Foods to eat while nursing

pmzh

Hi I’m new to this whole parenthood thing and obviously a New Mommy I’m trying to see if anyone knows the RIGHT types of foods to eat and how much calories I should intake.

darrenbeckworth

This seems like an OBGYN question.

roge0195

I think my midwife estimated 400 calories per day for breastfeeding exclusively. For me I did not intentionally increase my caloric intake (because I was overweight), I just didn’t drop below 1500. Completely individual though...when is your next doctor visit? Your provider or baby’s provider can help calculate it. Your body will tell you too, if you are not eating enough you’ll be ravenous.

For types of food - don’t cut out macro nutrients (now is not the time to try carb free or fat free). Keep to lean proteins, healthy fats and as many fruits / vegetables as you like within your calorie “budget”. I’ve been told whole grains are good too, just switch them up regularly (oatmeal, amaranth, quinoa, all the “ancient grains” have something different to offer in terms of vitamins/ minerals so vary your diet to maximize nutrition).

Are you supplementing? I remember being on a couple things my midwife instructed but I don’t remember what. Maybe it was still my prenatal? Or fish oil?

I also found it more necessary to eat small amounts regularly. I used to make these awesome snack plates to munch while I was nursing (grapes, blueberries, raw almonds, cheese, Triscuits) and a massive water bottle.

Honestly for me the most important thing was hydration...gotta drink that water like double what you’re used to! Good luck!

alicebhsia

when i was nursing my mom made me this sweet peanut soup to eat that really got my milk flowing. i think it was just skinned raw peanuts boiled up with some water and sugar until they were nice and soft and the water got all creamy. high calorie and high fat too, perfect for milk production. if i remember correctly you will want about an extra 300-400 calories a day.

kimothyschma

I started my weight loss journey while breastfeeding. I would say listen to your cravings and drink lots of water. Count calories, but don’t restrict too much. I lost on 1800 calories a day. I tried 1700 once and the hunger was too much. If you notice your supply tanking, eat more. It’s not a great time to try a low carb diet, you need carbs right now. I found it helpful to cut down on sugar, but eat lots of filling carbs like potatoes and rice and roasted vegetables. I ate lots of oils and chocolate and had a pretty high fat intake. I don’t know if that’s because of the nursing, or just me. If I had to do it over again I would definitely make sure to get more protein. I don’t know if I really have advice, but maybe you can get something out of my experience. Have your partner help prepare meals, keep things easy on yourself. If food becomes a source of stress for you it will only make everything harder. Buy lots of bars and snacks for easy snacking. Find filling snacks. Don’t kill your self trying to eat “clean” or make everything from scratch when you have a newborn constantly demanding your attention. Take care of yourself. Give yourself a break. Good luck!

DomesticKat

My advice is to not eat at a deficit while breastfeeding. The best thing you can do is put all of your stats into MFP and set your account to maintenance, and then eat all of those calories. If you have a baby like mine, you may even be able to eat above maintenance and still lose!

Nature did this wonderful thing where our nursing babies act as the deficit and will help us lose the pregnancy weight at a healthy, steady pace as long as we don't eat back the deficit calories. The key is not eating back the deficit, which is hard because of nursing hunger, so make sure you're eating a good balance of macros to help fill you up and give you enough energy to deal with the extra demands of caring for a baby. Weighing all of your food with a food scale and logging it with the MFP database will help you keep track.

Don't feel like you have to eat anything special because you're breastfeeding. Do make sure you're losing two pounds or less a week so your milk supply isn't diminished because if your body isn't getting enough calories to function, your milk supply can drop. I've lost 45 pounds since my baby was born almost 10 months ago following this method.