Article: Amazing food--Breastmilk

My little Ryan

Ryan is 24-day-old! He is drinking about 9-10 times a day 3oz each. So happy to see him growing bigger and bigger.

To all lactating mothers out there: work hard and keep it up! Breastmilk is the most wonderful gift for your newborn!

Breastfeeding Success

Breastmilk contains appropriate amounts of carbohydrate, protein, and fat. It also provides the digestive proteins, minerals, vitamins, and hormones that infants need, as well as antibodies that help the baby resist common infections which can never be found in infant formulas. Women who breastfeed also benefit:

1. Have less bleeding after childbirth
2. Return to their pre-pregnancy weight faster
3. Have fewer cancers of the ovary, uterus or breast
4. Less common to diagnose osteoporosis

Initially, BM is similar to skim milk, with a relatively low fat content. As the infant continues to suckle and a period of let down occurs, BM becomes higher in fat and calories. Encouraging baby to suck on each breast for at least 10min ensures adequate calorie consumption. Emptying time of BM from the infant’s stomach is 1.5 hours compared to 3 hours for formula-fed infantsneed to nurse every 2 hours for the first few months of life.

At the beginning of the feeding, the milk (foremilk) is bluish and contains lactose and proteins, but little fat. The end of the feeding produces hindmilk, which contains more fat, the main source of energy for your baby.

Nursing early (within the first half-hour), and frequently (on demand, or 8 - 12 times per day), allows you to nurse comfortably and efficiently. It usually takes less than 1 minute for an infant to stimulate the milk ejection reflex. You should feel little discomfort or pain when breastfeeding appropriately.

Within 6 - 8 weeks, your milk supply will adjust to your baby's needs. Before that time, your breasts may feel either too full or empty. Frequent, comfortable feedings will maintain your milk supply. Your milk supply will increase or decrease based on your baby's hunger and energetic sucking (milk demand or use). Changes in your milk supply will occur within 1 - 3 days after changes in milk demand or use.

Lactation and nutrition

In general, lactating women should get nutrients from a well-balanced, varied diet, rather than from vitamin and mineral supplements. Eat generous amounts of fruits and vegetables, whole grain breads and cereals, calcium-rich dairy products, and protein-rich foods (meats, fish, and legumes). Make sure you are getting enough calories (Pre-pregnancy energy requirement + 500kcal)

Food guide:
Milk, yogurt, and cheese -- eat at least 4 servings
Meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, and nuts -- at least 3 servings
Vegetables -- at least 3 to 5 servings
Fruits -- eat 2 to 4 servings (choose two foods high in vitamin C and folic acid, and one food high in vitamin A)
Bread, cereal, rice, and pasta -- at about 6 to 11 servings
Fats, oils, and sweets -- go easy!
Fluid -- 8oz fluid including water, soup, juice

Dos and Don'ts

Breastfeeding mothers can safely eat any foods they like. Some foods may flavor the breast milk, but babies rarely react to this. If your baby is fussy after you eat a certain food, try avoiding that food for a while, then try it again later to see if it is a problem. If you become overly concerned about foods or spices causing problems, try to remember that entire countries and cultures have diets that contain foods that are extremely spicy. In these cultures, the mothers nurse their infants without problems.

It is possible that some highly allergenic foods (strawberries, peanuts) may be passed into breast milk, increasing the risk of a later food allergy in the baby. If this is a concern, discuss food allergies with your pediatrician.

A nursing mother can safely drink moderate amounts of caffeine (equal to 1 cup of coffee per day) without causing harm to her baby. But any more caffeine than that may cause agitation and sleeping difficulties in the baby.

Since alcohol has been found in human milk and can interfere with the milk ejection reflex, avoid alcohol while breastfeeding. An occasional drink, no more than two ounces of alcohol, may be safe, but you should consult your health care provider about the associated risks.

If you are a smoker, this is a great time to quit for yourself and for your baby. Nicotine and other chemicals from cigarettes are found in breast milk. Smoking will increase the number of respiratory infections your baby develops. If you are unable to quit, try to limit the number of cigarettes as much as possible, change to a brand with low nicotine, and visit your doctor regularly.

Returning to work

Here are some tips that have worked well for many breastfeeding mothers who work fulltime outside the home:

If you plan to return to work, introduce your baby to bottle-feeding at 3 to 4 weeks of age. This allows plenty of time to establish good feeding habits. Starting bottle-feeds before 2 weeks of age often results in nipple confusion -- the baby has difficulty changing between the different sucking patterns required for the different types of feeding.

Two weeks before you return to work, buy or rent an efficient and comfortable breast pump and start building up a supply of frozen milk. If the day you return to work arrives and you don't have a freezer full of breast milk, one bottle of formula fed to your baby will be an adequate supplement. After returning to work, express milk 2 or 3 times a day, every 2 to 3 hours to continue exclusively breastfeeding. If you can only get one break a day and you are unable to pump a full day's worth in one pumping, a supplemental bottle of formula may be needed. Be aware, however, that feeding formula decreases the need for breast milk, and your milk supply will decrease accordingly.
Nurse your baby immediately before leaving in the morning and immediately upon return from work in late afternoon. Many mothers find that their babies nurse more frequently in the evenings on days they work. Feed on-demand when you are with your baby.

Info: Medline Plus