Nursing Nutrition 101 + Summer Nursing Clothes!

Happy Monday, friends! You guys loved Lauren from The Dessert Dietician so much that I’m letting her take over the blog again today and she’s talking all things breastfeeding nutrition. Whether you’re a first time mom or a nursing veteran, Lauren does such a good job of breaking down the diet myths surrounding breastfeeding. I learned a ton reading through this post, so I hope that you guys enjoy it too. At the end I’ve also rounded up my current favorite nursing friendly fashions! Make sure to forward this post along to all of your favorite expecting mamas!

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Lauren here:

If you’re keeping up with my guest posts, you know that my focus for the next month is pregnancy nutrition. My last post was all about prep ahead and quick easy meals post baby. Today I want to talk a bit about breastfeeding nutrition. Sure, pregnancy and child birth are tough, but I think many moms would agree that breastfeeding is the HARDEST! It’s constant, it’s tiring, it’s often painful, and it’s definitely not glamorous. So between feeding your babe, changing diapers, sleep schedules, and (heaven forbid) taking care of your own personal needs, worrying about your nutrition needs while breastfeeding can seem downright intimidating. Here’s the good news: there is no special breastfeeding diet. Let me repeat: there is no special breastfeeding diet. You’re welcome. Have a great new mom life. Just kidding. I would never leave you hangin’ like that without explaining more (says the girl who could talk for hours about nutrition).

Many of you may be confused right now. You’ve read multiple mommy blogs telling you not to eat tomatoes or never to touch spicy foods while breastfeeding, and you’re sitting here asking yourself “who is this kook telling me that none of my mommy blogs are true?!” Am I right? So let me start my discussion by explaining what is a reliable source of health advice versus what is not, and how to tell the difference.
How to identify a reliable source:
URLs: If your resource is a website, you want to make sure the site ends in .org, .gov, or .edu. These tend to be the most trustworthy. Occasionally .com can be ok, but you have to dig a little deeper to double check those (see below for how to dig deeper).
The “professionals” who are quoted or who wrote the article: Especially if your article is about nutrition, you want to make sure that a nutrition expert either wrote the article or is the one being quoted in it. This should be a registered dietitian (RD) or possibly a physician (MD or DO) or Ph.D. studying in the area of nutrition. You definitely don’t want to be taking nutrition advice from a “nutritionist” (which is a term that is not regulated) or a personal trainer, for example.
What is cited: A truly good article should have studies sited from which they drew their information (I’ll get more into how to know if a study is reliable or not below).
How to identify a reliable study:
Who the study was done on: This may seem obvious, but if the study was only done on rats, for example, that same outcome may or may not be true for humans. Ideally we want human studies!
Who funded the study: If the study proves that Coca Cola is great for bone health, and Coca Cola funded it, be weary!
Where the study was published: Ideally you want to look at studies published in scientific journals. This means that the study was checked out for accuracy by other experts before it was published.
How many people were in the study: If you read a great study, but it was only done on 10 people, it’s not likely that those same results apply to the general population. The more people the better, and the more people who are like you the better. If a study was done on 100 people but they’re all obese men, it may not apply to you.

Ok now onto the fun stuff. I’m going to break the rest of this post down by the most common questions I get about breastfeeding.
Do I need extra calories while breastfeeding?
Yes, you might need to eat a little more — about an additional 300 to 500 calories a day — to keep up your energy. To get these extra calories, opt for nutrient-rich choices. An example of a nutrient-rich 300 calorie snack is a medium banana with 1.5 Tablespoons of peanut butter. Easy peasy.
What does a breastfeeding diet look like?
It looks like your normal, balanced diet! Our bodies truly are miraculous. Research shows that even if some nutrients are missing from your diet, you will still produce milk that contains everything your baby needs to grow. There is almost no difference in milk from a mom that has a “perfect” diet versus one who is severely malnourished. Crazy to think about, huh?? Your diet also has nothing to do with the volume of milk you produce either. With all of that being said, of course it is still best to follow a balanced diet, more so for your own personal health! Focus on:
lean proteins (such as eggs, white meat chicken/turkey, beans, lentils),
dairy (milk, yogurt),
fish (salmon, sardines, light tuna- not albacore),
8-12 oz/week has been shown to help with baby’s brain development, but stick to low mercury varieties such as those listed above.
whole grains (such as quinoa, whole wheat bread, oatmeal),
healthy fats (such as olive oil, avocado, nuts),
fruits (such as bananas, berries, apples),
and vegetables (such as mushrooms, spinach, tomatoes).

Although many blogs out there will tell you to avoid certain foods while breastfeeding, the opposite is actually true. Studies show that eating a variety of foods while breastfeeding will change the flavor of your breast milk and will, therefore, help expand your baby’s tastes. This helps your baby to more easily accept solid foods down the road! Some studies are even showing that including all foods in your diet (including potential allergens) can actually help protect your baby against food allergies, but more research is needed in this area. Also, it’s never a bad idea to continue taking your prenatal vitamin while breastfeeding. Although supplements are never a substitute for good nutrition, it’s a great safety net.
Are there foods I should avoid while breastfeeding?
In short, no. You’ve got enough stress in your life with a new babe! So hopefully hearing this gives you a sigh of relief. If you find that your baby is often fussy right after feeding, your baby could have a sensitivity to something you are eating. Just like adults, sensitivities differ from baby to baby. My recommendation it to keep a food diary, which includes how your baby reacts after each feeding, if you start to notice discomfort in your baby after feedings (diarrhea, fussiness, rash, congestion). If you identify a common food that your baby seems to be reacting to, cut it out of your diet for a week or two and see if this changes the baby’s reaction post feeding. If it does, eliminate it from your diet. If it doesn’t, add it back in and try eliminating another common food. Foods to consider eliminating are cow’s milk, peanuts, soy, wheat, eggs or corn. And of course, consult your doctor if you do believe your baby is having a reaction. But again, if it doesn’t appear that your baby is having any trouble after feedings, there is NO reason to eliminate any of these foods!
Will certain foods help me produce more milk?
No. Easy as that.
What do I drink (and how much) while breastfeeding?
WATER. And lots of it! The best way to know if you are drinking enough water is the color of your urine. It should be a pale yellow. If it is any darker than that, you need to drink more. Gross as it may be, this is really the only way to know. There is no magic equation to determine how much you need to drink.
Try your best to stay away from sugary drinks like sodas or juices (yes-even though they are trendy, they are not great). This can make weight loss post baby much harder. I’ll get more into post baby weight loss in my next post! Watch out for too much caffeine too. I recommend limiting to 2-3 cups (16-24 ounces) of caffeinated drinks daily. Too much can agitate your baby.

Good luck! This is such a special time in you and your baby’s life. Not only does breastfeeding help you form a special bond with your baby, but research shows that it helps protect your baby from illness. And it’s also good for you, mom! It may help lower your risk for type 2 DM and breast and ovarian cancers. Happy breastfeeding! Feel free to message me from my blog (www.thedessertdietitian.com) if you have additional questions for me!
Resources:
http://www.llli.org/nb/nbmarapr04p44.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21348815
https://wicworks.fns.usda.gov/wicworks/Topics/BreastfeedingFactSheet.pdf
http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/030413p14.shtml

Wasn’t that good stuff? I love the no frills approach to a diet appropriate for nursing. It’s also such a reality check to understand that you only need an extra 300-500 calories a day while nursing….I totally use it to justify “cheat” meals and snacks which is not good!

Now, on to nursing clothes! I could not get over how many of you asked for more nursing clothes suggestions. I’m happy to help since I’m going through the exact same things.

Here are some details to look for:

-Button Up // Either buttons all the way down of half ways will work

–Surplice (wrap front) // Make sure that the wrap closure has a small snap instead of being stitched together.

–Off the Shoulder // Praise that this is the trendiest neckline this Fall. It allows for SUPER easy access. With strapless bras, I always just avoid underwire and usully opt for a bandeau type while nursing.

Here are all of my current favorites. I bought 1, 2, 5, 6, 8 + 10:

One of my favorite brands thats I find always has good nursing friendly options and keeps you on trend is Mara Hoffman! More of an investment, but I suggest buying one of two great dresses to take you through Summer!

Hope that you guys have a wonderful week! xo