Breastfeeding mother's diet: what are the recommendations?

Being able to provide breast milk optimally for babies, especially exclusive breastfeeding is certainly the dream of every breastfeeding mother. On this basis, breastfeeding mothers may wonder about foods that can be used as a smoothener or to increase breast milk.

For more details, see the following information about foods that can be eaten or should be avoided for breastfeeding mothers.

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Does a nursing mother's diet affect the taste of breast milk?

The quality of the nutritional content in breast milk is not influenced by the daily intake of food and drinks for nursing mothers.

However, the taste and aroma of breast milk can be influenced by the diet of nursing mothers.

When you eat fruits and vegetables, the baby can also feel the taste of these foods from the breast milk.

When breastfeeding, you should still eat a balanced diet every day. This can help your baby get used to the taste of various types of nutritious foods.

That way, later the baby can easily eat the various types of solid foods that you offer.

Breastfed babies may have a wider choice of foods because they are used to trying different flavors of breast milk.

Breast milk smoothing foods for nursing mothers

There are various myths about breastfeeding mothers that are circulating, including about food.

In fact, various problems of breastfeeding mothers and the challenges of breastfeeding can also occur, one of which is the less than optimal milk production.

The solution, usually the mother consumes food or drink galactagogues, aka breast milk smoothens or to increase breast milk.

Galactagogues itself comes from the Greek word "galacta" which means milk.

For mothers who are breastfeeding, there is actually no special food or drink to increase milk production.

You can multiply eat a variety of food sources to help meet the daily nutritional needs during the period of breastfeeding the baby to optimize the benefits of breast milk.

Here are some food choices for breastfeeding mothers that can facilitate breastfeeding:

1. Katuk leaves as food for breastfeeding mothers to launch breast milk

The popularity of katuk leaves as one of the foods or vegetables that facilitate breastfeeding is not in doubt.

A study published in the Indonesian Journal for Health Sciences, proves the role of katuk leaves in promoting breast milk.

The statement in this study states that the galactagogue content in katuk leaf vegetables can be processed into food.

Food made from processed katuk leaf vegetables plays an important role in facilitating and increasing the production of breast milk for breastfeeding mothers.

In addition, katuk leaves also contain steroids and polyphenols which can help increase the levels of the hormone prolactin.

Prolactin, which can be found in food, is a hormone that can increase milk production in the breasts.

Apart from being a breastfeeding smoothing food, giving katuk leaves to nursing mothers can also have an effect on increasing the baby's weight.

Various other nutritional content such as vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, iron, calcium, and so on, also play a role in meeting the nutritional needs of you and your baby.

Apart from katuk leaves, Moringa leaves are also considered good for nursing mothers.

Just like katuk leaves, Moringa leaves are also used for breastfeeding mothers because they can help increase milk production.

However, you should still consult your doctor before consuming katuk and moringa leaves to facilitate breastfeeding in nursing mothers.

2. Green papaya

Source: Organic Facts

If you usually find or eat papaya with orange flesh, it turns out that there are other types of papaya that can help increase breastfeeding.

The name green papaya or also known as the young papaya. Green papaya fruit is believed to contain a galactagogue or food for breastfeeding for breastfeeding mothers.

That way, green papaya food can help increase milk production in the breasts.

On the other hand, green papaya is also rich in a number of enzymes, vitamins and minerals such as vitamin A and vitamin C.

But before eating this breastmilk smoothing food, make sure you have processed green papaya fruit well.

The reason is, this type of papaya has a slightly hard texture when it is still raw. So, try to cook green papaya food until it is perfectly ripe before being eaten by nursing mothers.

3. Chickpeas

Nuts are rich in various nutrients to meet the daily needs of nursing mothers.

Chickpeas which have another name for garbanzo beans are usually used in food mixes in the Middle East.

For years, chickpeas have been touted as breastfeeding facilitators.

Chickpeas are known as breastfeeding smoothing foods because of their high protein content, capable of contributing a lot of estrogen along with the presence of galactagogue content.

No need to worry, how to process smooth food or to reproduce breast milk on this one is not difficult.

In 1 cup of chickpeas contains 269 calories, 45 grams (gr) of carbohydrates, 15 grams of protein, 13 grams of fiber, and 4 grams of fat without cholesterol.

You can add it as a mixture of pasta and vegetable or fruit salads. Adding this type of nut as a breastmilk smoothing food to a breastfeeding mother's favorite food can also be an interesting idea.

4. Dates, a sweet and delicious breastfeeding mother's food

Maybe you are already familiar with dates. The fruit, which has a brownish and slightly dark color, is also thought to help increase milk production.

Dates can also help increase levels of the hormone prolactin, which is needed to facilitate breastfeeding for nursing mothers.

A deep research Journal of Pediatric Sciences in 2014 also supports this.

However, according to this study, dates can be more effective in optimizing the amount of breast milk when consumed with fenugreek herbs.

Still in line with this study, another study conducted in the city of Semarang reported good benefits if breastfeeding mothers drink date palm juice to facilitate breastfeeding.

Apart from being a breast milk enhancer, the research published in the HEARTY Journal of Public Health found that date palm juice can increase the baby's weight.

In addition to babies, date juice that is taken by mothers during breastfeeding can also help to meet daily energy and protein needs.

This is because dates are filled with a myriad of nutrients for nursing mothers. In 100 grams of dates contains 277 calories of energy, and 75 grams of carbohydrates for breastfeeding mothers.

In fact, there are still 2 grams of protein and various minerals and vitamins that are good for breastfeeding mothers.

Should breastfeeding mothers drink additional milk?

Milk contains a lot of nutrients that the body needs. Yes, milk can contribute additional calories, so that breastfeeding mothers can meet their calorie needs.

That is why, Breastfeeding mothers are advised to drink milk if their daily intake is not sufficient for their nutritional needs.

In a glass of milk, you can get protein, fat, calcium, iodine, iron, zinc, phosphorus, vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, folic acid, and many more.

However, not all mothers need breastfeeding milk because milk is not a mandatory drink for mothers.

Milk only helps the mother to meet her nutritional needs while breastfeeding.

If the mother's nutrition can be fulfilled from the daily food that the mother consumes, breastfeeding mothers do not need milk.

On the other hand, you need to be careful when drinking breastfeeding mother's milk. Usually, breastfeeding mother's milk is processed from cow's milk, soybean milk, and almond milk.

Even though they don't drink it directly, babies who are allergic to the protein in cow's milk can experience allergy symptoms if the mother drinks cow's milk while breastfeeding.

When a baby is allergic to cow's milk, his immune system will overreact to the protein in cow's milk.

So, every time the cow's milk protein enters the baby's body it is considered a dangerous foreign substance.

As a result, the baby experiences an allergic reaction due to the protein in cow's milk.

If this is what you and your little one are experiencing, immediately consult further with your doctor.

Doctors usually recommend that you replace cow's milk with other types of intake or milk.

Can nursing mothers eat spicy food?

Garlic, chilies, cumin, curry spices, and red peppers are several types of food spices with a distinctive taste, namely spicy.

For those of you who love spicy food, breastfeeding is not an obstacle to avoiding spicy food.

The reason is, some babies do not experience problems because of breastfeeding from mothers who eat spicy food.

In fact, the various flavors of food eaten by mothers during breastfeeding can make it easy for babies to like various foods as adults.

Spicy food is taboo for nursing mothers when the baby looks uncomfortable or has unpleasant symptoms.

Diarrhea, flatulence, stomach full of gas, and others are the effects of mothers eating foods that are taboo while breastfeeding.

If these symptoms are experienced by your little one, this is a sign that the mother must reduce or avoid abstinence from eating spicy foods during the breastfeeding period.

This is so that the taste of spicy food does not affect the natural taste of breast milk.

This applies especially to babies with weak digestive systems and cannot accept the spices and spicy taste.

If you continue to eat spicy food, this can cause the baby to experience bloating, diarrhea, and other digestive problems because the mother eats foods that are taboo while breastfeeding.

Can nursing mothers eat jengkol?

Jengkol basically has health benefits. But on the other hand, jengkol contains amino acids djenkolik which can form crystalline rocks in the bladder.

In addition, the nitrogen content in jengkol is also very high so that it can interfere with kidney function.

If you are a nursing mother and want to eat jengkol, it's a good idea to consult your doctor first.

The doctor will help consider whether these foods provide more benefits or vice versa. In addition, limit your intake so you don't overdo it.

Do not forget, also consider the effect on the baby. If there is a change in breast milk, both taste and aroma, when breastfeeding mothers eat jengkol, you should stop this habit.

Can breastfeeding mothers drink ice water?

When breastfeeding mothers drink ice water, it is said that it can affect the health of the baby. This is because the cold ice water is thought to get the baby cold.

In fact, the temperature of ice water that a nursing mother drinks does not necessarily make the breast milk cool.

Once swallowed, the temperature of the food, which was hot or cold, will change according to the temperature in the breastfeeding mother's body.

In other words, the cold temperature of the ice will immediately disappear when the water is in the stomach.

So, of course drinking ice while breastfeeding will not cause the baby to be sick or cold.

The temperature of the milk will remain as normal as it should be, regardless of what the mother eats or drinks.

What's more, drinking ice itself will not cause a cold as this disease is caused by a virus.

Can nursing mothers drink coffee?

You can find foods and drinks with caffeine content in coffee, tea, chocolate, soft drinks and other soft drinks.

In small amounts, the caffeine that mothers consume during breastfeeding is actually not a taboo. Babies are still safe to breastfeed as long as the amount of caffeine that the mother consumes is still reasonable and not excessive.

However, because this caffeine can mix with breast milk, it's best to avoid consuming too much.

This is because the digestive system and metabolism of the baby's body still have difficulty digesting the caffeine content, especially at the beginning of his life.

In addition, caffeine is also at risk of causing gas buildup and irritation to the baby's stomach.

Especially if the baby's condition is prone to flatulence and the nursing mother eats too much caffeinated food or drink.

This is one of the reasons caffeinated food and drinks become taboo when mothers are breastfeeding.

The reason is, caffeine will cause discomfort in the baby's stomach after feeding. Even on the other hand, even a small dose of caffeine in breast milk can affect the baby's sleep patterns.

That is why caffeine is an ingredient in beverages and foods that should be avoided while breastfeeding.

As with adults, babies may have trouble sleeping so they are awake more often.

In fact, babies need much more sleep than adults.

So, the question about can breastfeeding mothers consume caffeine, including drinking coffee? The answer should be that caffeine intake is not more than 3 cups per day.

This at least can help prevent digestive problems in babies while maintaining optimal sleep time.

Can breastfeeding mothers drink alcohol?

Launching from the Healthy Children page, alcohol is a taboo for breastfeeding mothers, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The reason drinking alcohol is taboo for breastfeeding mothers is because this drink can enter and mix with blood and breast milk.

That is why alcohol is an ingredient in beverages and foods that should be avoided while breastfeeding.

In addition, alcohol consumption in food or beverages in the long term is also a taboo because it can reduce the milk production of breastfeeding mothers.

Indirectly, babies drink alcohol because it is contained in breast milk.

Before already giving breast milk that contains alcohol, breastfeeding mothers can use a breast pump first.

Next, apply the proper way to store breast milk until it is given to the baby according to the breastfeeding schedule.

However, breast milk that contains alcohol is a dietary and beverage taboo for nursing mothers and should not be given to babies.

Another prohibition is to avoid breastfeeding the baby immediately if the breastfeeding mother has just drank large amounts of alcohol.

Instead, wait until the breastfeeding mother's body is completely clean of alcohol. After that, you should be able to breastfeed again for about 2-3 hours, according to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

This is intended to give time until the body is completely clean from alcohol.

When alcohol, which is taboo for breastfeeding mothers, is no longer in the bloodstream, it is possible that breast milk has also been cleared from the influence of alcohol.