Congratulations on your beautiful new bundle of joy! Unfortunately, you may have noticed that he or she did not come with an instruction book. That’s okay because at Reza Ahmadinia OBGYN, Dr. Ahmadinia and his staff are more than happy to help you and all new moms who are planning on breastfeeding. Planning a healthy postnatal diet filled with nutrition for both you and your baby should be done at one of your last obstetrics/gynecology visits.
Fluid Intake
You should drink plenty of spring or purified water and “allowed fluids” while breastfeeding. Drinking plenty of fluids will keep you from becoming dehydrated. There is no scientific evidence to support the theory that drinking extra fluids will increase breast milk. Most doctors recommend that you consume 2.5 to 3 quarts of fluids each day.
Caloric Intake
While breastfeeding you should increase your caloric intake by 450 to 500 calories a day, unless suggested otherwise by Dr. Ahmadinia. This increase is easily made by adding healthy foods filled with nutrition to your diet such as whole grains, fresh fruits, yogurt, nuts/seeds, and peanut butter. A peanut butter sandwich on whole grain bread is packed with nutrition and healthy calories.
Healthy Food Choices While Breastfeeding
There is more than one benefit to breastfeeding: if you eat a variety of foods, the taste of the breast milk will change. This variety will allow your baby to experience different tastes at a very young age, which can lead to an easy transition to solid foods. Experiencing the different tastes may also prevent your baby from becoming a fussy eater as a toddler. Usually by the time a child is three or four years old they will only eat what they like, so this will help “program” their taste buds and allow for a healthy diet throughout their lifetime.
Healthy foods you should add to your diet include the following: fruits, vegetables (even if you do not care for a particular vegetable, you should try to eat it once a week especially if it has lots of nutrients), whole grains, lean proteins, eggs, and other low-fat dairy products.
Foods to Avoid While Breastfeeding
There are way too many foods to avoid while breastfeeding to list — the general list consists of processed foods, sugary foods/beverages, salty foods, junk food, fast food, foods prepared with white or bleached flour, foods high in fat, alcohol, caffeinated foods and beverages, energy drinks, etc… If you know the food is not good for you, then it is not good for your baby.
If you have any questions or concerns about your diet, ask Reza Ahmadinia OBGYN at your next obstetrics/gynecology visit.
