or allergic reactions. The caloric content of a daily portion of food should be in the range of 3200–3500 kcal. Given the existing restrictions on the menu, many women do not know how to fill their diet in order to achieve such an indicator.
Immediately after childbirth
So, what to eat nursing mother on the first day after giving birth? The basis of her diet should be vegetable and cereal dishes, as well as meat and some fruits. The list of allowed products looks like this:
Buckwheat, oats, rice, corn, barley or wheat porridge, boiled in water. You can fill the dish with a small amount of butter.
Beef, lean pork, rabbit, nutria, turkey fillet.
Vegetables, except cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes, red bell pepper. Potatoes are possible, but in limited quantities.
Baked apples, fresh bananas.
Gray bread, with bran, seeds and cereals.
Galetny cookies, drying, bagels, crackers without raisins.
The vegetable oil to 15 ml per day and 25 g of butter.
What to eat a nursing mother after childbirth, you must also check with her doctor. Perhaps she will need products to raise hemoglobin or blood glucose. Surely gynecologist will advise the woman to observe proper drinking regime. It is best to drink pure non-carbonated water, decoctions of dried fruits, chamomile tea, special charges for lactation. The amount of liquid should be at least one liter per day, but you should not drink more than two liters.
First week
Many women are wondering why they should not eat some foods, but at the same time they were served them in the hospital. The fact is that the ration in maternity hospitals is not compiled separately from other departments of a medical institution. The menu is common to all, but it is better for young mothers to refrain from hospital food. Where would be wise to ask relatives to bring food from home, telling them what to eat breastfeeding mom first days.
Dishes should be prepared from the products indicated above. Food must undergo sufficient heat treatment. It can be vegetable soup or stew, boiled or baked meat without spices. Steamed dishes are also welcome. You can’t eat dry food - you need to consume hot food and drink enough to not cause problems with the stool. After childbirth, many women have difficulty defecating, so you should avoid foods that cause stool to bind.
Mom's diet up to 1 month
Now let's talk about what to eat a nursing mother in the first month. The above list is expanding a little from the tenth day after delivery. The following items are added to it:
Dairy products, such as low-fat cottage cheese, kefir, pure yogurt, fermented baked milk.
Hard cheese.
Low-fat fish.
The list of allowed vegetables is expanding, you can add beets, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, pumpkin.
Dried fruits - apricots, prunes, figs.
Eggs (no more than 2-3 times a week).
Durum wheat pasta.
How to cook and need a couple before, boil, simmer or bake. Fried foods, spices and seasonings are still banned. The sweet tooth is probably interested in the question of what you can eat the nursing mother the first month of delicious. Pamper yourself with a small portion of homemade jam from apples, apricots, plums or cherries. If you can get a good halva, natural marmalade or marshmallows, you can gradually introduce them to the diet. But in general, the amount of sugar in the diet for the first time should be minimized. Because of its abundance of milk is very sweet, it triggers fermentation in the gut and flatulence, colic.
What can a nursing mother eat after a month?
During this period, babies usually suffer from abdominal pain, so the diet should be gentle. If a child has a reaction to a product, it should be excluded from the menu for the next few weeks. As a rule, by the age of three months, the work of the gastrointestinal tract is getting better for children, and mothers no longer need to be afraid to eat foods that cause gas. But you should still beware of allergens and unhealthy foods. A food diary will help to track the reaction of the body to a particular gastronomic innovation. New products need to be added to the menu one at a time and observed during the day for the baby’s reaction. If the effect on the body is, its display will be seen within a few hours after the experiment in the form of blisters, rashes or loose stools.
What can a nursing mother eat after 1 month:
All previously introduced products
fresh vegetables, including tomatoes, fruits (seasonal and growing in her place of residence);
walnuts, almonds, cashews;
raisins;
honey.
On the basis of cereals, dried fruits and nuts, you can cook granola - a tasty and healthy treat.
Up to three months banned, whole cow's milk, legumes, canning, marinades, sausages, semi-finished products, smoked meats, ketchups, sauces and mayonnaises, chocolate, coffee, black tea, alcohol, citrus fruits, strawberries. No matter how strong the temptation to try a forbidden dish, you need to remember about the baby, who, due to the minute pleasure of her mother, will suffer for several hours, if not days, from discomfort in her stomach or itching due to allergies.
However, doctors strongly recommend to maintain a strict diet for too long. From the first week of a child’s life, his mother should gradually return to a normal full-fledged table. Every new product eaten by a nursing woman passes into her milk. It changes its taste and aroma, so the baby gets a unique opportunity to get acquainted with the gastronomic variety of food, encounters the first allergens, gets used to the fact that there can be any kind of food. Sitting on lean porridges and potatoes, my mother harms not only herself, but also the baby.
List of allowed and prohibited products up to six months
What to eat nursing mother when the baby has turned three months or more? Now you can already eat almost the same way as before childbirth. The main thing is to follow the principles of healthy eating. Women who ate rationally before, return to their usual menu. Cereals, pasta, most vegetables and fruits, berries, milk products, different kinds of meat and fish - it's something that should be in your diet. In addition, products can not only be boiled and stewed, fried foods are allowed, but with some reservations.
So, you need to use a small amount of fat for frying and eat food exclusively from the first pan. The main danger of fried foods is that vegetable oils, when heated, emit a large amount of carcinogens and cholesterol, which tend to penetrate into breast milk. The pancreas of children works only by the age of three or four, they don’t have enough of their enzymes to process such heavy food, so don’t get carried away with cutlets and meatballs.
And from a newcomer what to eat a nursing mother? The list of products is complemented by meat broths and legumes, so rich in protein. You can try to eat fresh tomatoes, citrus fruits, starting with small portions. Some children do not react to them in any way, but others have an allergy after a year, therefore, in the case of such controversial products, everything is very individual and there are no general recommendations. Tea and coffee lovers also start to drink their favorite drinks, but without fanaticism and not looking at night. Whole milk is another product that should be administered with caution. If the mother tolerated it well before, then she can use it for cooking cereals and other dishes again.
Taboo:
sausages, sausages and smoked meats;
processed cheese;
long-term storage products containing preservatives and flavor stabilizers;
mayonnaise and ketchup;
carbonated drinks;
alcohol;
confectionery for industrial production (cakes and pastries).
If this product is based on sour cream or oil cream, made with his own hands, in small quantities it is possible to eat.
Diet from 6 months to 1 year
What to eat for a nursing mother in the first period after the birth of a baby (up to six months) we figured out. From the sixth month, already in the baby’s diet, it is necessary to introduce new food - not milk or a mixture, but adult food, but correctly prepared and homogenized.
Mum's diet should be as varied and as safe as before. Only some sweets are excluded from the previously banned list. You can try to eat cookies, chocolate, although, as before, with caution and selectively.
During this period, the child is actively growing and developing, his teeth begin to erupt. The composition of breast milk is adjusted to its needs, enriched with proteins, vitamins and minerals, and all this due to the reserves of the mother’s body. Therefore, a woman needs to eat enough meat and foods containing calcium. What should a nursing mother eat in order to maintain her health? It can be cereals, dairy products, apples, nuts, meat and fresh herbs.
Restrictions after a year
Any woman who has kept GV up to a year usually already knows what to eat for a nursing mother during this period. Moreover, her knowledge is not theoretical, but practical. She has the body should examine your child to figure out from what products he having an allergy or discomfort in the stomach, and she can eat without fear.
Common prohibitions include alcoholic drinks, energy, soda, mayonnaise and sauces in large quantities. Canned food, groceries and confectionery from the category of perishable can be eaten, but only if there is confidence in their freshness and safety.
But you can already safely eat garlic, and spices, and a variety of seafood, which often cause allergies. It is at this time that taste habits begin to form in the child and this is a great opportunity to teach healthy people to eat not only him, but also himself. After the baby is one year old, the mother can, using breast milk, “introduce” him to many products and thereby reduce the likelihood of negative reactions from the baby’s body in the future.
This is a great chance to eat a variety of berries and fruits, including exotic ones like mango, pomelo, kiwi, avocado or pomegranate. Some vegetables are also best given to the baby through the chest. This applies to eggplant, bell pepper, olives and olives.