During breastfeeding, your energy needs will increase. But breastfeeding mothers do not need a special diet. You should listen to your body and respond to your appetite.
There is no need to exclude any food while you are breastfeeding. But there are types of seafood that are best to eat less of.
You should also try to avoid drinking alcohol and drink less coffee.
What to eat
You can follow the daily serving suggestions on the food pyramid to keep a healthy diet.
Try to eat a variety of foods. This exposes your baby to different tastes and smells through breastfeeding.
Non-urgent advice: Talk to your GP or dietitian if:
- your have a family history of food allergies
They can offer support and advice
How much to eat
An exclusively breastfeeding mother needs to take an extra 300 to 500 calories per day on average.
Eat 1 to 2 extra snacks a day. This could be a sandwich on wholegrain bread or 2 pieces of fruit.
Exclusively breastfeeding means that your baby only feeds on breast milk and no other food or liquids.
Taking supplements
Continue to take Vitamin D and folic acid after pregnancy.
There is no need to take multivitamin supplements during breastfeeding. If you lost a lot of blood during birth, you may be recommended iron supplements.
Staying hydrated
Staying hydrated while breastfeeding helps your milk supply. Drink plenty of water whenever you feel thirsty.
You can leave a water bottle beside the spot where you normally breastfeed as a reminder to stay hydrated.
Getting help to prepare food
Ask someone to help if you're not finding time to prepare food. They can prepare bite size snacks for you to eat while breastfeeding.
Having a healthy snack will restore your energy when feeding late at night.
Healthy snacks include:
- yogurt
- fruit
- dried fruit and nuts, such as almonds, dried apricots and cashews
- hummus with vegetables, crackers or pitta bread
- milky drinks
- cereal
- nut butter and whole grain toast
- oat biscuits
- crackers and cheese
- flapjacks
- low sugar granola
It is important to increase food intake when your activity levels increase, after the first 3 to 4 weeks.
Avoiding food poisoning
Make sure that your food is properly cooked and stored correctly. This will reduce the risk of food poisoning.
What not to eat and drink when breastfeeding
If your baby is sensitive to certain foods or drinks, you may need to avoid them. This is because traces of what you eat and drink can pass through to your breast milk.
If you have any concerns, talk to your GP, public health nurse, lactation nurse or midwife.
Caffeine
Tea and coffee are not the only products that contain caffeine. It is also present in chocolate, and various energy drinks and soft drinks.
If you do drink caffeine, try not to have more than 200 to 300mg a day. To give you an idea of what that looks like:
- 1 mug of filter coffee = 140mg
- 1 mug of instant coffee = 100mg
- 1 mug of tea = 75mg
- 1 (250ml) can of energy drink = 80mg (larger cans may contain up to 160mg caffeine)
- 1 (354mls) cola drink = 40mg
- 1 (50g) plain chocolate bar = up to 50mg
Drinking more than this will not be harmful. But it may make your baby fussy and unsettled.
If you're having this problem, consider slowly switching to decaffeinated coffee or tea. Reduce caffeine gradually to avoid getting headaches.
Alcohol
When you drink alcohol, it passes from your bloodstream into your breast milk.
It’s important to avoid drinking alcohol until your baby is age 1 month. In the first few weeks, you and your baby are getting used to breastfeeding. This is called establishing breastfeeding.
If you choose to drink alcohol when breastfeeding is established, there are things you can do to avoid passing alcohol to your baby.
It's very important that you never share a bed, or sleep on the sofa with your baby if you've been drinking. This is linked to the risk of cot death.
Shark, swordfish and marlin
It's good to include 2 portions of fish per week.
Avoid eating swordfish, marlin or shark more than once a week. This is because they contain high levels of mercury.
Do not eat more than 2 portions of oily fish a week (such as fresh tuna, salmon, trout, mackerel, herring, sardines and pilchards).
You can eat most other low-mercury seafood while you are breastfeeding. But make sure to buy it from a supplier who follows food safety standards.
Take care when eating scallops. This type of shellfish can contain biotoxins.
Eating seafood when breastfeeding or pregnant- fsai.ie
Allergies and breastfeeding
It is very rare for breastfed babies to have an allergic reaction to foods you are eating.
Talk to your doctor or health visitor if you're worried about your baby developing a food allergy.
Peanuts and breastfeeding
Unless you're allergic to peanuts, there's no evidence to suggest you should avoid them and peanut-based foods while breastfeeding.
Wash hands your hands after eating nuts. Some babies may develop a nut allergy if their skin is exposed to nut oil from your hands.
Cows' milk and breastfeeding
Cows' milk allergy (CMA) is one of the most common childhood food allergies.
It's more common when infant formula milk is introduced or when your baby starts eating solids. But it can sometimes happen during breastfeeding.
Symptoms include:
- skin reactions, such as a red itchy rash
- swelling of the lips and face, and around the eyes
- tummy ache, vomiting, colic, diarrhoea or constipation
- runny or blocked nose
- eczema
Some babies are lactose intolerant (lactose is the natural sugar in milk). This means they cannot digest it. But this is not an allergy and may only be temporary.
Symptoms include:
- diarrhoea
- vomiting
- tummy pain or rumbling
- wind
Non-urgent advice: Talk to your GP or public health nurse if:
- you think your baby is reacting to something in your diet
Keep a food diary
Keeping a food diary may be helpful if you think something in your diet is causing a problem for your baby.
If you’re not sure about a particular food, start by introducing it in small amounts. If your baby has any problems such as extra gas or wind, cut out this food for now. You can try it again at a later stage.
If your baby is reacting to something you've eaten, they'll usually show signs within 2 to 4 hours.
Most babies can handle problem foods in your diet when they get a little older. Try to introduce certain foods into your diet again every 2 to 3 months.
How to tell if your newborn is getting enough breast milk
Pre-pregnancy weight
You may be keen to get back to your pre-pregnancy weight.
Aim to eat a healthy balanced diet and slowly increase exercise when breastfeeding is established. You can still eat extra snacks, but try to choose healthy options.
You can extra support to lose weight if you are overweight or obese after pregnancy. Your PHN or GP can refer you to community dietitian.
It is important to have a healthy weight before your next pregnancy.