After the completion of the sacrament of birth, an equally crucial moment comes – breastfeeding. During this period, the mother’s body should receive only healthy food, protect itself from diseases and allergic reactions. Everything is just beginning in the baby, the stomach is not even adapted to mother’s milk.
First week
Particular attention should be paid to nutrition in the first 7 days after delivery. If you eat incorrectly, then not only the baby will suffer, but also the woman herself. You will have to give up any products with a pungent smell, after which the baby will most likely refuse to eat. Mom should fully rest and not starve in any way. You need to eat fractionally to ensure the stable formation of breast milk.
Allowed use:
- boiled beef;
- warm tea;
- some mashed potatoes;
- low-fat soup;
- steamed or stewed vegetables;
- herbal infusions and fruit drinks;
- no more than one apple per day or a banana.
Other products begin to be introduced gradually, in small portions.
What to exclude from the diet
The list of restrictions on the menu for a nursing mother is quite wide. You will have to give up any drinks that can stimulate the activity of the central nervous system, this is coffee and strong tea.
You should not use cereals with gluten, this is millet, wheat porridge and others. It is they who can provoke the appearance of allergies in a child. The same applies to fruits and vegetables, which stimulate gas production. For example, these are cabbage, bell peppers, tomatoes. You should not eat garlic and onions, as they greatly affect the taste and smell of milk, which can cause breastfeeding.
Meat products that are spicy and cooked in a pan. They are dangerous not only by the way they are prepared, but also by the presence of antibiotics. Whole milk is also a potential allergy trigger. The same applies to yoghurts, curds, any dairy and fermented milk products with additives.
What you need to limit yourself to
Mom during lactation is advised to refuse or reduce the use of fruits out of season. Fried and smoked foods should not be present. You should not eat canned foods and spices.
When introducing a new product into the diet, it is better to eat it in the morning and observe the child’s reaction throughout the day.
No alcohol should be present during breastfeeding.
What to eat
By and large, lactation is not a disease, so a woman should not be on a strict diet, just food should be composed so that it is complete and correct.
Whole grain bread and pasta are allowed . From meat it is better to give preference to veal and rabbit meat. You can use low-fat cottage cheese and kefir, fermented baked milk, but without any additives.
For the diet, unrefined oils, black and rye bread, steamed vegetables are suitable.
Drinking regime during lactation
Particular attention should be paid to the amount of fluid consumed throughout the day. The minimum amount of water that a woman can consume per day is 800 ml, taking into account liquid food, ideally 1-2 liters. However, during lactation, the body produces from 1 to 1.5 liters of milk, so there should be more liquid, about 2.5 liters. The feeling of thirst is also a normal physiological process, since an increased amount of oxytocin is produced in the body, which provokes it.
During feeding, it is advisable for the mother to have a small amount of water on hand and drink it a little. Naturally, no soda or chemical beverages should be present. Ideally, this should be clean, non-carbonated water.
Vitamins and minerals
A woman is recommended to periodically prescribe courses of vitamin and mineral supplements. The baby will already receive all the most useful from the mother’s body, and the female body needs a double dose, for the child and herself. You won’t be able to get so many nutrients from food.
Be sure to include polyunsaturated acids, Omega-3, 6 and 9. They help to remove harmful cholesterol and maintain the elasticity of blood vessels. Helps to cope with puffiness.
Lecithin, which is one third of the human brain, is extremely useful. It is recommended to combine the intake of the substance with vitamin B5, which helps it to be absorbed.
Iodine contributes to the proper development of the baby and protects the mother’s thyroid gland from work disorders.
Calcium and vitamin D must be absorbed into the body together. The latter helps to absorb calcium and get to its destination. Calcium can be obtained from soy, greens, seaweed and other foods. In plant foods, it is in an easily digestible form. But right after childbirth, such products will not be useful, so you will have to use nutritional supplements.
Magnesium also helps the baby’s body develop properly. But you should be very careful with this substance, as it accumulates quickly and can cause hypervitaminosis, even in a child.
Retinol helps maintain healthy eyes, teeth, and bones. Thiamine is responsible for metabolic processes. Vitamin B2 is also good for the eyes and has a positive effect on metabolism. Niacin improves stomach function and maintains a healthy liver. Vitamin B5 improves the functioning of the nervous system, and B6 removes irritability and anxiety.
Folic acid is perhaps the most useful vitamin for the body of a baby and mother. B9 is involved in almost all processes, so it is necessary to ensure that it enters the body in sufficient quantities.
What to eat and drink to increase milk production
Lactation largely depends on the psychological state of the woman. Two hormones are involved in this process: prolactin and oxytocin. The first one stimulates and the second aids the secretion.
However, for most modern women, lactation ends as early as 3 months. Therefore, in order to prolong the feeding, you can resort to using special teas or homeopathic remedies. At home, you can brew tea from thyme, cumin, oregano.
You can brew dill seeds at the rate of 300 ml of water, a tablespoon. Pour the seeds only with cold water and boil in a steam bath for 15 minutes. After 45 minutes, the broth can be consumed 3-4 times in equal parts.
If a “lactation crisis” has come, then there is no need to panic. The baby should be applied to the breast anyway, this condition is associated with hormonal shifts. A crisis usually does not last more than 4 days.
It is best to breastfeed the baby until the age of 1-1.5 years. And then it is imperative to gradually wean from the breast so that there is no psychological dependence in the baby.
Features of nutrition after cesarean section
On the first day after the operation, the woman will have to starve. Usually, all useful substances enter the body along with drugs through a dropper. On this day, you do not need to worry about the baby, the body is so arranged that it will normally endure a day without food.
On the second day, the consumption of liquid food is already allowed. Depending on the condition in the following days, the mother gradually begins to switch to a full-fledged diet.
How to avoid allergies
The appearance of allergies in a baby directly depends on the mother’s menu. The most allergenic foods include nuts, honey, seafood, and cow’s milk.
In the process of expanding the menu, a woman should monitor the condition of the child. It is better to eat new food in the morning and monitor how the baby’s body reacts throughout the day.
It is possible to understand that this or that product is not suitable for the child’s body or that he cannot yet accept it, due to the rash and gastrointestinal upset. The first symptomatology is the reason for excluding dishes from the menu, which could potentially be allergenic.
If you notice signs of allergies in your baby
When allergies appear, mom will have to go on a hypoallergenic diet. However, only a pediatrician or allergist can prescribe it, because it should not only eliminate the symptoms of the baby, but also saturate both organisms with useful substances.
If you cannot identify an allergenic product, you will have to keep a food diary. In cases where the reaction of the baby’s body is inadequate and the woman cannot cope on her own, it is best to immediately contact a medical institution or call an ambulance.
Diet for mom’s figure
If you adhere to all the requirements of proper nutrition during lactation, then there will be no problems with gaining excess weight. Foods should be steamed and baked, cook soups regularly, they will stimulate lactation and prevent excess weight. You should observe the drinking regime and refuse baking, fast food and carbonated drinks under the strictest prohibition. The portions should be small, but it is better to eat 5-6 times throughout the day.
Mom should never forget that good sleep is the key to a slim figure and good health. A woman should move, walk more in the fresh air. You can go to yoga or Pilates classes.
Sample menu for a week by day
You can compose your diet as follows:
| Day of week | Breakfast | Dinner | Afternoon snack | Dinner |
| Monday | Buckwheat porridge, cheese sandwich, tea | Chicken broth, cutlet, bread | Cheesecakes with honey | Baked rabbit, tea |
| Tuesday | Oatmeal with raisins, fruit drink | Ukha, not rich, baked mackerel | Ryazhenka, apple | Cottage cheese, kefir |
| Wednesday | Cottage cheese casserole, fermented baked milk | Puree soup, boiled beef | Fat-free cottage cheese | Vegetable stew, fruit drink |
| Thursday | Rice porridge, tea | Stewed broccoli, steamed cutlets | Omelet, whole grain toast | Grated carrots, steamed chicken |
| Friday | Cottage cheese with peach, fruit drink | Chicken soup, boiled breast, bread | Nectarine, apple casserole | Baked tuna, cucumber |
| Saturday | Omelet, cheese, kefir | Vinaigrette, potato casserole | Bun, kefir | Boiled pasta, fish |
| Sunday | Pasta from whole wheat flour, juice | Cauliflower soup, steamed rabbit meat | Banana, yogurt | Chicken cutlets, baked potatoes |
In fact, there are a lot of menu options and mom will never go hungry.
Diet for colic in a child
The appearance of colic in a baby is usually associated with the mother’s use of a certain category of foods that cause increased gas production. First of all, these are legumes, cabbage, whole milk and carbonated drinks. Accordingly, if you abandon them, then the baby should not have any problems with digestion, as well as no diet is required for a woman.
The nutrition of the mother during breastfeeding is the key to the health of the baby. Therefore, women should adhere to the principle of proper nutrition and the child will grow up completely healthy.