Breastfeeding Friendly Recipes

When you’re nursing, you really are eating for two. This is even more true for breastfeeding than for pregnancy. You require more calories – 500 more as opposed to 300 more when pregnant. Many breastfeeding moms, especially in the early weeks, find that they are more thirsty and hungrier than they’ve ever felt in their lives.

Are there any special foods breastfeeding moms should be eating? What about breastfeeding friendly recipes?

There is a lot of misinformation on this topic that abounds. You are likely to hear from friends, your mother in law, or strangers on the street that when your baby is fussy, it’s because of something you ate.

Don’t believe the old wive’s tales.

Even if it increased your pregnancy heartburn, that cabbage or broccoli you ate didn’t affect your baby’s digestion. It is technically impossible for the gas producing substances (nondigestible starchy fibers) to get INTO your milk in the first place.

So you can eat all the garlic, onions, cabbage, beans or whatever you want while nursing without fear. Women all over the world eat a varied diet – including highly spicy foods – without harming their babies. At least one study showed that babies LIKE garlicky milk and will nurse longer and with more vigor when mom has been eating garlic!

Read more about breastfeeding and the mother’s diet here. Unless your baby is allergic to a specific food, there is NO reason to avoid it. Babies are fussy or gassy for many reasons. Most of the time the gassiness will simply pass (pun intended!) and baby will be fine. Thorough burping, keeping baby upright after feedings, nursing on only one side if baby is getting too much milk too fast – these will help baby swallow less air and experience less gas.

There are many different cookbooks geared specifically toward nursing moms as well as online resources where you can find breastfeeding-friendly recipes. This site has free whole foods recipes that you can print out.

The important thing to keep in mind that good nutrition is important for all stages of a woman’s life, but during the reproductive years special attention should be paid to getting a healthy, whole foods diet.

One resource I can wholeheartedly recommend for recipes, exercise tips and nutrition guidelines is the Fit and Healthy Pregnancy Guide.

The challenge when you’re breastfeeding and a busy mom is finding the time to cook a proper meal, so another book chock full of easy and healthy recipes is The One Armed Chef.

This one was a lifesaver for me after my 4th child was born and probably the only reason we ever ate a hot dinner that first year of her life.

All of the recipes are designed to be quick and easy to prepare with one arm – because you have your baby in a sling or in your arms.

Tags: breastfeeding and diet