![]() ![]() Foods for New Moms. Losing those pregnancy pounds might be at the front of your mind. But there’s something that's even more important for your body after your baby arrives: eating foods that give you the energy to be the best mom you can be. Routinely eating healthy foods throughout the day will maximize the little energy you probably have as a new mom. If you’re nursing, the quality of your breast milk stays pretty much the same no matter what you choose to eat. But there's a catch: When you aren't getting the needed nutrients from your diet, your body will provide them from your own stores. So make sure you get all the nutrients you and your baby need. It will benefit both of you. ![]() Try to make these healthy foods a regular part of your diet. Salmon. There's no such thing as a perfect food. But salmon is pretty close to it when it comes to a nutritional powerhouse for new moms. Salmon, like other fatty fish, is loaded with a type of fat called DHA. DHA is crucial to the development of your baby's nervous system. All breast milk contains DHA, but levels of it are higher in the milk of women who get more DHA from their diets. The DHA in salmon may also help your mood. Studies suggest it may play a role in preventing postpartum depression. One caution: The FDA recommends that breastfeeding women, women who are pregnant, and women who might get pregnant limit how much salmon they eat. The guidelines recommend an average of 1. The reason is to limit the amount mercury your new child is exposed to. The mercury level in salmon is considered low. Some other fish, such as swordfish or mackerel, have a high amount of mercury and should be avoided altogether. The 1. 2 ounces are an average. Eating more in 1 week - - such as having three servings instead of two - - won't hurt as long as you eat less the following week. Continued. Low- Fat Dairy Products. Whether you prefer yogurt, milk, or cheese, dairy products are an important part of healthy breastfeeding. Milk delivers a boost of bone- strengthening vitamin D. ![]() In addition to providing protein and B vitamins, dairy products are one of the best sources of calcium. If you're breastfeeding, your milk is loaded with calcium to help your baby's bones develop, so it's important for you to eat enough calcium to meet your own needs. Try including at least three cups of dairy each day in your diet. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() In some ways all babies are high need babies, and most babies have high needs in at least one area. Identify these areas with 12 features of a high need baby. Lean Beef. Boost your energy as a new mom with iron- rich foods like lean beef. A lack of iron can drain your energy levels, making it hard for you to keep up with the demands of a newborn baby. Nursing moms need to eat extra protein and vitamin B- 1. Lean beef is an excellent source for both. Legumes. Iron- rich beans, particularly dark- colored ones like black beans and kidney beans, are a great breastfeeding food, especially for vegetarians. They’re a budget- friendly source of high quality, non- animal protein. Blueberries. Breastfeeding moms should be sure to get two or more servings of fruit or juice each day. Blueberries are an excellent choice to help you meet your needs. ![]() Jaundice (also known as hyperbilirubinemia) is the cause of the yellow tinge that colors the skin and eyeballs of newborn infants, especially in the first week or two. These satisfying and yummy berries are filled with good- for- you vitamins and minerals, and they give you a healthy dose of carbohydrates to keep your energy levels high. Brown Rice. You might be tempted to cut back on carbs to help lose the baby weight. Losing weight too quickly may cause you to make less milk and leave you feeling sluggish. Mix healthy, whole- grain carbs like brown rice into your diet to keep your energy levels up. Foods like brown rice provide your body the calories it needs to make the best- quality milk for your baby. Oranges. Portable and nutritious, oranges are a great food to boost energy. Oranges and other citrus fruits are excellent breastfeeding foods, since nursing moms need more vitamin C than pregnant women. Can't find time to sit down for a snack? Sip on some orange juice as you go about your day - - you'll get the vitamin C benefit, and you can opt for calcium- fortified varieties to get even more out of your drink. Continued. Eggs. Eggs are a versatile way to meet your daily protein needs. Scramble a couple of eggs for breakfast, toss a hard- boiled egg or two on your lunchtime salad, or have an omelet and salad for dinner. Opt for DHA- fortified eggs to boost the level of this essential fatty acid in your milk. Whole- Wheat Bread. Folic acid is crucial to your baby's development in the early stages of pregnancy. But its importance doesn't end there. Folic acid is an important nutrient in your breast milk that your baby needs for good health, and it's crucial you eat enough for your own well- being, too. Enriched whole- grain breads and pastas are fortified with it, and also give you a healthy dose of fiber and iron. Leafy Greens. Leafy green veggies like spinach, Swiss chard, and broccoli are filled with vitamin A, which is good for you and your baby. The benefits don’t stop there. They're a good non- dairy source of calcium and contain vitamin C and iron. Green veggies are also filled with heart- healthy antioxidants and are low in calories. Whole- Grain Cereal. After yet another sleepless night, one of the best foods to boost energy for new moms in the morning is a healthy breakfast of whole- grain cereal. Many cold cereals are fortified with essential vitamins and nutrients to help you meet your daily needs. Whip up a healthy, hot breakfast by stirring blueberries and skim milk into a delicious serving of oatmeal. Water. Breastfeeding moms are especially at risk for energy- draining dehydration. ![]() To keep your energy levels and milk production up, make sure you stay well- hydrated. You can vary your options and meet some of your fluid requirements by drinking juice and milk. But be careful when it comes to caffeinated drinks like coffee or tea. Have no more than 2- 3 cups a day, or switch to decaf. Caffeine enters your breast milk and can cause your baby to become irritable and sleep poorly. Breastfeed without restriction Research tells us that both more frequent breastfeeding and breastfeeding longer than six months increases maternal weight loss. Risk factors for recurrent plugged ducts or mastitis Most mothers do not have repeated bouts of mastitis or plugged ducts, but when there is a history it's always a. DISCLAIMER: The information on this website is not intended and should not be construed as medical advice. Consult your health provider. BBW Birth Story Pages. WebMD offers diet tips for new moms that will help boost your energy and increase nutrients for both you and your baby. Sources. SOURCES: Melinda Johnson, MS, RD, national spokeswoman, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, formerly the American Dietetic Association. La Leche League International: . Journal of Family Health Care, 2. Alabama Cooperative Extension System: . All rights reserved. Babies with Jaundice . In most cases, it’s harmless, but jaundice phobia on the part of parents and healthcare providers often creates obstacles to successful breastfeeding. Here’s some background on jaundice and ways to minimize interference with breastfeeding. WHAT IS NEWBORN JAUNDICE? Jaundice (also known as hyperbilirubinemia) is the cause of the yellow tinge that colors the skin and eyeballs of newborn infants, especially in the first week or two. Jaundice happens because babies are born with more red blood cells than they need. When the liver breaks down these excess cells it produces a yellow pigment called bilirubin. Because the newborn’s immature liver can’t dispose of bilirubin quickly, the excess yellow pigment is deposited in the eyeballs and skin of the newborn. This kind of a jaundice is called physiologic jaundice, because it is part of a normal body process. Once the newborn’s bilirubin- disposal system matures and the excess red blood cells diminish, the jaundice subsides – usually within a week or two – and causes baby no harm. Jaundice is more common in premature infants, who are less able to cope with excess bilirubin. In some situations, such as an incompatibility of blood types between mother and baby, jaundice may be the result of problems that go beyond the normal breakdown of excess red blood cells. In rare instances, the bilirubin levels can rise high enough to damage baby’s brain. For this reason, if the healthcare provider suspects that something more than normal physiologic jaundice is the cause of baby’s yellow color, bilirubin levels will be monitored more closely, using blood samples. If the bilirubin level gets too high, your doctor may try to lower the bilirubin level using phototherapy, special lights which dissolve the extra bilirubin in the skin, allowing it to be excreted in the urine. WHY IS JAUNDICE A PROBLEM FOR BREASTFEEDING BABIES? Bilirubin levels average 2- 3 milligrams higher in breastfed infants than in formula- fed infants (1. The difference is thought to be due to an as- yet unidentified factor in breastmilk that promotes increased intestinal absorption of bilirubin, so that it goes back into the bloodstream rather than moving on to the liver. Higher rates of jaundice in breastfed infants may also be related to lower milk intakes in the first days after birth, because of infrequent or inefficient feeding. It is normal for jaundice to last a bit longer in breastfeeding infants, sometimes until the third week after birth. While most newborn jaundice is harmless, common medical remedies for jaundice can interfere with getting breastfeeding off to a good start. Therefore, healthcare providers and parents should be cautious about treating a condition in which the cure can create more problems than the disease. Watch out for what we call the “yellow flags” that signal an overreaction to jaundice in the breastfeeding baby. In most cases, it is not necessary to treat jaundice when bilirubin levels are less than 2. Most jaundiced infants do not need supplements of water, sugar water or formula. Avoiding breastfeeding for a day or two is not usually necessary to bring down bilirubin levels. Shake off any suggestion that something about your milk is bad for your baby. As long as your baby is otherwise healthy, jaundice is short- lived and harmless. If your baby’s jaundice is related to other health problems, your milk is very valuable for him and you should continue to breastfeed. WHAT TO DO ABOUT JAUNDICELowering baby’s bilirubin levels also helps to lower the worry level of both parents and healthcare providers. The things you do to get breastfeeding off to a good start will also help you avoid problems with jaundice. Early, frequent, unrestricted breastfeeding helps to eliminate bilirubin from baby’s body. Bilirubin exits the body in the infant’s stools, and because breastmilk has a laxative effect, frequent breastfeeders tend to have lots of soiled diapers and thus, lower bilirubin levels. Be sure that your baby is latched on well and is sucking efficiently. See “Latch- on basics” and “Signs of efficient latch” for tips on getting baby to nurse well. Jaundice sometimes makes babies sleepy, so they nurse less enthusiastically. You may have to take the lead and wake your baby during the day to encourage her to nurse. See “Waking the sleepy baby” for suggestions. If phototherapy treatment is necessary because of a high bilirubin level, talk to your healthcare provider about alternatives to placing baby in the hospital nursery under phototherapy lights. For most babies a photo- optic bilirubin- blanket (phototherapy lights that wrap around the baby) works well. You can hold and breastfeed your baby at home while the lights dissolve the bilirubin. Giving breastfed babies bottles of sugar water in hopes of reducing bilirubin levels has been shown to be ineffective. It may even aggravate the jaundice, because babies whose tummies are full of glucose solutions may nurse less often, reducing their milk intake and the opportunities for bilirubin to be excreted in stools. If your doctor advises giving formula supplements to provide more fluids and calories and decrease the intestinal absorption of bilirubin, work with a lactation consultant to give supplements via a supplementary nursing system, syringe, or finger- feeding methods. See “Alternatives to bottles”. This will avoid problems with nipple confusion. Don’t worry, make milk. If your baby is jaundiced, be sure you understand what type of jaundice your baby has. If it’s normal physiologic jaundice, you have absolutely nothing to worry about. If it’s jaundice due to a medical cause, such as a blood group incompatibility, be sure you understand that this is easily treated and should not interfere with your breastfeeding. Worry may cause you to make less milk and doubt your ability to nourish your baby at the breast. This gets in the way of breastfeeding success. In some breastfed babies, bilirubin levels may exceed 2. It was once thought that this was a distinct type of jaundice, called breast milk jaundice, that was found in a small group of mothers whose milk contained a substance believed to interfere with bilirubin absorption. Treatment for this type of jaundice involved taking baby off the breast for 2. This brought bilirubin levels down, but sabotaged the course of breastfeeding. More recent research suggests that high bilirubin levels and prolonged jaundice in otherwise healthy breastfed babies are just normal variants of ordinary physiologic newborn jaundice. There may well be a substance in the milk of most mothers that inhibits the absorption of bilirubin by the intestines, but whether a baby has a little jaundice or a lot is largely due to individual differences in both babies and mothers. Nevertheless, some healthcare providers may suggest a period of temporary weaning (2. Work with your doctor to determine if there are other alternatives, for example, phototherapy, that would allow breastfeeding to continue without restrictions. If you do decide to try formula for a day or two, be sure to pump your breasts every two to three hours so that you will continue to make milk and avoid a breast infection. Formula supplements can be given using alternatives to bottles, to avoid problems with nipple confusion when baby returns to the breast.
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