Giving birth is one of the most amazing experiences in women’s life. When giving birth, a woman basically gets that role as a mother. As a mother, it is essential to give breastmilk. Breastfeeding is one of the most important and valuable acts a mother can do for her child. It is has scientifically proven that breastfeeding gives great health benefits for both mother and child. There is no other single deed a mother can which gives as great impact to the present and future health of her baby as giving breastmilk. Research also shows that breastfeeding has noteworthy health benefits for mothers including: help the uterus return to its pre-pregnant state faster and help to lose weight. Breastfeeding also effective to reduce the risk of acute diseases such as ovarian cancer, pre-menopausal breast cancer, osteoporosis and also reduces the risk of mothers with gestational diabetes developing Type 2 diabetes.
Breastfeeding a baby is exclusive for the first 6 months, and then continue breastfeeding in addition to appropriate solid foods until 12 months and beyond. During this time, a mother needs a lot of energy. When you breastfeeding, you will likely produce 23 to 27 ounces of milk per day. It contains approximately 330 milligrams of calcium per quart and at least 500 calories per day. To produce the milk it is important for the nursing mother to get a lot of nutrition from food, just as important as it is for the baby. A mother’s diet affects the have proper diet may still have a healthy baby, but it will be to the harm of her own health. If you are nursing your baby but lack adequate foods, your body will make milk production its main concern. If you don’t eat enough nutritious foods, your nutrients need may not be fulfilled.
If in the meantime you are breastfeeding, the following tips will help you to meet your body nutrients as you now need calories for two bodies.
Drink more, but not too much. Increase your water consumption by one quart per day will likely give a big help in milk production because part of your water consumption goes directly to milk production. This will be easy because when you’re breastfeeding you will be thirstier, especially during feeding sessions. However, try not to drink too much because too much liquid can reduce milk production.
Get more calories. Getting more calories can simply be done by eating much more foods than you usually do. But it is more effective manage your diet by consuming foods which contains high calories. It is also recommended to spread your caloric intake in regular dining sessions since as your body is continually producing milk; it needs your caloric intake to be regular.
Avoid nicotine and alcohol. Nicotine and alcohol pass directly through breast milk to the baby and destruct your baby’s pure body. So, better stay away from nicotine and alcohol during breastfeeding period.
Vitamin A and B9. A woman tends to lose a lot of vitamin A during pregnancy. Thus it is important to consume foods which contain vitamin A like carrots, vegetables, butter, fish, and meat. A nursing mother also needs to meet her need of vitamin B9. Consuming asparagus, cabbage, corn, chick peas, spinach, wheat and orange juice will help you to gain vitamin B9 healthily.
Zinc and calcium. Zinc can be found in eggs, meat, whole flour, and oats. Meanwhile, calcium needs can be gained from dairy products, raw vegetables, almonds, and hazelnuts. Both substances are important during your breastfeeding period.
