“Don’t eat cabbage when you’re breastfeeding, or your baby will get gas”, “What, you drink orange juice? But that will give your baby a sore bottom” – many typical and well-intentioned pieces of advice that you may have heard yourself or from others in the course of your breastfeeding period sound like this? But is it really true? Although most of it has never been scientifically proven, these supposed “wisdoms” persist. That’s why our wonderful midwife Katrin Ritter sums up in this article what really matters – and what you can safely forget (even without breastfeeding dementia).
10 things breastfeeding women should know about eating and drinking
1. A breastfeeding woman can eat what is good for her
Wow, this news must be a load off some of your minds. Especially after it is recommend to restrict your diet during pregnancy. But the truth is that many foods, such as cabbage, that are supposed to cause flatulence in the baby have been proven to have no such effect on the baby. The reasons why a baby is restless or cries a lot can be for so many different reasons. Especially in the first weeks of life, the baby’s digestion is not yet fully developed. If a baby has frequent colic, it does not necessarily have to be due to your diet. It is more important that you, as mothers, feel good about what you eat. If you tolerate cabbage and spicy foods well, you can continue to eat them. However, it is good to know that certain oils in some foods pass into breast milk and change its smell and taste. This is the case with onions and garlic, for example. Some children react with aversion, others do not.
Photo by Cocobols
2. Breastfeeding does not automatically make you lose weight
“Oh well, breastfeeding will get rid of those extra pounds in no time”. This is another of those well-intentioned sentences that only partly correspond to the truth and that can tempt us not to pay too much attention to what and how much we eat during pregnancy. However, we have to look at this “wisdom” in a more differentiated way. Basically, it is true that the average maternal weight reduction during breastfeeding is about 0.5-1 kg per month. But of course, breastfeeding has to work first. And then it depends on how much you eat and exercise while breastfeeding. Studies have shown that breastfeeding women need about 500 kcal more calories than non-breastfeeding women. However, some mothers feel a marked increase in hunger when breastfeeding, while others have hardly any appetite. If you believe that you can eat as much as you want while breastfeeding and that you can eat more than you need every day, you will probably gain weight instead of losing it.
3. You should not go on a diet while breastfeeding
If you are not disappointed, you will probably be again, because: To get milk production going optimally, calorie intake should not be reduced, especially during the first four weeks. In general, it is important not to eat less than 1,500 calories per day during breastfeeding to ensure optimal care for mum and baby. Therefore, please refrain from diets. You are not doing your child or yourself any favours. It is better to eat a balanced diet with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, wholemeal and dairy products, healthy vegetable oils (e.g. olive oil, linseed oil), eggs, fish, meat, rice and potatoes.
4. Vegetarians can also breastfeed without problems
Some people may consider it irresponsible and believe that a vegetarian or even vegan diet cannot provide your baby with sufficient nutrition through breast milk. Fortunately, this is not true. A balanced vegetarian diet has no negative effects on breastfeeding. However, the vegan diet can lead to a vitamin B12 deficiency in you as a mother, so you should definitely have this value checked and take a food supplement. If you are unsure, it is best to consult a qualified nutritionist.
5. Iodine supply should be improved
In Germany, the iodine supply is currently better than it used to be, but the intake reference value of 260 micrograms of iodine/day for breastfeeding women is often not reached. However, the iodine content of breast milk depends on the mother’s diet. Since an iodine deficiency has a negative effect on the development of the child, a daily intake of 100 micrograms of iodine/day is recommended in addition to the use of iodised salt. It is best to have your thyroid levels checked while you are breastfeeding to determine your individual needs.
6. Drinking enough is important
“If you don’t drink enough, you don’t have enough milk” – this is not true! The amount you drink and the amount of milk you have do not depend on each other. Nevertheless, the fluid requirement of a breastfeeding woman is slightly higher at about 2-3 l/day. Simply because it is important to supply your organs with enough fluid. However, breastfeeding women usually feel more thirsty anyway, so they drink more. If you want to know whether you have drunk enough, it is best to look at your urine. A light-coloured urine indicates that you are flushing enough. If it is clearly yellow or even orange, you should definitely drink more to stay healthy.
Photo by Giorgio Trovato
7. Coffee in moderation is allowed
Yes, it is true that the active ingredients in coffee, tea and cola pass into your breast milk. Therefore, you should drink these drinks in very limited quantities and, if possible, only after breastfeeding – if at all. Caffeine and theine are broken down more slowly by the baby than by you. Therefore, long intervals between consumption and breastfeeding are recommended. A cup of filter coffee (125 ml) contains 80-120 mg of caffeine. During breastfeeding, up to 300 mg of caffeine per day is permitted. That would be two to three cups. Please avoid energy drinks completely.
8. “Malt beer” promotes milk production
There are few drinks that can be shown to have an influence on the amount of milk formed. However, this is indeed the case with malt beer. However, it is important to know here that the name malt beer is not usually used correctly in our supermarkets. There is, in fact, Malztrunk and real malt beer. With the latter, an alcohol content of up to 1.5 percent by volume is permitted. Therefore, please look carefully. As malt beer or malt drink contains a lot of protein, carbohydrates and minerals, it is a good source of energy and supplies your body with trace elements and electrolytes. It can therefore provide new energy while breastfeeding, but should not be consumed in masses, as the energy content is relatively high at 48kcal/100ml. Water is of course always the right choice to quench thirst. By the way: sage tea has a lactating effect, so it is better to avoid it.
9. Alcohol should be avoided when breastfeeding
If you are breastfeeding, alcohol consumption is generally not advisable, as the alcohol concentration in the blood and in the milk increases almost in parallel. Of course, there is always the recommendation that as a mother you could drink shortly after breastfeeding and then pump the next milk ration. But it is important to know that alcohol does not only affect the baby. Even in small amounts, it affects the release of the maternal milk-forming hormones, which can lead to a reduction in the amount of milk. The best thing to do is simply not to drink any alcohol at all while breastfeeding.
10. Smoking while breastfeeding is a taboo
It is clear that breastfeeding mothers should refrain from smoking and that the baby should always be in a smoke-free environment. Those who cannot do this should smoke as little as possible, always after breastfeeding and, of course, not in the home or near the baby. Effects of the poison on the child include a reduced sucking reflex, colic, diarrhoea, insomnia, restlessness, slower weight gain and increased respiratory infections.
Photo by Timothy Meinberg
Source: Midwifery, Stiefel et al., 6th edition published by Thieme Verlag.
