What I learned about Nutritional Intake while Breastfeeding

One of the clear instructions my Mum gave to me before leaving was, to make sure I eat nourishing meals and eat them constantly too, my baby eats a lot ( I hear that is common to male children), and the fact that sometimes I feel drowsy if I fail to obey mummy's instruction makes me know the great importance of always looking for good food for myself.

I was taking an evening stroll one evening when I heard a story from some women, they were talking about a lady who was not eating well, and so her baby could also not lactate well, making the baby turn out very slim and malnourished.

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Breastfeeding is highly beneficial and it provides the best start-up journey for your child, as it has several health benefits. Not only are you giving your child adequate protection, but you are also protecting the child from several infections and illnesses.

The same way breastfeeding is good for your baby is the same way it is good for you as the mother, there is a reduced risk of you developing some form of medical conditions at a later stage in life. It will also help relieve stress and help you get more connected to your child.

As a mother, the food you eat while you breastfeed is important for the health of your child, and your health too. When you eat healthy, you feel better physically and mentally.
Breast milk is made up of;87% of water, 7% of carbohydrates, 3.8% of fat, 1% of protein, and 65-75% of calories per portion of 100 milliliters.
But, the calorie content of breast milk changes during each feeding process, to fit into the needs of your baby.

At the beginning of the feeding process, milk is usually more watery and it quenches the thirst of your baby, afterwards, hindmilk comes out, which is often higher in fat, more nutritious, and usually thicker. According to a study done in 2005, the milk could contain 2-3 times more fat from the beginning of the feeding and 7-11 more calories per ounce.

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To ensure that your child gets to the nutritious part of the milk, you should ensure that your baby empties one breast before switching to the other one. Your hunger level may be high at all times during breastfeeding as it is a demanding task and at the time experts say your energy level during the day increases by about 500 calories per day, your body needs extra calories and a higher amount of specific nutrients.

You will need more; protein, vitamin D, A, C, E, B12, zinc, and selenium. That is the reason why eating food that is rich in nutrients will help you get all the macro and micronutrients required for the proper functioning of you and your lovely child.

The nutrients made available in breast milk can be categorized into two major groups, these two groups are dependent on the extent to which they are secreted into your milk.
When you are low on the first group of nutrients, they will not be secreted into the breast readily, supplementing these nutrients can provide a little boost to the concentration of breast milk and enhance the baby's health as well. Group one nutrients include; Vitamine A, B1, B2, B6, B12, and D, Selnium, Iodine, and Choline.

The concentration of group two nutrients in breast milk does not have to do with the amount taken in, this means that the supplement will not increase the concentration of breast milk. Although, these nutrients can improve the condition of your health through nutrient stores. Folate, zinc, calcium, iron, and copper are the nutrients available in group two.

If your body lacks these nutrients, it will be taken from the tissues and bones of the body and secreted into breast milk. This means your baby will always get the appropriate amount of these nutrients, but you will experience deficiency as the mother if you are not consuming an appropriate amount. To avoid deficiencies, you need to get enough nutrients from your diet.

So many lactating mothers do not understand the role of nutritional supplements at a time as such, there are so many other reasons why a woman may be low in some nutrients during postpartum. It may be because you are not eating sufficient nutritional meals even while you are eating constantly, it is also possible that your diet has changed since you are now busy caring for your newborn.

The intake of supplements can help boost your intake of important nutrients but there is a need to be extra careful while choosing supplements as they may contain additives and herbs that may not be safe for a breastfeeding mother.

Do you feel the urge to drink more water?

During breastfeeding, you are going to feel more thirsty too, so when your baby latches onto your breast, it will increase your oxytocin level causing your milk to flow, in the same vein thirst is stimulated and it helps you remain hydrated during the process of breastfeeding. There is no general rule for the amount of water you need to take in while breastfeeding, the general rule is for you to drink water as much as you feel thirsty until your thirst is quenched.

References.

https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/healthy-eating-breastfeeding

https://health.gov/news/202108/nutrition-during-breastfeeding-how-health-professionals-can-support-healthy-moms-and-babies

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/breastfeeding-diet-101#other-considerations

https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/16/2/301

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6969947/

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Hi, I am Tobi, a writer, speaker, relationship blogger, and lover of good music. I love making friends and learning from people. If you want to hear me speak on relationships and general life issues, you can find my YouTube channel where you can watch any episode for free, please do not forget to subscribe, friends. I sincerely appreciate every love I get from here, Kindly do well to keep them coming.