Health And Diet for the the Breast Feeding Mom
The nutritional requirements for the baby will rely oley on the breast milk, and therefore the mother will feed
to maintain a healthy diet. If the baby is large and grows fast, the fat stores gained by the other during
pregnancy can be depleted quickly, m ning that she may have trouble eating good enough o maintain and develop
sufficient amounts of milk.
This type of diet normally involves a high calorie, high nutrition diet which follows on from that in regnancy.
Even though mothers in famine conditions can produce milk with nutritional content, a mother hat is malnourished
may produce milk with lacking evels of vitamins A, D, B6, and B12.
If they smoke, breast feeding mothers must use extreme caution. More than 20 cigarettes a day has been shown to
reduce the milk supply and cause vomiting, iarrhoea, rapid heart rate, and restlessness in he infants. SIDS (Sudden
Infant Death Syndrome) is ore common in babies that are exposed to smoke.
Heavy drinking is also known to harm the infant, as well as yourself. If you are breast feeding, you should
avoid alcohol or consume very small amounts at time.
The excessive consumption of alcohol by the mother can result in irritability, sleeplessness, and increased
feeding in the infant. Moderate use, normally 1 - 2 ups a day normally produces no effect. Therefore, others that
are breast feeding are advised to avoid caffeine or restrict intake of it.
By following a healthy diet and limiting your intake from the above, you'll ensure that your baby gets the right
nutrients during your time of breast feeding. This stage of life is very important - as you don't want anything to
happen to your baby.
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