5 Jan 2017 | 4 min Read
Medically reviewed by
Author | Articles
Now that you have become a mother, it’s likely that your entire focus is on your newborn. It is however important that you focus on your own health as well! After all, only when you regain your own strength and energy can you breastfeed and focus on your child’s health and development.
Considering you are a nursing mommy, eating nutrient-rich food will ensure that your baby gets the right nutrition through your milk.
On an average, a nursing mom needs about 500 additional calories a day. Even though breastfeeding helps burn calories, it also makes mothers very hungry. Hence it’s important that you focus on eating complex carbohydrates like whole grains, millets, pulses, legumes, fresh and seasonal fruits, and vegetables along with foods high in protein, calcium and iron.
You will get a lot of well-meaning advice and suggestions with regards to your diet in the postnatal period but not all advice are worth taking!
Here is busting some myths and confirming some facts to give you clarity…
Your body already has enough fat reserves that it gathered during the pregnancy. Increasing the intake of ghee will lead to weight gain in the postpartum period.
BabyChakra Tip – Instead of eating dry fruit laddoos or panjiri, drink a glass of milk with dry fruits in it. Alternatively, you can prepare porridge with milk and dry fruits to get the same benefit without extra calories.
In most cases, what you eat doesn’t affect the baby. What you eat has already digested by the time it reaches your baby through your milk.
BabyChakra Tip – It’s best to watch your baby before making changes to your diet. If your baby seems fussy after you have eaten certain foods, maintain a food dairy and make changes in your diet accordingly.
There is no scientific evidence stating this.
BabyChakra Tip – Instead of a balanced diet of foods rich in proteins, minerals and vitamins will help increase your breast milk supply.
Even though spicy food does flavour your breast milk slightly; unless your baby seems uncomfortable or fussy after a feed, it’s ok to eat spicy food.
While there is no scientific evidence to this, traditionally eating ajwain or drinking boiled water with ajwain is considered to help in digestion for both mother and baby.
BabyChakra Tip – Even though there is no scientific evidence there is no harm in having it. Provided you have a nutritious diet along with this.
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Suggestions offered by doctors on BabyChakra are of advisory nature i.e., for educational and informational purposes only. Content posted on, created for, or compiled by BabyChakra is not intended or designed to replace your doctor's independent judgment about any symptom, condition, or the appropriateness or risks of a procedure or treatment for a given person.