The Proper Diet That Should Be Followed By A Lactating Mother

A mother who is breastfeeding her newborn baby needs much more nutritious and healthy food than the rest of her family; because she is sharing most of this nutrition to her child through her breast milk. Therefore, it is mandatory that she will be fed foods with all necessary vitamins, minerals, proteins and carbohydrates.

A lactating mother must take food with higher calories too, as post-delivery she needs at least 500 calories more than the normal times on each day. Utmost care should be taken for maintaining the balanced diet of a breastfeeding mother, which is better to be decided by a trained midwife so that both mother and the child remain healthy and energetic.

Nutrients necessary for a lactating mother

Calcium is an essential nutrient that is needed to strengthen the weakened bones of the mother, also important for the growth of the bones of the baby. Though milk is the main source of calcium; it is also adequately found in milk products like yoghurt and cheese, in vegetables like broccoli, leafy green vegetables and tofu, also in fruits like oranges and almonds; which are supposed to make essential parts of the lactating mother’s daily diet. Iron is also necessary to prevent anemia of a new mother that may occur due to loss of blood during delivery; thus iron-rich foods like chicken, fish or different kinds of beans must be included in her diet too. Vitamin C is needed to absorb excess iron in the blood; hence juices of citrus fruits have to be consumed daily after each meal. The breakfast should ideally contain cereal-made foods like pasta or bread, containing a high amount of Vitamin B or Folic acid. Some fruits and legumes can also provide sufficient Folic acid. A woman should eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, which are able to supply the necessary amounts of important minerals. Consumption of enough fish, eggs and little amount of butter can efficiently prevent deficiency of Vitamin D in the lactating mother. Since the mothers become too busy with their newborn babies, often they try to neglect their mid-meal foods; hence healthy snacks like boiled eggs, dried fruits, nuts, yoghurt or cheese can be given to them to fill up that gap in their meals.

The food-related habits that should be avoided by a lactating mother

The intake of coffee, cold drinks or other caffeine-rich products are better to be avoided in the postnatal diet also. If the mother or the baby seem to be allergic to any food, it will be wiser to avoid them totally. The drinking habit of alcohol is also totally forbidden by all doctors, to ensure the good health of the breastfed child. A lactating mother must never try for any crash diet control to lose weight, as it may physically weaken her because she needs maximum strength to raise her child properly.