"Nutrition and Lactation: Nurturing Your Health and Well-Being as a Lactating Parent"

After a long 9 months of pregnancy nausea, food restrictions and hunger, you might be wondering how your nutrition needs might change postpartum if you’re breastfeeding. Let’s try and simplify some common breastfeeding and nutrition topics to help keep you nourished and feeling great!

First, let’s take the pressure off: you’ve just had a baby, you’re likely tired, busy and trying to heal your body so you don’t need the added stress of trying to eat a perfectly balanced diet in order to “optimize” your breastmilk. Bodies are amazing and yours will still provide the best milk for your baby even if your diet isn’t top notch. But, you also want to feel good from the inside out and nourishing yourself with healthy food is a great place to start.

Believe it or not, your caloric needs are actually higher in breastfeeding than in pregnancy! With exclusive and on-demand breastfeeding, lactating parents need about 500 extra calories per day. Perhaps you add in some energy dense snacks like power balls or a smoothie or maybe you just eat larger portions of your regular meals. Either way, listen and honor your hunger cues because your body is working hard to produce breast milk for your baby.

Since breast milk is mostly water, staying hydrated is an important part of milk production. We want to drink 3.5-4 L of water throughout the day but drinking beyond this will not “improve” the quality of your milk. One tip is to keep a water bottle with you while you’re breastfeeding so you can drink every time you nurse. Juice is safe to drink but your primary source of hydration should be water. 

Your protein needs are going to stay about the same as when you were pregnant (which is still higher than your pre-pregnancy needs). Trying to incorporate protein into every meal and snack will help balance your meal. Some ideas for protein rich snacks are Greek yogurt parfaits with nuts and seeds, egg cups with cheese and spinach or oat balls with nut butters. Bonus points if they are also one-handed snacks!

Pregnancy and postpartum are not times in your life when you should be going on a low-fat diet because fats are important for hormone production in the body (and hormones regulate milk production). Adding foods like avocados, full fat dairy, coconut oil and meat to your plates can help get some of these essential fats. You also have increased omega-3 fatty acid requirements in pregnancy and lactation. Fish is an excellent source and parents should aim for 2-3 servings/week and avoid high mercury fish. For anyone who doesn’t include fish in their diet, taking a supplement or including foods like walnuts, flax and hemp is recommended.

To ensure you are getting adequate amounts of all the essential vitamins and minerals, it is a good idea to take a multivitamin daily. As well, Vitamin D deficiency is quite common and very few foods contain enough to meet your Vitamin D needs from your diet alone so supplementing is also recommended. Vegetarian and vegan diets are definitely healthy for pregnancy and breastfeeding but a Vitamin B12 supplement is recommended as well as keeping an eye on protein intake through legumes, nuts, seeds and whole grains.

Lastly, many breastfeeding parents want to know how to increase milk supply through diet. While there is not a lot of strong scientific evidence for any particular food, good nutrition will support adequate milk production and make you feel better. If you enjoy foods like oatmeal, dark leafy greens, fennel, garlic, chickpeas, ginger and papaya and want to incorporate them into your meals then they could possibly help with milk supply as they are considered galactagogues.

We understand that every family’s journey is unique, and that's why our team of perinatal professionals is here to support you every step of the way. We offer lactation and feeding support tailored to your needs, helping you feel confident in nourishing both yourself and your baby. In addition to lactation support, we also provide nutritional guidance for mothers and children to ensure you're getting the essential nutrients you need to thrive during this important time. Together, we can work to create a balanced, sustainable approach to your health and well-being. Book an appointment today.