Mother’s milk is the best diet for a baby and it is recommended that the baby is kept only on mother’s milk for the first six months. As during pregnancy diet is of utmost importance so that your baby gets all the nutrients it needs. In fact, if the mother’s diet does not include all the nutrients the quality of the milk will not suffer as the body puts milk production on top priority and will use up the nutrients available in the body. The result will be that the mother’s nutritional need will be left unfulfilled. This is similar to the pregnancy state where the nutritional needs of the fetus were fulfilled before the mother.

Nutritional needs of a breastfeeding mother

• Water is very important as the quantity of the milk gets reduced if the mother is dehydrated. Increase water intake as milk production will take up a lot of water.
• The demand for calories increases during lactation as the body uses up calories for milk production. But make sure that it comes more from carbohydrates and less from fats.
• A mother should have at least 2500 calories per day. Insufficient calories will leave the mother feeling tired and weak.
• The need for proteins also rises therefore a mother’s diet should include foods rich in proteins such as milk and its products, meat, fish and eggs, pulses and grams as well as nuts.
• Mother’s milk contains fats and is necessary for the baby’s growth, especially her vision and brain development. But it is essential that the mother consumes the right kind of fat which contains omega-3 essential fatty acid.
• However, a diet consisting of heavy fat intake should be avoided.
• The main constituent of breast milk is calcium and the nursing mother should have at least 1000mg of calcium daily. The best source of calcium is milk and its products.
• If consuming milk is a problem then other options include soy milk, tofu and leafy green vegetables.
• A lactating mother needs all the vital nutrients such as vitamins and minerals for her own health and that of the nursing baby. So a mother’s diet should include a wide variety of vegetables and fruits to provide all the essential nutrients.
• Iron can be derived from green leafy vegetables, cereals and legumes, fish, chicken and meat as well as nuts.
• Again folic acid can be had from green leafy vegetables spinach, broccoli, cabbage, amaranth, etc.
• Vitamin C is found in all citrus fruits like orange, lemon, amla. Others are tomatoes, cauliflower, capsicum, to name just a few.
• Vitamin B12 is found in milk and its products as well as meat.
• Vitamin B6 is available in spinach, drumstick leaves, carrots, brinjal, watermelon, tomatoes.
• Cereals, legumes, oil seeds, milk, meat, eggs etc will provide vitamin B2.
• Yellow and dark green vegetables like capsicum, papaya, pumpkin, spinach, fenugreek leaves are good sources of vitamin A.
• Zinc can be found in eggs, meat, peanuts, whole flour and oats.
• Other than this trace minerals like copper, selenium, iodine, magnesium etc. can be derived from eggs, meat, fish, nuts and vegetables.
• Briefly put, a nursing mother’s diet should consist of all varieties of foods to provide all the essential nutrients.
• Other than this try to spread your food intake into small regular meals as this will fulfill the body’s need for calories as milk production is a continuous process.

• Do not take any medicines without consulting your doctor as they get filtered through to breast milk and can harm your baby.
• Even supplements should be taken on the advice of a doctor only.
• Combination oral contraceptives will reduce milk supply.
• Restrict the intake of coffee as caffeine has a detrimental effect on milk production.
• Alcohol passes into breast milk within an hour so avoid taking alcohol, especially before a feed.
• Sometimes infants develop allergies to some types of food. If the baby is uncomfortable think back to what you have eaten in the last twenty four hours and stop taking any food that seems the culprit.
• New mothers are often advised to take some kind of foods and to avoid others but such advice iscultural diiferences and there is no hard and fast rule about this.ny food that seems the culprit based on cultural differences and there is no hard and fast rule about this.
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