Tired of avoiding sushi, deli sandwiches and cheese plates? Then you’ll be happy to hear that you'll have more menu choices while breastfeeding than you did during pregnancy.
That said, you'll still be aiming for plenty of nutrient-dense foods and steering clear of less healthy ones. The good news: Lots of your favorites are back on the menu.
How many calories do you need when you're breastfeeding?
Your body generally burns around 300 to 500 extra calories a day while you're breastfeeding depending on whether you're nursing exclusively or not. If you are, it's typically up to 450 to 500.
So while you don't need to be hyper-vigilant about counting calories and consuming more, definitely keep your extra nutritional needs while nursing in mind. If you stayed within your doctor's recommended weight gain during pregnancy, you shouldn't have to take in any more or less than that, but check with your practitioner if you're not sure.
What to eat when you’re breastfeeding
The basic fat-protein-carb combo of human milk isn’t directly dependent on what foods and drinks you put into your body. Even women who aren’t well-fed can feed their babies well since the body will tap into its own nutrient stores to fuel milk production.
Just because you can make milk on a less-than-adequate diet doesn’t mean you should. The goal when you’re nursing should never be to deplete your body’s store of nutrients. That’s too risky for your short- and long-term health, and it will short-change you on much-needed energy as well as potentially interfere with your milk supply.
Eating well when you’re nursing means getting a variety of nutritious foods. And since a varied diet changes the taste and smell of your milk, it will expose your baby to many different flavors too (so the carrots or salsa you’re eating today may have your baby reaching for those foods in the future).
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Here’s what to aim to consume each day to ensure you’re getting what you need:
- Protein-filled foods. Aim for a minimum of three servings daily, which can include eggs, yogurt, nut butter, cheese, meat, lentils, beans, tofu, etc.
- Whole grains. You'll want three or more servings of fiber-filled complex carbohydrates like oatmeal, brown rice and barley per day to keep you energized.
- Vegetables and fruits. Load up on four to five servings daily, especially those leafy green and yellow veggies.
- High-fat foods. You should aim to eat as much as you did during pregnancy. Avocados, low-mercury fish, nuts and seeds contain good-for-you fats and belong in your diet.
You'll also need to keep particular nutrients in mind, including:
- Calcium. You need between 1,000 and 1,500 mg — and getting enough is especially important since breastfeeding draws from your calcium reserves. Good sources include cheese, yogurt and milk as well as collard greens, sardines, tofu and chia seeds.
- Iron. Try to get in one or more servings of an iron-rich food each day, like beef, chicken, eggs, beans or fortified cereal.
- Vitamin C. Fruits and veggies like bell peppers, citrus, broccoli and berries come loaded with this important antioxidant.
- Omega-3s. Plan on eating two to three servings of foods with omega-3 fatty acids a week to promote baby's brain growth. That’s at least 8 ounces a week of low-mercury fish like wild salmon and sardines; you can also get omega-3s in DHA-enriched eggs.
- Choline. Your daily needs actually increase post-pregnancy from 450 to 550 mg. Getting this critical nutrient while breastfeeding supports your little one's cognitive functioning.
And even now that baby's here, continue taking your prenatal vitamin daily while breastfeeding to cover your bases.
How much water to drink
Aim to drink more water than usual a day, so at least 8 cups along with fluids from fruits, vegetables and other sources. Especially in the weeks after birth, it will help your body recover.
To ensure you’re getting enough, a good rule of thumb is to drink a cup of water at every nursing session. In all, you'll need about 128 ounces of fluids a day from all sources (so don't worry, you don't have to down 16 glasses of water daily while you're breastfeeding). Your exact needs will depend on different factors like how often you're breastfeeding, your activity levels and even the weather.
Keep in mind that your milk supply won’t be affected unless you’re seriously dehydrated, but your urine will become darker and scanter. Not drinking enough can also set you up for health issues including urinary tract infections (UTIs), constipation and fatigue. So just be sure to drink whenever you're thirsty, which will likely be often when you're breastfeeding!
Foods to avoid while breastfeeding
When you're breastfeeding, there's a lot more that’s on the menu than off — with a few caveats. Here are the drinks and foods to avoid while you're breastfeeding:
Excessive caffeine. One or two cups of coffee or tea a day, amounting to 300 milligrams or less, are safe while you're breastfeeding (and during those early, sleep-deprived months, that might be just what you need to keep going). More than that, however, may lead to you and your baby feeling jittery, irritable and sleepless. Other sources of caffeine include tea, soda and chocolate.
High-mercury fish. The same EPA guidelines on fish safety that apply to pregnant women also apply to breastfeeding women: Avoid high-mercury fish including shark, orange roughy, swordfish, marlin, big eye tuna, tilefish (Gulf of Mexico) and King mackerel. Limit tuna to 8 to 12 ounces a week of canned light tuna or no more than 4 ounces a week of white albacore tuna.
Some herbal supplements. Few studies have been done on the safety of herbal supplements, so little is known about how they affect a nursing baby. Plus, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn't evaluate them for safety or efficacy. To stay safe, ask your doctor before taking any herbal remedy, and think twice before drinking herbal tea or breastfeeding brews. For now, stick to reliable brands in varieties that are considered safe during lactation (orange spice, peppermint, raspberry, red bush, chamomile and rosehip). Read labels carefully to check for the exclusion of other herbs.
What foods that you avoided during pregnancy are okay to eat again while breastfeeding?
Raw fish (including sushi and oysters), unpasteurized soft cheeses, cold cuts that are actually cold and pink (or even red) meat are all back on the menu now that you're no longer pregnant, and aren't on the "foods to avoid while breastfeeding" list. You can also have the occasional alcoholic drink.
Alcohol and breastfeeding
Looking forward to pouring an occasional glass of wine at the end of a long day? Although some alcohol does find its way into your breast milk, it’s considerably less than what you drink. Wine, beer and hard liquor can be safe to drink while you’re nursing (in moderation, of course). A few tips:
- Nurse first, drink later. Aim to sip right after you’ve nursed rather than before, if possible. You want to wait two hours after having one drink to allow the alcohol time to metabolize. ("Pumping and dumping" doesn't speed up the process, so it's not necessary.)
- Aim to limit yourself to a few drinks a week at most. Moderation is key. Heavy drinking may cause drowsiness, weakness and excessive weight gain in infants, can change the taste of your milk and decrease how much baby nurses, can impair your own functioning so you are less able to care for your baby, and can weaken your let-down reflex.
- Test yourself. Not sure whether your milk is alcohol-free at the moment? Test it using Milkscreen test strips. If it comes back positive, raid your freezer for some stored breast milk instead.
What to watch your baby for while you're breastfeeding
While most babies drink up breast milk no matter the flavor, a few have picky palates right from the start — detecting and rejecting even the smallest hint of garlic or strong spices. You’ll quickly tell which category fits your baby and modify your diet accordingly.
It’s not common and hasn’t been backed up yet by science, but some moms find certain foods cause gassiness and discomfort in their babies, with dairy and soy being the most common culprits. Some moms find that cutting out caffeine can also help reduce baby’s discomfort.
Keep in mind that these reactions are uncommon, so don’t assume that your baby will be sensitive to what you eat. Other factors (like feeding position) can contribute to gas. It’s most likely just newborn business as usual.
It takes between two and six hours from the time you eat a certain food until it affects the taste and aroma of your breast milk. So if your baby is gassy, spits up more, rejects the breast or is fussy a few hours after you eat a specific food, try ruling out other causes and then monitor for a pattern before you eliminate any foods.
Allergies in breastfed babies
Very few babies (2 to 3 in 100) are actually allergic to foods in their moms’ diets. The most common offender is cow's milk, followed by soy, peanuts, eggs, wheat and other nuts. In addition to extreme fussiness and crying, babies who have a real food allergy will display other symptoms, including:
- Occasional-to-frequent vomiting
- Loose, watery (or mucousy) stools, possibly tinged with blood
- Lack of weight gain
- Eczema, hives, wheezing and/or nasal discharge or stuffiness
If you think your child might have a food allergy, and especially if you have a family history of allergies, talk to your doctor immediately because some allergies can be very serious. Depending on the severity of the reaction, he or she will likely recommend eliminating a potential problem food for two to three weeks to check if it’s truly the culprit.
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