Breastfeeding: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know and More

When I was trying to get pregnant I wasn't sure if I would breastfeed or not. I wasn't sure if I would be able to handle it, how it felt, the responsibility, everything about it.

Once I got pregnant and did some research I realized how beneficial it was not only for her, but for me and I knew it was the only option for me.

Our birth was not as smooth and easy as we had planned. We had some complications that led to me being unable to nurse Hanna the first night and landed us in the NICU for a week.

The nurses in the NICU, although nice, put a lot of pressure on this new nursing relationship Hanna and I were forming. There was a lot of pressure on me to have a "good feeding" so they could decrease the IV fluids she was on.

Around every turn, behind my back and in front of my face they nurses were trying to supplement with formula. I was well informed and refused to allow it.

By the third day we were allowed to "room in" with Hanna in a regular room in the post pardum ward. This is where our true relationship began. With just her and me, no nurses looking over our shoulder, grabbing my boob, no well meaning "lactation consultants" telling me I wasn't doing it right.

Once we figured out what and how to do it, our nursing just took off. I'm so glad I stuck to it, and figured it out. It would have been so easy with the stress, and confusion to just say "go ahead and give her the formula". I was able to be strong for both of us and stick with our plan, and I'm proud of myself and her everyday.

Hanna and I now nurse on cue. I don't know how long she nurses, I'm not sure how many times a day I nurse her, but when she's hungry she lets me know. When she's full she lets me know and thats working for us. She's growing like a weed. I am so grateful that I had the information and was able to be assertive in an overwhelming situation, because our nursing time is the most sacred time of the day. Looking into her big eyes I can just hear her say thank you mom.

It's a frequently asked question ~ what kind of breastfeeding diet should I be following?

A breastfeeding mom can produce from 23-27 ounces of breastmilk each day for her baby. This milk contains at least 330mg of Calcium. This milk production burns at least 500 calories a day.

Now before you get all excited and think you are going to lose scads of weight being a breastfeeding mom, let's look at what you need to do to keep yourself and your baby healthy.

The quality of your breastmilk will probably not be affected ~ unless you are starving yourself. However, much like when you were pregnant, the body puts milk production as priority number 1.

So if you are not eating enough or healthy enough it will be your health that suffers. Anyone with a new baby can tell you that you need all the health and energy you can get to take care of that new bundle of joy.

So what should you be eating for your breastfeeding diet?

Increase your water

Are you tired of hearing it yet? Well water is a key ingredient to milk production. In fact, a portion of your water intake goes directly to milk production. You really should increase your water intake to about 2.5 to 3 quartz a day.

Increase your calories

Now I'm not talking about binging on candy bars here. You need to increase your daily calories to about 2500. If you plan on being a breastfeeding mom for more than three months you can increase your calories to about 2800.

Eat more often

Make sure to break your calories up into smaller meals throughout the day. You should be trying to eat 5 to 6 small meals a day. These small meals should consist of a portion of protein and some healthy carbohydrates. So you might have a low fat cheese stick and an orange, or a chicken breast and pasta. This helps keep your blood sugar level and gives you energy and nutrients throughout the day.

Eat more protien

I'm not suggesting the Atkins diet here, but you should strive for 1g of protein for each pound you weigh.

You can get this protein from fish, chicken, lean beef, eggs and even soy.

Eat more folic acid.

Just as folic acid was important during pregnancy for the development of your baby, it continues to be important in a breastfeeding diet.

You can find folic acid in these foods ~ asparagus, cabbage, corn, chick peas and spinach.

Eat more eggs.

Dr. Bradley recommends 2 eggs every day during pregnancy. I would continue to follow that advice. Eggs are rich in zinc and the yolks contain so many nutrients it is unreal. You can also increase your zinc by eating meat, whole flour and oats.

Veggies for Vitamin A.

Don't worry about getting a vitamin A supplement. Just make sure you are eating plenty of veggies like carrots. You can also get vitamin A from fish, and even butter.

There is often concern about how the foods we eat affect our baby, and many moms restrict their diets to keep from upsetting a baby's system. It really is not much fun to not be able to eat delicious foods.

Go ahead and eat a wide variety of foods, just keep a close eye on your little one. If you see them beginning to act differently, or showing signs of being gassy or not feeling well, just remove the food from your diet that you think may have caused the issue.

I hope this helps you as a breastfeeding mom develop a delicious and healthy breastfeeding diet for you and your baby.

Do you wonder about the effects of breastfeeding and alcohol? Do you wonder if you can have a drink while you are still breastfeeding?

It's a good question and the answer is. . . it depends.

Current research says that occasional use of alcohol (1-2 drinks) is not harmful to the nursing baby. The American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Drugs classifies alcohol (ethanol) as a "Maternal Medication Usually Compatible With Breastfeeding." In plain English, what they recommend is 'if you are sober enough to drive, you are sober enough to breastfeed'.

So exactly how much are you allowed to drink? Current medical experts recommend that a breastfeeding mother should not drink more than 1-2 units of alcohol per week. A breastfeeding mother should also avoid breastfeeding 2-3 hours after drinking alcohol. Less than 2% of alcohol consumed reaches her breast milk.

There are some myths about alcohol and breastfeeding. The first being, that you can get rid of the alcohol in your breast milk by first expressing and then feeding baby later. There is no need to pump & dump milk after drinking alcohol, other than for mom's comfort -- pumping & dumping does not speed the elimination of alcohol from the milk. Another myth sometimes espoused is that drinking will increase your milk supply. This is not true; in fact, it has been shown to reduce the amount of milk produced.

If you do drink alcohol while you are breastfeeding your baby you should bear in mind the amount you drink and the age of the infant.

A newborn has a very immature liver, so even small amounts of alcohol would be more taxing to her system. Up until around 3 months of age, infants detoxify alcohol at around half the rate of an adult. An older baby or toddler can metabolize the alcohol more quickly.

Here are some of the effects that drinking has on breastfeeding;

* 2+ drinks may inhibit let-down(Coiro et al 1992; Cobo 1974).
* One study showed changes in the infant's sleep-wake patterning after short-term exposure to small amounts of alcohol in breastmilk -- infants whose mothers were light drinkers slept less (Mennella & Gerrish 1998).
* Daily consumption of alcohol has been shown in the research to increase the risk for slow weight gain in the infant.
* Daily consumption of alcohol (1+ drinks daily) has been associated with a decrease in gross motor development (Little et al 1989).

It is especially important that women don't mix alcohol and breastfeeding during the baby's first 6 weeks of life.

A baby gets so much protection against infection from drinking its mother's milk. If a mother must drink alcohol, it is best to drink after the baby has been breastfed.

If you enjoyed this lens, please save it and share it with your friends.