Deanne Lawson, RN, IBCLC, RLC Lactation Consultant

January 01, 2008

Nursing mothers are often told to watch what they eat because their baby is getting the same foods through mom’s breast milk. Well, it’s not quite that simple. Only in extreme cases will not eating your vegetables affect the quality of your breast milk. Contrary to popular belief, there are no foods that must be eaten or avoided by the nursing mother. Like everyone else, nursing mothers are encouraged to eat a balanced, varied diet and to drink water.

Here are some guidelines to keep in mind for nursing moms:

• Nursing women should pay attention to their thirst and drink water when they are thirsty.
• Breastfeeding mothers who eat to hunger tend to lose weight gradually, so you needn’t diet as you will lose weight naturally. (One study found that mothers who breastfed had slimmer hips and weighed less than women who exclusively formula fed their babies.) However, if you want to lose weight more quickly, it is best to wait until two months postpartum to diet, in order to give your body time to recuperate from birth, whether you are nursing or not.
• Occasional or light alcohol consumption has not been found to be harmful to nursing babies, but heavy drinking can be. Moderation is key.
• Moderate caffeine consumption is not a problem for most nursing mothers and babies.
• Decisions to take medication should be discussed with your doctor. In many cases, substitutions may be made for drugs incompatible with breastfeeding.
• If you have any concerns about nursing, call Columbia Center’s Breastfeeding Helpline at 262.243.6631 to talk with our lactation specialists.