eating well for breastfeeding

[Stacie:Emma&Josh Mom]

I know I've already asked a million questions about bf this time around, but here's another one for you.  What are your tips for eating well in order to breastfeed?  I'm actually a horrible eater, just eat cause I have to usually not cause I love food in general, and had a hard time last time around making sure I was eating well and often enough cause all I wanted to do was sleep.  Yes, I'll choose sleep over eating anytime.  I've done okay this pg eating often, but not necessarily as healthy as I probably should.  What nutrients/vitamins are important for producing milk / staying healthy and what foods are highest in those so I can try to get good doses of helpful things?  TIA

[GraceKellysmom]

My great breastfeeding nutrition book is out on loan too, it is Dr Sears "The Breastfeeding Book".

LLL suggests eating more whole foods, less chemicals/additives, less artificial sugars, less sodium. They say to eat whole grains (cereals, breads, muffins) made with whole wheat and other whole grains. Dairy products if you can include yogurts, cottage cheese, natural cheeses. Eat leaner meats like chicken and fish. As many fruits and vegetables as you can stand!  :wink:

I kept taking my prenatal vitamin throughout nursing, the insurance company will continue to pay for it if you are nursing.

I would always try to prepare a snack when I could for later, when I had a free moment, but when I was nursing I was usually REALLY hungry. A half a sandwich, lots of fresh fruit, boiled eggs, a veggie plate, muffins, bagels w/cream cheese, yogurt with granola, toast with PB, etc. I didn't cook much the first weeks and we didn't have anyone bringing us foods so it was a lot of easy, snack type foods. It is recommended to get 3 "meals" and 3 "snacks" in those early weeks.

Also very important to get plenty of water. Most hospitals give you the big pitcher for water to go home with you. Fill that up several times a day. Remember caffiene dehydrates you. And things like broth soups or veggie juice can help if you don't like to drink a ton of water. I also love lemon in my water.

[annamum]

I was eating a lot of rotiserie chicken, my dh is not a good cook and our nearby grocery makes it really good. I drunk a lot of whole milk, I could as it didn't bother Anna. I snacked on healthy bars like almonds with raisins and honey or something like that. I ate a lot of fruits, it was winter so my choice was grapefruits, oranges and bananas. I don't generally like water too much so I was drinking juices but not from concentrate, Florida Natural doesn't add additional sugar to its juices and I usually water them down.

This was my basic food for the first weeks. If I remember well, a friend brought me a home-made chilli but Anna had such bad time after I ate it that I avoided beans for a while.

[mommytsa]

Ok, so I'll admit it, I eat terribly.  But the one and only thing that I have ever found that seems to have any effect on milk is how much water I drink.  I can always tell when i haven't had enough water, so IMHO, I would say worry more about the water than the food, but I'm no expert, and I have plenty of "extra" weight to make milk with, so the nutrition factor may be a lot more important to you.

[Luisasmum]

What I found really handy was small cans of tuna (in olive oil or brine if you wish) and small cans of four bean mix. I would just empty a tin of each into a bowl  (rinse the beans first obviously), add some lemon juice, salt and pepper and munch away. It only took a couple of seconds to make. Sometimes if I was being good, I would wash a whole lot of lettuce or baby spinach one day a week and have it in snap lock bags ready to add to my little tuna and bean salad. You could also buy a tub of cherry tomatoes and chuck 'em in if it doesn't affect your milk. It's also fairly quick and easy to cut off a coupla slices of cucumber which goes nice with the tuna and beans too. Hardly any washing up with this salad - just a bowl, a fork and maybe a knife and that's it!

I would also have a loaf of nice wholemeal bread in the freezer - the one I buy defrosts beautifully, like I had bought it that day - it doesn't even have any preservatives! Then I would make up a simple sandwich with the lettuce leaves, some cheese (I bought the already sliced stuff, not processed though - just the sliced cheddar or edam, etc) and whatever else I had in the fridge/cupboard.

Buy lots of little tubs of yoghurt, peaches/pears etc in natural juice, any of the healthier crackers you like are good too. Small cans of baked beans - just nuke 'em and put 'em on some toast, or eat them cold straight out the can! Individually wrapped pieces of cheese are also handy.

Also, make extra for dinner and freeze or put it in the fridge for a quick meal the next day. You can also break roast chicken meat up and put it in the freezer in snap lock bags. Then defrost as you need and add to sandwiches or salads, or just eat it by itself!

Water, water, water - and if you think you've drunk enough, drink some more!!!

Bon appetite!

[Erin (redstarfalling)]

Um..er...yeah...eat healthy and drink lots of water!  I'd really like to say I did the former, but I suspect I didn't eat nearly as healthy as I should have.  :oops: But I drank lots of water and herbal tea and ended up having a good milk supply.  I also kept up with the pre-postnatal vitamins. I'd say, don't stress about it, but do what you can! 

[GraceKellysmom]

Erin, I LOL - Dh says Max is made of Poptarts!  :oops:  Dairy/soy-free was hard those first couple months!