If after giving birth to a baby, a woman thinks only about how to saturate the baby, then relatives usually have another question: “ How to feed a nursing mother?” Many people have erroneous ideas about what can and cannot be eaten during the lactation period. As a result, some women follow strict diets, which is not only not beneficial, but also extremely harmful. So, what to feed a nursing mother? What foods should be present in the diet, and which ones should be discarded? Is it possible for nursing mother apples, citrus fruits, coffee, mushrooms? We will talk about all this and much more in the article.
Milk formation mechanism
The main rule is to take a variety of natural foods with a minimum content of dyes and preservatives. The myth is widespread in society that you need to eat during lactation for two, because the amount of milk directly depends on the amount of food consumed. In fact, this is a great fallacy. Breastfeeding is a natural process! Mother Nature made sure that, regardless of environmental factors, all the substances necessary for the baby were contained in breast milk. After all, children were fed both during slavery and during wars. The volume of milk depends only on how well the baby captures the breast and on the number of applications.
About seven hundred calories are required daily for lactation. If the menu after childbirth is sufficient and balanced, then five hundred calories are spent on this process from food, and the remaining two hundred come from fat depots. During pregnancy, the body accumulates fat stores specifically for the production of breast milk. If a woman eats poorly, this stock is spent on the principle of "everything to the front." That is, nutrients in milk come not from food, but from the body’s own tissues. Therefore, even if the list of food for a nursing mother is not diverse, the composition of breast milk will still be better than any artificial mixture. In the case of poor nutrition, the content of vitamins and fat in milk decreases slightly, and the amount of protein does not change at all. But this, of course, does not mean that you can go hungry or eat the same thing day after day. We talked about forced situations, but in general it is desirable that the diet be varied.
Food restrictions
The intestines of the newborn are still not mature enough to delay the allergens that come with milk, so they penetrate the bloodstream. As a result, only hypoallergenic products are allowed for a nursing mother. Limit the intake of citrus fruits, soybeans, red vegetables, honey, seafood, nuts, eggs, coffee, grapes, mushrooms, chocolate, cow's milk, cocoa. This does not mean that you can’t eat them. It is possible, but it is necessary to introduce into the diet gradually, in a small amount. If the child does not have an allergic reaction to the introduced product (peeling or redness of the skin, changes in stool, increased gas formation are not observed), then the consumed volume can be increased. And if the reaction appears, you need to exclude the product from the diet.
What can not be eaten?
It is necessary to completely abandon alcohol and exotic food. In addition, products not recommended for nursing mothers are all those that contain preservatives, food additives (saccharin, glutamates, nitrates, cyclamates, aspirin), artificial colors.
Do not overdo it and exclude this or that product from the diet completely, even if the child has an allergy to it. When a small amount of an allergen is introduced into the baby’s body through breast milk, the child develops tolerance (food tolerance), which makes it possible to prevent a reaction in the future.
Nutrition in the first days after birth
Food should be easily digestible so that the high activity of the digestive system is not required for its processing. What can I eat? On the first day after birth, nursing mothers are allowed to crackers or white bread (not too fresh), dairy products (yogurt, yogurt, cottage cheese, in a small amount - butter and sour cream). For breakfast, you can eat cottage cheese or milk porridge, for lunch - vegetable soup. From drinks natural juices, jelly, compote are allowed.
From the second day, it is advisable to introduce meat into the diet. This is the most important source of high-grade protein, which is essential for the normal functioning of the baby. The meat can be consumed in the form of steam or conventional meatballs, meatballs, in boiled form. Often, family members who are worried about what to feed a nursing mother believe in various unverified sources of information, as a result of which they form the wrong diet for a woman. For example, there is an opinion that in the postpartum period, mom should refuse meat food, because it is supposedly difficult to digest. It's a delusion. Experts have proved that the consumption of meat products improves the general condition of a woman after childbirth and allows you to restore lost weight.
With normal bowel function, starting from the third day after birth, you can eat everything that you are used to. The list of products for a nursing mother should not include only garlic and onions, because these vegetables can give milk an unpleasant aftertaste and smell.
Healthy foods
Specialists in breastfeeding recommend to eat during the lactation period:
- vegetables: zucchini, tomatoes, white and cauliflower, eggplant, pumpkin, turnip, green salad, young beans, carrots, table beets;
- fruits: pears, apricots, plums, apples, pomegranates;
- berries: cherry, red and black currants, aronia, sweet cherries, raspberries, gooseberries.
Yes, do not be surprised! Of course, until recently, legumes, apricots and pears, not to mention cabbage and fresh cucumbers, were under the strictest ban in the emergency, so to speak. But do you need the little one to get used to the usual food? Need to! That's why all these products need to be added a little to the diet, naturally, with an eye on the condition of the baby. This does not mean that mommy will sit down and eat half a kilogram of raspberries or a kilogram of apricot. In everything you need to know the measure, the menu should be balanced. To ensure proper nutrition, you need to consume 180-200 grams of meat or fish, 100-150 grams of cottage cheese or 500-700 milliliters of milk, 15-20 grams of butter, 200-300 grams of fruit, 20-30 grams of sour cream or cream, per day. 20-30 grams of cheese, 10-15 grams of vegetable oil, one egg, 500-600 grams of vegetables, 40 grams of cereals (oat, buckwheat, etc.), not more than 500 grams of bread. How to feed a nursing mother? Yes, almost everyone! She can even eat sauerkraut. But it is important to follow a diet throughout the day. We’ll talk about him now.
Diet
Products with hepatitis B (breastfeeding) are not always well absorbed, because at this time all systems and organs function in a special rhythm. Eat five to six times a day twenty to thirty minutes before feeding. Such a gap is necessary for the milk reflex to work, and the baby will receive it in sufficient quantity. Before the first morning feed (at six in the morning) you can not eat, but before the second (at nine in the morning) you must have breakfast. Before the third (at one o’clock in the afternoon), eat a second breakfast, before the fourth (at four o’clock in the afternoon) dine, before the fifth (at seven o’clock in the evening) have an afternoon snack: eat some fruits and other easily digestible foods containing carbohydrates, drink tea, before the sixth (at ten o'clock in the evening) have dinner.
Yes, do not be surprised, the schedule will be slightly shifted down (late lunch, late dinner). The food regime should be built so that breakfast (first) was 1/3 of the total diet, lunch - a little more than 1/3, and breakfast (second), afternoon tea and dinner (all together) - a little less than 1 / 3. Eat should not be hastily, not on the run, but at the table, measured, so that the food is well absorbed.
Carbohydrates
In the diet of each person carbohydrates occupy a large proportion, as they replenish all the energy costs of the body. Fifty-seventy percent of the calorie content of the menu per day falls on these organic substances. It is proved that there is a direct relationship between the amount of carbohydrates consumed by a nursing mother and the increase in baby’s weight. If the substances enter the baby's body in excess, he will gain weight in excess of the norm, and vice versa.
Suitable foods for a nursing mother with carbohydrates are vegetables, cereals, fruits, bread made from wholemeal flour (for example, Health bread mixed with bran). Once again, it's worth mentioning raw fruits and vegetables. They are absolutely safe for the child, and all ideas about their harm are simply unfounded. The more berries, fruits, vegetables in the diet (we listed them above), the richer the milk with minerals and vitamins.
Separately, the stereotypes about apples should be dispelled. For some reason, many believe that these fruits in the lactation period are strictly contraindicated. For those who still doubt whether it is possible for a nursing mother to apples, let us say again loudly: of course, it is possible! The main thing is not to overdo it with their number in the menu and know the measure. It is better to eat green fruits, they have more trace elements, vitamins and iron. But you can eat red ones, just peel them first from the peel - it contains the pigment that can act as an allergen.
Fats
For the body, fats mean no less than carbohydrates, because they are included in the structure of all tissues. Products for nursing mothers should contain vegetable fats (olive, sunflower, cotton, soy, corn, hemp oil , etc.) and animal origin (ghee, butter). If you lose fat over time, the health of both the child and the mother will deteriorate. But an overabundance of these substances adversely affects the body: conditions are created for the occurrence of anemia, resistance to infections is reduced, and the absorption of calcium salts is worsened. To prevent excessive intake of fats, you need to limit the use of walnuts - they increase the fat content of milk. It is best to use fat, which is found in dairy products (sour cream, cream, butter) and milk itself, as well as in oils of vegetable origin.
Organic compounds contained in lamb, beef and pork fat, margarine, are absorbed worse, they will not bring benefits to nursing mother and baby. In the daily diet you need to include fifty grams of fat, the rest of the amount comes into the body with other foods.
Vitamins
In addition to the main substances that act as a source of plastic material and energy, the food must contain the compounds necessary for maintaining life. These are vitamins. They are not synthesized by cells, therefore, are indispensable. The most important biological role of vitamins is that they are included in the composition of hormones and enzymes - biological catalysts that act as powerful regulators of metabolic processes. Today, dozens of vitamins are known, but not all are urgently needed for life.
In the nutrition of a nursing mother, the most important are:
1. Vitamin A is a compound that is highly soluble in fats. The need for vitamin A for breastfeeding is two and a half milligrams per day. In large quantities, it is found in fish oil (in one hundred grams of the product nineteen milligrams of vitamin A) and beef liver (in one hundred grams - fifteen milligrams). Also, foods that can be used by a nursing mother to increase the intake of this organic compound include butter and milk (especially in autumn and summer, when animals receive a lot of carotene - provitamin A). Carotene is also found in large quantities in red pepper, carrots, tomatoes and apricots. But in vegetable oils, the mentioned element is almost absent.
2. Vitamin B1. The need for it is 5 milligrams per day. The main sources are cereals and bread products. But keep in mind that basically vitamin B1 is not found inside the grain, but in the outer layer, therefore, in the production of premium flour, polished rice and other refined products, most of it is lost. As a result, it is recommended to choose bread products made from bran and wholemeal flour. A lot of vitamin B1 is found in peas, oat and buckwheat, wheat bread made from flour of the first and second grades, beans, veal, yeast, pork, beef.
2. Vitamin B2 (riboflavin). With a lack of this substance, the child slows down growth, cracks and sores form in the corners of the mouth, the mucous membranes of the eyes become inflamed, and the skin peels. The daily need of a nursing woman for riboflavin is 3.5 milligrams. Good sources are cottage cheese, eggs, meat, milk, cheese, and liver. Most of this substance is found in yeast.
3. Vitamin C. Daily requirement is 100-200 milligrams. You can get the substance from many fruits, berries and vegetables: red pepper, tomatoes, cabbage, spinach, black currants, red rose hips, tangerines, apples, peaches, lemons. In winter, you can use potatoes, sauerkraut as a source of vitamin C (one hundred grams of such an appetizer contains twenty milligrams of vitamin C).
4. Vitamin PP (niacin). With its deficiency, pellagra develops (inflammation of the skin). With food, 10-15 milligrams of this substance should be fed daily into the body of a nursing mother. This need can be met by consuming proteins. The main sources of niacin are fish, meat, potatoes, eggs, rye and wheat bread, oat and buckwheat, beans, yeast, cabbage.
Mineral salts
The body of a woman during breastfeeding needs a regular supply of mineral salts of potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, sodium, chlorine. They are considered macrocells, because the body needs it in fairly large quantities. Also, to maintain health, iron, manganese, iodine, zinc, chromium, fluorine are needed - these are trace elements whose required volume is measured in milligrams or even their fractions.
The most important component for a nursing mother is calcium. A child must receive it during the growth period, because it forms the mineral base of the skeleton. With a lack of calcium, cramps can occur in the baby. This macronutrient is contained in breast milk in sufficient quantities, but if an additional nursing mother does not receive it with food, then partially calcium will be consumed from her own body reserves. To avoid this, you need to eat cottage cheese, sardines, yogurt, greens, cauliflower, cheese, beans, green figs, and also drink carrot juice. During lactation, two grams of calcium is required daily.
The most important trace element is iron. A day, the body of a nursing mother needs it in an amount of 15-20 milligrams. The source of iron is fish and meat, cereals (muesli).
Liquid
The role of water in the human body is difficult to overestimate. And during breastfeeding, the need for it increases even more. But you do not need to drink more than you want, otherwise lactation may increase. Up to two liters of fluid should be consumed per day, with a daily urine output of one and a half liters. You should not drink after the last feeding (at night), this will lead to an increase in milk production, and since the break between evening and morning feeding is as much as six hours, the woman will have an additional burden on her heart.
Tea for nursing mothers with fennel content is very useful. This component has been used since ancient times to stimulate lactation. In recent years, many products with the presence of fennel have appeared on sale. We advise you to try tea for nursing mothers from the company "Babushkino Lukoshko." Tea of the Austrian production "Natal" is also popular.
Food for nursing mothers. Recipes
As mentioned above, meat plays an important role in the diet. You can use it in baked, boiled, stewed form. Feel free to eat chicken, turkey, beef, pork (not too fat), rabbit and so on. For sure, I know everything about how to boil meat. But few are aware of how to properly bake it. Let's talk about how to bake meat in the oven.
Take a small piece of fillet (five hundred grams), wash, then dry with a towel. Rub the meat with salt. Using bay leaves, soy sauce, vinegar, black pepper and the like is not recommended. Wrap the fillet in foil, put in a bowl and place in a preheated oven. The baking time and temperature will depend on the type of meat. In any case, unfold the foil five minutes before being ready to let the piece brown. Done! You can eat meat with a side dish or use for sandwiches.
Soups are a necessary food for nursing mothers. We will not give recipes for specific dishes, because there are a great many of them. Take a look at any cookbook and choose the one that suits you based on your taste preferences. The only thing worth noting is to exclude okroshka, borsch and soups containing beans, peas and other legumes from the diet in the first month. But chicken broth with noodles, cereals, vegetable soups - this is exactly what you need in the lactation period. Health to you and your children!