Breastfeeding never ceases to amaze me. Breastmilk was designed by mother nature, and our mama knows what she’s doing. It’s a perfect food, no matter what. However, research (and common sense) shows that a mother’s diet will affect the nutrient quality of her breastmilk. The nutrients she consumes (or doesn’t consume) either will or won’t show up in optimal levels in her milk for baby, respectively. So if you’re wondering, does diet affect breastfeeding?… The short answer is yes.
I’d like to preface by saying that this topic of nutrition for breastfeeding doesn’t get much attention from doctors (who generally aren’t trained in this) or other professionals, sometimes because we simply don’t want to discourage mamas from breastfeeding! It can be challenging enough to get the hang of breastfeeding your baby (I see you, mama!), so I don’t want anyone out there feeling extra stress surrounding this. Like, fo real. You are doing a fucking GREAT job at being Mom. Got it?
Yes, your diet is “good enough” to breastfeed your baby! Your body will make wonderful milk for your baby no matter what. If that’s all you take away from this message then that’s cool, baby girl.
However, I’d also like to share some ways that our diet does affect the nutritional status of our breastmilk so that you can be an informed mama.
How does food affect breast milk
The way nutrients pass through our breastmilk is similar to how our body passes nutrients on to baby during pregnancy. Baby gets fed “preferentially,” meaning most nutrients will pass on to meet baby’s needs on autopilot. However, there are quite a few that really do depend on mama’s diet as far as how highly concentrated they are in her breastmilk. If suboptimal amounts of certain nutrients are consumed, then suboptimal amounts are available to pass on. The body responds by pulling on your stores without repleting them (thus depleting you), or producing milk that has suboptimal concentrations.
Studies have looked at mothers’ diets and samples of their breastmilk and have shown that mothers who include more DHA (a healthy omega-3 that is crucial for baby’s brain) in their diets have higher amounts of DHA in their breastmilk. The amount demonstrated has shown levels up to tenfold! Meaning some moms’ milk has literally ten times the amount of DHA as other moms’ milk. That’s huge, especially considering we’re talking about one of the main nutrients that builds your baby’s brain.
This means the more super healthy omega-3 fats you include in your diet as a breastfeeding mother, the more super healthy fats your baby will be getting too! Just like in pregnancy, during lactation your baby is eating what you eat (to a certain extent). It also means that if we are eating lots of inflammatory fats or (dare I say) toxic trans fats, our baby is eating those too.
Again, no stress here. Just motivation! Know that no one is perfect, but making an effort to choose nutrient dense foods as often as you can will have payoff for your baby too.
Want more specifics?
In addition to DHA, here are two of the top nutrients to consider when breastfeeding, because milk concentration levels do tend to correlate strongly with mother’s diet.
Vitamin B12
The amount of B12 present in breastmilk really does depend a lot on mama consuming it (preferably regularly). B12 is critical for baby’s growth and development, and mamas need B12 for optimal energy and mood. Studies have shown developmental issues with babies whose moms aren’t getting B12 during breastfeeding (strict plant based diet without supplementation). In some cases, when the mother started supplementing, baby was able to physically recover and catch up quickly. It’s amazing the power that nutrition has on the human body!
B12 is only found naturally in animal products. Plant based mamas can (and should) obtain B12 from fortified products and/or supplementation. My favorite natural sources of B12 are organ meats and shell fish, and my favorite fortified source is nutritional yeast. Try including some liver in your diet once a week (or even a couple times a month to start!), oysters and clams (even smoked in a can is okay if you don’t live near the coast), and make a habit of sprinkling nutritional yeast on top of your homemade kale chips, eggs, or meatballs.
Choline
Choline is important for baby’s brain development (and to keep mama’s brain going!), so much so that we actually need to consume more choline during breastfeeding than during pregnancy (think how much baby’s brain grows in the first year after birth!). The best source of choline is liver and eggs (as always, make sure to eat the yolk!), though it can be found in smaller amounts in plant foods as well, such as broccoli and soy. Occasionally, when I don’t have much of an appetite during pregnancy or breastfeeding (who are we kidding, this rarely happens to me haha, but it has happened!) I will eat three egg yolks (where the choline is) at a time and not worry about eating all the whites, to make sure my body is getting in what it needs for me and baby. Try this if you want to naturally increase your choline intake. Soft cooked egg yolks also make a wonderful first food for baby when the time comes, who will continue to need choline for brain development as they wean from breast milk and beyond. Check out this post here for more on eggs.
Low breast milk supply?— eat up!
While it does matter what types of foods we are eating while breastfeeding, sometimes a mom just needs to eat! This is especially important during the fourth trimester when we are in recovery mode and the nutritional demands on our body are at an all time high. If you struggle with low milk supply (or suspect), the first thing you want to do is make sure you’re eating enough. Don’t trip on nutritional details if you’re already in the thick of it, just make sure you’re getting ample food in your body on a very regular basis. Then fine tune things as you can. Still struggling with supply? Consider adding in some galactagogues (foods and herbs that promote breastmilk production) and try to minimize stress. And, of course, working with a lactation consultant as soon as possible to ensure you are getting a proper latch and have all your other breastfeeding ducks in a row is equally as important as diet (and how often do I say that?). A great resource for finding help with this is La Leche League, which has local chapters too.
I hope this information inspires you to pursue a healthy diet during breastfeeding! As mothers, we often feel like we will do everything we can to support our babies… but remember that YOU are worth supporting too! You deserve to eat healthy foods every day because they make YOU feel good! You are important and wonderful and doing a great job, mama.
If you want to learn more about cooking nutritious meals to support breastfeeding, check out my Postpartum Freezer Meals ebook.