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Home › Articles › Issues for Mom › The Nursing Mother's Diet

The Nursing Mother's Diet

Nourish Your Body and Your Baby

By Sylvia Brown and Mary Dowd Struck

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Nicotine passes directly through breast milk to the baby. if you cannot control yourself, build in a gap of at least an hour between your last cigarette and your next feeding session, so that the nicotine in your system has a chance to decompose at least partially.

Avoid regular consumption of alcohol. Alcohol passes through milk in less than an hour, and if the baby consumes it in large quantities, it can retard his growth. If you drink an occasional glass of wine or beer, save it for after a feeding session.

Take no medication without consulting a doctor. Some antibiotics, sulfa drugs, chemical laxatives and all products containing iodine are contraindicated while you are breastfeeding. Other medications, taken over a long period, can also be dangerous.

Beware of pollutants. Like nicotine, pesticide residue easily passes through Mother's milk. If you are nursing, stay away from insecticides (especially in airborne forms such as aerosols or coils). Try to use natural insect repellents such as citronella. Eat primarily unsaturated fats. Sunflower, corn, rapeseed and olive oil provide fatty acids that are essential for building the baby's nervous system.

What to Include
In Western countries, the only vitamin really lacking in wome's diets is vitamin B9 (folic acid). Birth control pills accentuate a woman's vitamin B9 deficit and may also contribute to a vitamin B6 deficiency. During pregnancy, folic acid is vital to the development of the baby's nervous system. Nursing mothers are well advised to continue taking their prenatal vitamins. Folic acid also can be found abundantly in asparagus, cabbage, corn, chickpeas and spinach. Many other foods, such as wheat and orange juice, have been enriched with folic acid. Check the package labels.

Take zinc supplements. According to a British study, pregnant and nursing women also often lack zinc. They should consume 15 to 20 milligrams per day. Zinc is found in eggs, meat, whole flour and oats.

Consume 1,200 milligrams of calcium per day. A balanced diet only provides 800 to 1,000 milligrams of calcium daily. Because nursing mothers need 1,200 milligrams, a calcium supplement will probably be necessary. Calcium needs can also be partly met from dairy products, raw vegetables, almonds and hazelnuts.

Do not rush to buy vitamin A supplements. People often talk about vitamin A supplements for nursing mothers, because their daily need rises from 1,000 milligrams to 1,300 milligrams. It is true that if the woman had a vitamin A deficiency during pregnancy, this problem may worsen after childbirth. But anyone who eats enough carrots, vegetables, butter, fish and meat will absorb enough vitamin A.

Foods That Bother Baby

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