“If a mother is breastfeeding, then she needs an extra 400 to 500 calories per day,” she adds. If a nursing mother is not eating enough, the breast milk will still contain all the healthy properties for the baby to meet their caloric needs; however, the mother's body will suffer as a result, says Pinkerton.
In fact, eating too few calories may impact your breastmilk supply. Aim to consume a minimum of 1500 to 1800 calories per day, depending on your individual needs. Any less than this and it may also be more difficult to get all the nutrients your body needs while nursing.
You need more calories than usual to fuel breast milk production, and not eating enough can hurt your milk supply. In general, most breastfeeding moms need 450 to 500 extra calories a day, for a total of around 2,500 calories daily.
Your body works hard to produce breast milk, so you need to fuel it with plenty of nutrients. This means you may need to eat more or increase your intake of key nutrients. Most women need to consume extra calories to help produce enough breast milk. Nursing mothers should not skip meals, including breakfast.
Most moms can safely lose up to 1.5 pounds per week or 6 pounds per month after the second month and not affect milk supply or baby's well being. One study has suggested that short-term weight loss of 2.2 pounds (1 kg) per week is not a problem (in this study, moms dieted for 11 days).
Signs of Poor Nutrition Postpartum
You may not be getting enough to eat as a new mom if you find yourself experiencing any of the following signs and symptoms: Feeling sluggish, lack of energy, and chronically fatigued. Recurring headaches. Lethargy.
If you're low on calories, it could affect your milk supply and energy level – both of which are not good for nursing moms. So typically for women who are breastfeeding, I do not advise intermittent fasting.
Your body is always making milk. That means there's no need to wait for the supply to “replenish” between feedings. In fact, waiting a long time between feeding your baby can actually reduce your milk supply. That's because your body does an amazing job of producing the right amount of milk to keep your baby happy.
Breastfeeding mothers should consume at least 1800 calories a day and can safely lose around 1 lb/week (La Leche League, 2010; Lauwers & Swisher, 2015). Aim to eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables while minimizing empty carbohydrates and junk food.
Hospitals have an important role in getting breastfeeding off to a good start, and community health workers need to become aware that breastfeeding does not exempt babies from being underfed. Underfeeding at the breast must be recognized as a likely diagnosis in breast-fed infants who are failing to thrive.
About breastfeeding and diet
A healthy diet is always important, but it's especially important if you are breastfeeding. Breastfeeding uses a lot of energy and nutrients. It is important that your diet supplies the nutrients you need during breastfeeding, including: protein.
After that, breastfeeding may help people lose weight. People who exclusively breastfeed may use 400–500 calories daily to produce the milk a baby requires from 0 to 6 months. This is on top of their usual calorie requirements. People who consume fewer calories than their body uses may lose weight.
For example, if you breastfeed three times per day and produce 5 ounces of milk during each feeding, you are producing 15 ounces of milk per day. When producing 15 ounces of milk per day, you will burn an estimated 396 calories per day.
This question comes up often as more breastfeeding moms are pumping and often times, exclusively pumping to produce breast milk. Another common related question that moms ask is does pumping burn as many calories as nursing? The answer to this helps answer the first question, which is a resounding Yes!
Your breasts feel softer
This happens as your milk supply adjusts to your baby's needs. The initial breast fullness reduces in the first few weeks. At around 6 weeks, breast fullness is completely gone and your breasts may feel soft. This is completely normal and has no effect on your milk supply.
Your breasts will feel lighter
When your breasts are empty, they will probably feel lighter and no longer uncomfortably full, as they might have at the start of the pumping session. You can also pick them up to see if they still feel heavy or full of milk.
If you're dehydrated, you may be unable to produce enough breast milk. Breast milk is made of around 80% water. If you don't drink enough fluids or lose them too quickly, dehydration can set in. That means your body may not have enough water to create breast milk for your baby.
If you are breastfeeding, you need to be prepared to eat more than if you're bottle feeding. Unfortunately, the extra stress of figuring out how breastfeeding works on top of being sleep-deprived can contribute to a reduced appetite for the first few days after giving birth.
This may sound like a lot of food, but eating and hydrating well throughout the day and night will do wonders for your energy levels and help you to keep producing milk.
Breastfeeding continues to provide your child with many health and developmental benefits for as long as you decide to nurse, even if it's only a feeding or two per day. The longer you breastfeed, the better it is for your child.
Many breastfeeding moms feel extra hungry, which makes sense: Your body is working nonstop to produce breast milk for your growing baby. Eating several small meals per day, with healthy snacks in between, is a good way to keep your hunger in check and your energy levels high.
As a nursing mother, you need about 16 cups per day of water, which can come from food, beverages and drinking water, to compensate for the extra water that is used to make milk. One way to help you get the fluids you need is to drink a large glass of water each time you breastfeed your baby.
Did you know that you burn up to 1000 calories per day while breastfeeding? In fact, breastfeeding mums exert up to 25 per cent of their energy to produce breast milk. That's one hell of a workout, so it makes sense that feeding a baby might leave you feeling more than a little sleepy!