Breastfeeding and your diet  Breastfeeding mothers need to be somewhat careful with their diet. Production of breast milk requires you to spend an extra 500-800 calories a day. Part of this extra energy comes from fat stores laid down during pregnancy. This is why breastfeeding helps you return to your pre-pregnancy weight and shape sooner (or at all!). The rest comes from extra foods that you should eat. Breast milk is ideally your baby's only food for about half a year, a major source of nutrition for a year, and still a good source of nutrition for as long as you continue breastfeeding. This means breast milk contains all the necessary fats, proteins, sugars, vitamins, and minerals that a young baby needs, and most that an older baby needs. Your body needs to produce milk that contains all these nutrients. The nutrients have to come out of your body. If your diet is deficient in some of these nutrients, your breast milk will still contain reasonable amounts of them. That means your own body will be robbed of them. If you are seriously malnourished, then your breast milk may be deficient in some nutrients too. This is generally not a problem for mothers in industrialized nation, but it is a problem in many less fortunate areas of the world. Don't panic! All you need to do is to eat a reasonable variety of foods (which you should be doing anyway). Just eat a little extra of everything. Trust your hunger. Eat to satisfy hunger, not habit. Important: It is not a good idea to go on a weight-loss diet while you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Well, most diets are never a good idea, but this is particularly important now because of the extra work your body needs to do. And remember: breastfeeding is helping you lose weight anyway. Just eat well and all will be fine.

Sci-fi Fan Moms Book Club Picking a Moms Club Sahm I Am's Webrings My Depo Horror Story Email Loops The Message Board Area Breastfeeding a Fussy Baby Increase Your Breastmilk Production ICY-s Book Review Advertise On Sahm I Am Breastfeeding An Adopted Baby Life As A Sahm Nipple Confusion Baby Gear Parenting Advice Travel Tips Mastitis Help Dealing with Criticism My Weight Loss Journey Breastfeeding and Diet Breastfeeding and Weight Loss Attachment Parenting Pet Corner ICY's Page Keeping Busy Working From Home Parenting Links