What to eat during lactation and how much milk to drink
Release time : 01/18/2025 18:13:27
Many mothers hope to continue breastfeeding, but when they have just given birth and find their milk supply is insufficient, seeing their baby crying because it can't get enough to eat, they feel both ashamed and anxious.
What should I do if my breast milk is less in the postpartum period? Why does breast milk suddenly decrease during lactation? What foods can increase the amount of breast milk? In fact, it is quite common for breast milk to be insufficient after childbirth. Mothers need not worry too much.
As long as you maintain a good mood and consume more foods that are rich in lactation-boosting properties, there will be significant help.
To increase milk production during lactation, mothers can consume more foods such as Chinese cabbage, tofu, peanuts, peas, and water bamboo.
What do you eat more milk during lactation? Breastfeeding refers to the way in which babies are fed with their mother's milk. Studies have shown that babies who are breastfed develop healthier.
So what milk do you eat more during lactation? 1. lettuce. There are two types of lettuce for leaf use and stem use. Leaf lettuce is also known as "lettuce", and stem lettuce is called "lettuce". Both of them are rich in nutrients.
According to analysis, except iron, all other nutrients are higher in leaves than in stems. Therefore, when eating lettuce, it is best not to abandon the leaves.
2. Tofu. Tofu has the effects of replenishing qi and mediating, promoting saliva, moistening dryness, clearing away heat and detoxifying. It is also a kind of prolactin food.
Serve with tofu, brown sugar, wine and boiled water to make raw milk.
3. Peanut peanuts can be used for spleen deficiency nausea, edema, women's leucorrhea, anemia and various bleeding disorders, lung dryness cough, dry cough for a long time, postpartum lactation and other diseases.
4. Peas, also known as green beans, have a sweet taste and are very rich in phosphorus, containing about 400 mg of phosphorus per 100 grams.
Peas are beneficial to urinate, generate body fluid, relieve sores, stop diarrhea, and smooth lactation.
Green peas are boiled and eaten lightly or use pea seedlings to mash and squeeze juice to take them. They can help smooth the milk.
5. As a vegetable to be consumed, asparagus has a delicious and tender taste, not only delicious but also rich in nutrients. It contains carbohydrates, proteins, vitamin B1, B2, vitamin C and various minerals.
Water chestnut is sweet and cold in nature, with the effects of dispelling heat toxins, preventing irritability, benefiting bowel movements, and promoting lactation.
At present, it is often used in combination with water bamboo shoots, pig's feet, and turmeric to cook together for consumption. There is a better effect on breast milk production.
6. The oyster is a highly effective food source for lactating mothers, as it contains high levels of phosphorus and calcium. It is beneficial for children and pregnant women, offering nourishment and benefits to the skin and development of infants.
However, the condition is that you are not allergic to shrimps or eat them in moderation.
Pregnant women with allergies should avoid consuming it, and pregnant women in general should not consume too much.
It is also important to pay attention to selecting fresh snails.
After giving birth, the spleen and stomach functions of the postpartum woman have not yet recovered, and the mammary gland begins to secrete milk, with the mammary ducts not yet being fully open. It is not advisable to consume a large amount of greasy foods that promote milk production (to induce lactation).
In cooking, less frying and more of the easy-to-digest stews with soups are recommended. It is advisable to be on the lighter side, following the traditional principle of "pregnancy should be light, postpartum should be warm". Avoid consuming cold foods, such as malt extract and beer, which can affect lactation secretion.
What to do if breast milk production is insufficient during lactation? Breastfeeding is the first and most important task for a mother after pregnancy, providing her baby with its first meal. If a mother's milk production is insufficient, what should she do? Let's take a look at some folk remedies for enhancing lactation! 1. Lightly stewed pork shoulder (one whole pork shoulder), Angelica (available in Chinese medicine shops) and Cistanche (two parts per hundred parts of pork shoulder), in a ratio of 100:2:2, cooked slowly in water until tender.
Eat meat for lunch and soup for dinner.
2. Pork Bone Tongcao Soup 500 grams of pork bones (all can be used as cavity bones, ribs, and leg bones), 6 grams of Tongcao, add appropriate amount of water, simmer for 2 hours to get about a small bowl of pork bone soup, add a little oil, and drink it once., once a day for 3-5 days.
3. Pig's trotter soup: 1 pig's trotter, 3 grams of grass, add appropriate amount of water, put it in a casserole and cook for 2 hours to get a bowl of pig's trotter soup, and drink it in two doses.
Take it once a day for 3-5 days.
Pig trotters are eaten with meals.
4. Crucian carp soup 500 grams of fresh crucian carp, remove scales and internal organs, add 60 grams of soybean sprouts (or 6 grams of common grass, available in Chinese medicine shops), make soup and drink it twice a day, eat fish soup, and take it for 3-5 days.
Carp soup should be eaten lightly.
5. Carp porridge One fresh carp (about 500 grams) is peeled and removed, cut into small pieces, and cooked with white rice or millet.
Don't put salt in the porridge, eat it lightly.
If you use a carp to make soup, add a little soy sauce, but no salt, eat meat and drink soup, the lactation effect will also be good.
Diet taboos during lactation During breastfeeding, mothers should avoid ingesting certain foods that will affect milk secretion or some special personal hobbies for the sake of their own and their baby's health, so as not to destroy the good feeding effect.
1. Malt milk essence because the malt in malt milk essence will inhibit the secretion of milk by the mammary gland and reduce milk, which is detrimental to the health of the baby.
2. Stimulating and irritating foods such as leeks, scallions, chili peppers, peppers, anise, alcohol, etc., should be consumed in smaller amounts during breastfeeding. These foods can easily harm the body's fluids, deplete vital energy, and damage blood, exacerbating qi and blood deficiency. They may also lead to constipation, and they can enter the baby's body through breast milk, affecting their health. However, spices like pepper and vinegar are permissible in small quantities.
3. Foods such as fried foods and high-fat foods are difficult to digest. Mothers who are breastfeeding have weaker digestive systems, and the nutritional value of fried foods is lost during cooking. Consuming fried foods in lactation can be detrimental to postpartum health recovery.
4. Foods such as leeks, malt water, ginseng, etc., will suppress milk secretion and cause insufficient breast milk supply.
5. Meat and fish that have been marinated should contain no more than 4.5 to 9 grams of salt per day, according to the usual dietary habits. Do not avoid salt or eat it in an excessively salty manner.
Excessive salt intake can increase the burden on the kidneys and is detrimental to them, as well as causing an increase in blood pressure.
Moreover, these items are not fresh and consuming them can be detrimental to a baby's health.
6. Tobacco, alcohol, coffee, etc. Tobacco, alcohol, coffee, etc. are things that should be kept away as much as possible during feeding.
Everyone knows how much the harm of smoking has on babies. Although a small amount of alcohol can promote milk secretion, excessive amounts will inhibit milk secretion.
Coffee contains caffeine, and it is best for nursing mothers to drink less or not.
How to care for breasts during lactation? The breasts of nursing mothers are the baby's granary, and mothers must take care of them carefully. So during lactation, how should a mother take care of her breasts? When nursing mothers are nursing their babies, breast care before and after feeding is very important.
Before breastfeeding for the first time, apply clean vegetable oil to the nipples to soften the scab on the nipples, and then wash the breasts with clean water.
Before each feeding, wash your hands, nipples and areola to wash away bacteria that may contaminate your breasts and clothes.
Wash it with warm water after feeding to prevent your baby from spreading bacteria to the nasopharynx.
Generally speaking, the breasts of a nursing mother will be fuller than those before pregnancy. To protect the nipples and ensure ample milk supply, it is best to wear a nursing bra designed specifically for nursing mothers.
The breasts should be sized according to the increase in size and weight of the breasts, so as not only convenient for lactation but also beneficial for recovery of figure.
The nipple should be kept clean. If it is injured, the infant should be fed with formula or expressed milk which can be disinfected.
Ointments containing fish liver oil or castor oil may also be applied to the nipples to prevent infection and promote healing.
Can a new mother take her medicine while breastfeeding? Most of the medications that a new mother takes will pass through the milk, and so the baby will ingest them too.
Infants have immature absorption and metabolism processes, which slow down the drug's metabolic and excretion within the body, leading to potential accumulation.
Therefore, it is important for mothers who are nursing to pay extra attention to their health after catching a cold.
A common cold sufferer should pay attention to drinking plenty of water and getting enough rest. The diet should be light, nutritious, and easy to digest.
If you have a fever, you should seek treatment at the hospital. Please ask your doctor for medications that are not likely to affect breastfeeding.
When a baby has a high fever, it is necessary to temporarily stop breastfeeding, but during the interruption, milk should still be expressed to ensure continued secretion.
For mothers with a severe cold who are taking medication, it is advisable to breastfeed before taking the medication and to stop breastfeeding 6 hours after taking the medication.
If you have a viral cold, it is best not to breastfeed because bacteria and germs can be transmitted from your respiratory tract to your baby through breastfeeding.
If you are running a cold and have fever, you can continue to breastfeed your baby as long as the temperature does not exceed 37.5 degrees Celsius.
If the body temperature is above 37.5 degrees, it should be stopped temporarily because the milk of a mother who is feverish may concentrate and cause diarrhea in infants.
In traditional Chinese medicine, there are certain prescriptions that you could also try.
If you have a wind-cold cold, you can make some ginger tea with ginger, green onion whites, and brown sugar. Drink it hot and cover your head to disperse the cold.
In cases of wind-heat cold, you can take products such as Banlangen Granules and Sangju Cold Fever Tablets. However, in cases of wind-cold cold, you should avoid these.
*The medical information provided in this text is for reference only.
In the event of discomfort, it is advised to seek medical attention immediately. The diagnosis and treatment should be based on a consultation with a professional in person.