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The Importance of Proper Nutrition While Breastfeeding

August 17, 2021

Mother breastfeeding baby
Breastfeeding offers tons of well-proven physical and mental benefits for both moms and their bundles of joy. But breastfeeding is no easy task and can require a lot from your body. It’s important to stay hydrated and eat a diet rich in protein, iron, calcium, and other nutrients. Taking vitamins can help. Here are some suggestions for getting your daily dietary requirements.

Water

Staying hydrated is a must if you’re a breastfeeding mom. If you get too little liquid, your milk production can slow down. There is no better way to get the liquid your body needs than drinking water. Experts recommend drinking about 128 ounces, or 16 eight-ounce glasses, each day.

Protein

A steady supply of milk requires lots of protein-rich foods. It’s so essential, in fact, that new mamas should make sure to add 25 grams of protein to their daily intake while breastfeeding. Here are some yummy ways to get it:

  • Meat, fish, and chicken
  • Eggs
  • Cheese and yogurt
  • Nuts
  • Legumes

Iron

During pregnancy, your body used up much of its iron supply. While you are breastfeeding, it’s recommended you get 9 milligrams of iron each day. Here are some iron-rich foods that can help you get there.

  • Red meat, chicken, and fish
  • Leafy green veggies
  • Legumes
  • Nuts and dried fruit
  • Whole grain breads and cereals

Calcium

Getting the right amount of calcium is crucial to you as a new mom to meet the increased demands on your body. The lack of calcium now can weaken your bones later. The recommended daily allowance while nursing is 1,300 milligrams. You can find calcium in:

  • Milk
  • Yogurt
  • Hard cheeses
  • Calcium-fortified orange juice
  • Calcium-fortified tofu

Vitamin C

As a nursing mom, you need even more vitamin C than you did while pregnant. Experts recommend getting 120 milligrams per day. These foods are great sources of vitamin C:

  • Citrus fruits
  • Broccoli
  • Cantaloupe
  • Potatoes
  • Bell peppers
  • Tomato
  • Cauliflower

Folate and Folic Acid

While nursing, you can easily deplete your supply of folate. You can get this essential B vitamin naturally in a wide variety of foods, including:

  • Spinach, asparagus, brussels sprouts, avocados, and broccoli
  • Beans, peas, chickpeas, peanuts, and kidney beans
  • Breakfast cereals, white rice, enriched spaghetti, and white bread
  • Oranges, orange juice, bananas, and cantaloupe
  • Beef, halibut, crab, and chicken

Vitamins

Sometimes breastfeeding moms need extra help getting the essential vitamins and minerals their bodies need. A good multivitamin can help fill the gaps with much-needed nutrients. Prenate® Restore is an excellent option for ensuring adequate probiotic consumption postpartum and helping moms replenish nutrients lost during breastfeeding. Learn more about Prenate® Restore here.

 

Prenate® Vitamin Family
This post is brought to you by the Prenate® Vitamin Family, a line of prescription prenatal supplements designed to enhance preconception, prenatal, and postpartum nutrition in women. Talk with your doctor about how taking a daily prescription prenatal or postnatal vitamin could help support a healthy pregnancy and postpartum wellness.

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IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

WARNING: Accidental overdose of iron-containing products is a leading cause of fatal poisoning in children under 6. Keep this product out of reach of children. In case of accidental overdose, call a doctor or poison control center immediately.

WARNING: Ingestion of more than 3 grams of omega-3 fatty acids (such as DHA) per day has been shown to have potential antithrombotic effects, including an increased bleeding time and International Normalized Ratio (INR). Administration of omega-3 fatty acids should be avoided in patients taking anticoagulants and in those known to have an inherited or acquired predisposition to bleeding.

This site and its contents are an information resource only, and are neither intended to nor should be used in replacement of your doctor or other prescribing professional’s medical guidance, recommendations or advice. Neither this site nor its information should be used or relied upon for any diagnostic, medical, treatment, nutritional or other purpose. All aspects of pregnancy, including whether pregnancy is right for you, and the nourishment and care of your child, should be made with your doctor and other appropriate medical professional, and in consideration of your and your child’s particular medical history. Avion Pharmaceuticals, LLC (“Avion”) makes no representation, warranty or other undertaking that this site or its information are appropriate for you or your child’s specific needs or issues, and further expressly disclaims all damages, losses, injuries or liability whatsoever incurred or alleged to have been incurred in consequence of your reliance on the information on this site. Avion does not endorse any test, procedure, treatment, remedy, therapy, cure, nutritional regimen, method or other activity or undertaking that you and/or your doctor or other medical professional may elect or recommend. By visiting this site you agree to these terms and conditions and acknowledge that you have read and understand the same. These terms and conditions, together with any information on this site, may be amended, restated or otherwise changed from time to time and at any time by Avion within the sole, absolute and uncontrolled exercise of its discretion. You acknowledge and agree that Avion has no duty or obligation to keep you informed of any amendments to, restatements of or other changes to these terms and conditions or this site, and that you are solely and exclusively responsible for apprising yourself of the same.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

WARNING: Accidental overdose of iron-containing products is a leading cause of fatal poisoning in children under 6. Keep this product out of reach of children. In case of accidental overdose, call a doctor or poison control center immediately.

WARNING: Ingestion of more than 3 grams of omega-3 fatty acids (such as DHA) per day has been shown to have potential antithrombotic effects, including an increased bleeding time and International Normalized Ratio (INR). Administration of omega-3 fatty acids should be avoided in patients taking anticoagulants and in those known to have an inherited or acquired predisposition to bleeding.

This site and its contents are an information resource only, and are neither intended to nor should be used in replacement of your doctor or other prescribing professional’s medical guidance, recommendations or advice. Neither this site nor its information should be used or relied upon for any diagnostic, medical, treatment, nutritional or other purpose. All aspects of pregnancy, including whether pregnancy is right for you, and the nourishment and care of your child, should be made with your doctor and other appropriate medical professional, and in consideration of your and your child’s particular medical history. Avion Pharmaceuticals, LLC (“Avion”) makes no representation, warranty or other undertaking that this site or its information are appropriate for you or your child’s specific needs or issues, and further expressly disclaims all damages, losses, injuries or liability whatsoever incurred or alleged to have been incurred in consequence of your reliance on the information on this site. Avion does not endorse any test, procedure, treatment, remedy, therapy, cure, nutritional regimen, method or other activity or undertaking that you and/or your doctor or other medical professional may elect or recommend. By visiting this site you agree to these terms and conditions and acknowledge that you have read and understand the same. These terms and conditions, together with any information on this site, may be amended, restated or otherwise changed from time to time and at any time by Avion within the sole, absolute and uncontrolled exercise of its discretion. You acknowledge and agree that Avion has no duty or obligation to keep you informed of any amendments to, restatements of or other changes to these terms and conditions or this site, and that you are solely and exclusively responsible for apprising yourself of the same.

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