BOOST YOUR BREASTMILK!

Make some simple changes to what you eat for near-instant results, says nutritionist Louise Pyne

- Louise Pyne

If you’re breastfeeding, filling up on nutritious food is just as important as it was during pregnancy. Smartening up your diet and fine-tuning meals and snacks to include specific ingredients will increase the quantity and quality of your breastmilk supply. So put your diet plans on hold and focus on making it as easy as possible for your body to do its next vital job. Because during the first month or so post-birth, while your body is getting used to meeting your baby’s constant nutritional needs, you may feel hungrier than usual. And although you might be thinking it would be good to get out of your maternity clothes and back into your prepregnancy wardrobe, this isn’t the time to cut back on calories. Breastfeeding can burn up to 500 calories per day, so listen to those hunger cues and make up this deficit by upping your total daily intake to 2,500 calories to give both you and your baby the energy you need. Liquids are crucial too. Your breastmilk is between 80 and 90 per cent water, so it’s no surprise that drinking extra H2O will help maintain your supply. In addition to the usual one and a half litre a day, if you’re breastfeeding you should be slurping another 800ml (four large glasses). Your body will help you remember: the hormone oxytocin released during feeds makes you feel thirsty. And watch out for signs of dehydration: dark-coloured urine, dry lips and muscle cramps. Liven up a glass of water with lemon wedges or cucumber slices, and keep a bottle of water by your bed and in the living room as a reminder to drink. Now discover the key ingredients you can add to your diet to make your milk the cream of the crop.

EAT STRESS-RELIEVING FOODS