I’ve been teaching about lifecycle nutrition for several years in my General Nutrition courses. But, I never had more than an academic interest in breastfeeding and nutrition until my daughter was born earlier this year. She was a preemie baby so it was even more important to me that she only receive breast milk. Did you know that the milk produced by the mother of a pre-term infant is higher in protein and other nutrients than the milk produced by the mother of a term infant? I think it is fascinating that our bodies can adapt the nutritional composition of milk based on our baby’s gestational age. Human milk also contains lipase, an enzyme that allows the baby to digest fat more efficiently. A breastfed preemie is less likely to develop infections that are common to babies fed breast milk substitutes.
Did you also know that a breastfeeding Mom requires more calories than a woman in her third trimester of pregnancy? A woman in her third trimester of pregnancy is advised to eat an extra 450 calories per day while a breastfeeding woman requires an additional 500 calories per day. (The recommendation if you are trying to lose weight is to take in 330 extra calories and allow the other calories to come from your body’s stores.) Overall, most women need at least 1,800 calories per day to receive the nutrients required for successful lactation. Taking care of a newborn is a full-time job – when do you find time to eat? I would easily go 14 hours without eating between the night feedings and morning feedings. The lack of adequate nutrition made my fatigue even worse. After a few weeks, I figured out that having a snack around 4 am (or whenever I was up) helped a lot. When you are sleep-deprived, it is mandatory that snacks are no-brainers. Things that I found were easy to keep in stock and could be grabbed by the handful were: grapes, trail mix, crackers and peanut butter, cheese sticks. It can be anything that is nourishing and satisfying but literally, you want something that can be eaten in 2 minutes. When you are new Mom or know of a new Mom, remember that the proverbial ‘midnight snack’ can be a great way to take in those extra calories that are needed for nursing.
Written By: Beth Blake, RD
Sources:
La Leche League www.llli.org
Whitney E, Rolfes SR. Understanding Nutrition. Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2011.
California Dietetic Association - Orange District 