Nutrition Tips To Help With Breast Milk Production

If you are a pregnant mother who is soon to give birth to a child, then you should know breastfeeding is incredibly healthy for your baby. Breast milk contains over 200 ingredients that can benefit your baby like antibodies, white blood cells, protein, and nitrogen. If you are unsure exactly how to breastfeed, then you should meet with a lactation consultant who can offer assistance. Once you learn, make sure you are producing more than enough milk by following the nutrition tips listed below.

Drink More Water

Breast milk contains a great deal of lactose and fat, and it also contains a lot of water. The water content in your milk is highest when you first start breastfeeding and the milk thickens the longer your child feeds. The water is required to hydrate your child and it also helps to transfer water soluble vitamins within the milk. As water is used to created breast milk, it is removed from your body. This means you need to drink water during the day to make sure milk production can meet your baby's needs.

The average person needs to drink about two liters of water a day. As a breastfeeding mother, you should drink more than this. Consider drinking one-half to one liter of extra water every day. Drink a glass of water right before you breastfeed and right after as well, to make sure enough breast milk is produced.  

Consume More Oats

Oats can help you produce breast milk as well, because these grains stimulate the hormones that tell the body when to increase milk production. These hormones are released from the pituitary gland and they are essential in making sure you are producing more than enough food for your child. Rolled oats are the most common types of oats available, so consider eating a hearty bowl of oatmeal every morning. Oatmeal cookies and whole grain breakfast bars are a good source of oats as well.

If you want to increase your oat consumption, consider adding raw oats, oat groats, and steel cut oats to your diet too. Also, think about substituting white flour for oat flour when you bake. You can buy the flour at your local grocery store or you can make it by grinding up rolled oats to a fine powder in your blender. Oat flour will not rise as well as wheat flour though, so make sure to add a little bit more baking powder than your recipe calls for.  

Eat Nuts

Nuts are another food that can help with milk production. The amino acids help to provide the protein for the milk, and tryptophan within the nuts helps to stimulate the production of serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter produced by the body that regulates the production of breast milk. Nuts also contain essential fatty acids, and these acids are used in the creation of breast milk. Omega 3 fatty acids also help with circulation, and good circulation is needed to produce and excrete milk.

Almost all types of nuts can help with breast milk production. Almonds, cashews, and peanuts contain the most protein though, so snack on these nuts throughout the day. Walnuts and butternuts are a good choice too, because they have the most omega 3 fatty acids. When you eat the nuts make sure they are unsalted though, or you may add too much sodium to your diet.

If you will be having a baby soon, then you should think about breastfeeding so you can provide your child with the best nutrition. Lactation consultants can help you with this. You can also help yourself produce milk with the tips in this article. Click here for more information.

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