Food and Recipes

It is really important to take care of yourself in the time following your baby’s birth. It is too easy to fill your time with visiting your baby in the neonatal unit, expressing milk, answering phonecalls and coping with visitors. You have to remember that you have just had a baby and you need some time to recover.

The way you are feeling both mentally and physically can really affect your milk production. Be a little selfish and indulge yourself with some looking after.

It is really important for a mother who is expressing breast milk or breast feeding to have a good and varied diet. Initially following delivery you may have a reduction in your appetite but it is really important to try and eat small nutritious meals or snacks and have a good intake of fluids.

A lactating mother needs to take in extra calories to help her produce breast milk. The more milk produced the more calories she needs to eat. It is thought that a fully lactating woman needs 500 extra calories a day, that is equivalent to a small meal.

There is no better time to look at your diet. Foods belong to different food groups according to their function within the body. If a lactating mother eats a diet that is varied and contains the food groups listed below she should be able to support her body to meet the demands of sustaining good lactation.

Carbohydrates – Carbohydrates provide us with energy and should make up about half of the lactating mother’s daily food intake. To be able to produce milk, recover from the birth of your baby and visit the NNU, you will need good levels of energy. Good sources of carbohydrates are wholegrain breads, cereals, fruit and vegetables.

Proteins – Protiens are used by the body to build and repair tissue, and are essential following pregnancy and delivery. They can also be used as a source of energy if the diet is low in carbohydrate. The best source of protein is from animal sources such as meat, dairy and fish but also from nuts, cereals, legumes (lentils, beans etc) and soya products such as tofu and soymilk. Vegetarian mothers have to be particularly aware that they are getting enough protein.

Fats – Fats are really important in our diet. They play a vital role in the absorption of some vitamins and are essential in brain function including mood regulation and memory; this is hugely important when trying to cope with “baby brain”. However it is recommended that only about a third of your daily food intake is made up of fat and where possible choose good fats from sources such as oily fish, nuts and seeds.

Vitamins – Vitamins are classed either as water soluble or fat soluble. They have various functions to help the body remain healthy. Water soluble vitamins can be transferred from a mother to her baby through breast milk. These are the B vitamins and vitamin C. Vitamin B6 is essential in brain development so it is very important that the lactating mother’s diet is rich in this vitamin. Good sources of vitamin B6 are eggs, pork, cereal, oats and legumes. Vitamin C is needed for cell protection and repair and also helps our immune systems function. Both of which are essential when you have just had a baby.

Minerals – Minerals are used by the body for various bodily functions. For example calcium and magnesium are important in maintaining strong bones and teeth. Iron is needed in the production of red blood cells which is particularly important if the mother had a blood loss at delivery. Zinc is needed by the immune system to fight infection. A varied diet rich in fruit, vegetables, protein sources and grains should ensure that the lactating mother receives enough essential minerals to help her body remain healthy.

There is some evidence that what you eat can help increase your milk supply. Try not to get too hungry as hunger can increase your levels of stress which in turn can affect your ability to make milk.

There are also certain foods are thought to help increase your milk supply. They are known as lactogenic foods. We are not suggesting that you spend hours cooking when you have just had a baby but we have put together some suggestions of quick snacks and recipes that are easy to prepare and easy to bring to the NNU when visiting.

Food Groups

Grains: Oats, cornmeal and barley are all thought to be lactogenic foods. Having some porridge or oat based cereal for breakfast and maybe some multiseed bread as a sandwich during the day will give you a good portion of grains each day.

Nuts and seeds: Almonds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds are all thought to help with milk supply. Nut butters are quick and easy to spread on bread or toast and are good energy providers. Also muffins made with oats and some seeds sprinkled on the top make good snacks and again are very portable for carrying with you to the hospital. If a friend or relative offers you some help maybe they could make you some muffins containing lots of seeds and you could freeze them.

Vegetables: As we know all vegetables are good for us but mushrooms, lettuce, broccoli, asparagus and potatoes are especially good for milk supply. A selection of these vegetables would be good to add to soup. This could be made for you by a willing friend or relative and brought to the hospital in a flask.

Fruit: Fruit is a perfect food to bring to the hospital and could be in the fresh or dried form. A fruit smoothie is a great idea for breakfast or make one and bring to the hospital in a flask for an easy snack. Figs, dates cherries, nectarines, plums and apricots are all thought to help increase your milk supply.

On these pages are some of our favourite ‘breastfeeding’ recipes. We understand that having a baby in the neonatal unit leaves little time for cooking however we have chosen recipes that are hopefully quick and easy for you to prepare.

Breastfeeding Granola

Banana Loaf

Energy Bars

Spicy Super Soup

Restorative Risotto

Smoothies

Summer Smoothie

Marvellous Milk and Raspberry Smoothie