• Breast feeding mothers’ need lot of Calcium, Iron, Folic Acid, Vitamin A and Vitamin B12 and also zinc. Mother should take balanced diet which includes green vegetables, fruits, dry fruits, cereals, eggs, curd, milk, cheese and paneer.

 

• The breast feeding mother needs approximately 500 calories more. A normal woman who needs almost 2000 calories per day and a breast feeding mother approximately needs 2500 calories a day. A normal woman daily needs 50 gram of protein; a pregnant woman needs 60 to 65 grams protein and a breast feeding mother needs 70 to 90 grams of protein.

 

• Mother should stay away from outside food, smoking and alcohol.

 

• The breast feeding mother should have ample liquid, lemon juice, buttermilk, coconut water, different soups and fruit juices. It’s not that when you feel thirsty you should have liquid. It will be beneficial to consume 8 to 10 glasses of water and other liquids. Keep a bottle of water near your bedside.

   

• Phytoestrogen level is in very good quantity in carrot, papaya, apple, banana, kiwi, sweet potato, dry coconut, almonds, apricot, sesame seeds, oats, garlic, onion, sprouted beans, millet, jiggery, dry ginger, fennel seeds, poppy seeds, ragi, beans and all green leafy vegetables. If the mother consumes all these things, it will surely increase the quantity of breast milk.

 

• Due to breast feeding, Oxytocin level increases in mother’s body. Because of this, mother feels thirsty and hungry very often. But in case mother is able to do breast feeding nicely but still she does not feel hungry then maybe she needs mental support as she might be tired or stressed.

 

• It is a myth that ghee increases the quantity of milk. Mother should only consume required amount of ghee.
• Do not consume spicy and oily food. If you do not know about the nutrient level of any food item, then do not consume it. Do not eat too much or too less. Eat frequent meals in small proportions. Do not indulge in any types of fast. The reason behind this is because of fasting some harmful toxins are released from the fat, which are injurious for the mother.

 

• In first two to three months, mother should not make any efforts to reduce weight. The child will be taking breast milk again and again. So the metabolism of mother’s body will increase which will gradually reduce the weight of mother.

 

• In the first 3 months, because of successful breast feeding, child’s weight increases almost 25 to 30 grams every day and mother’s weight decreases almost 25 to 30 grams every day.

  [ DIVYA BHASKAR- 29-03-2016]   THE REQUIREMENT OF NUTRIENTS FOR A BREAST FEEDING MOTHER

No	NUTRIENTS	According to 100 ml milk	Required by a normal woman	Required by a breast feeding woman in 0-6 months	6-12 Months	Why increase in the quantity?
1	Energy [kilo calorie]	71	1857[less work] 2225[medium work] 2925[laborious work]	+550	+400	Almost 80% of the calories of food intake are used in the milk production. Approximately for the production of 850 ml of milk, 750 to 1000 kilo calories more are required by the mother. Hence, more energy is required.
No	NUTRIENTS	According to 100 ml milk	Required by a normal woman	Required by a breast feeding woman in 0-6 months	6-12 Months	Why increase in the quantity?
2	Protein [gram]	1.2	50	+25	+18	Almost 50% of total protein content of the food is used in the milk formation. Hence, more protein is required.
3	Fats [gram]	3.7	20	45	45	For additional calories, more fat is required.
4	Calcium [miligram]	33	400	1000	1000	Almost 30% of total iron of the food is used in the formation of milk. That is why more calcium is needed.
5	Iron	0.15	30	30	30	Almost 30% of total iron of the food is used in the formation of milk. But already there is accumulation of iron in the child’s liver in good quantity. Hence the need for increase in the quantity is not required.
6	Vitamin A [microgram] Keratin [microgram]	49	600 2400	950 3800	950 3800	As the child’s requirement of Vitamin A is fulfilled only through mother’s milk, the need of increase in these nutrients is must.
No	NUTRIENTS	According to 100 ml milk	Required by a normal woman	Required by a breast feeding woman in 0-6 months	6-12 Months	Why increase in the quantity?
7	Thiamine [milligram]	0.014	0.9[less work] 1.1[medium work] 1.2[laborious work]	+0.3	0.2	To meet the increased requirement of calories.
8	Riboflavin [milligram]	0.373	1.1[less work] 1.3[medium work] 1.5[laborious work]	+0.3	0.2	To meet the increased requirement of Riboflavin.
9	Niacin [milligram]	0.18 [mg]	1.1[less work] 1.3[medium work] 1.5[laborious work]	+4	+3	To meet the increased requirement of Niacin.
10	Pyridoxine [milligram]	0.001	2.0	2.5	2.5	To meet the increased requirement of Pyridoxine.
11	Ascorbic Acid [milligram]	2.6 to 5.2	40	80	80	Child gets the Vitamin C only through mother’s milk.
12	Folic acid [microgram]	1.3	100	150	150	To meet the increased requirement of Folic Acid.
13	Cyanocobalamin [microgram]	0.03	1	1.5	1.5	To meet the increased requirement of Cyanocobalamin.