Mother’s Nutrition for Nursing Baby

Dear Dr. Meinig: My first baby is due in a couple of months and I’m becoming confused and ill at ease by all the different ways my friends are feeding their babies. I want to breastfeed, but I’m getting a lot of static both ways. We want to give our child a good start in life. – S.P.

 

Dear S.P.: When the proper nutrients infants require are provided new parents find their learning problems are a joyful challenge.

The perfect food for your baby is mother’s milk. Human milk is fabricated to contain everything a new baby needs. However, to a great extent its goodness will depend on the prospective mother’s eating habits during pregnancy.

If breast milk is the best food for your baby, and its goodness is dependent on your diet, then YOUR first responsibility is YOURS, not your doctor’s or anyone else’s, to see that what you eat is adequate.

The suggestions in this article are combinations of ideas of the studies and research of many different people in the nutrition field.

The number one requirement for the development and growth of new tissue is protein, whether or not it is for healing a wound or developing a baby. During pregnancy the minimum amount of protein in the diet should be at least 75 grams. This is a little less than 3 ounces. The best sources of protein are fish, fowl, meat, eggs, milk, yogurt, cottage and aged cheese. (Vegetarians must be aware that some essential nutrients are difficult to obtain when using foods primarily derived from plants).

A good plan is to eat two raw vegetable salads a day, composed of at least six different vegetables having different colors as each color assures the presence of different minerals and amino acids. Small amounts of 100 percent whole grain bread or cereals (regular oatmeal, wheat berries freshly ground or milled, or other grains are good sources of carbohydrates and of fiber. Do keep in mind that grains are the foods used to fatten cattle, so keep them to a minimum. Fats are essential food elements, and small reasonable amounts are necessary for many body functions. Olive oil has been used successfully by man for centuries. Most of our vegetable fats and oils are of recent origin, are highly refined, and they do not contain the important Omega 3 fatty acids that protect against heart attacks. Vegetable fats are involved in controversy over their function and reliability. Olive oil and butter, though also controversial, seem better choices.

Another essential to the health of the mother-to-be is at least one hour of sunshine activity each day. Several hours would be better. This at best should be accompanied by some form of exercise, such as walking, swimming, etc. The sun acts on the cholesterol in our skin to form vitamin D, so important in the use of calcium. Research has shown that we need the full spectrum rays from the sun and that these rays act upon the pineal gland (through the eye), stimulating the pituitary gland and many body functions.

It is now known that many drugs and such common things as caffeine, alcohol and nicotine can, and do, penetrate the placenta and are absorbed into the baby’s circulation. As little as two alcoholic drinks each day increase the risk of birth defects and a baby that may arrive underweight. Alcoholic women have a high incidence of babies born with birth defects. Six to eight cups of coffee or other caffeine beverages have resulted in cleft palates and other bone deformities. Soft drinks are high in phosphoric acid which depletes calcium reserves. Diuretics and other drugs dehydrate and have other harmful effects.

I have dwelled on your diet during pregnancy, as it is the single most important factor in the goodness of your breast milk. Careful consideration of these factors will result in a pleasant experience for both you and your baby.

(due to space limitations Dr. Meinig has only touched on the subject of food for babies. We will feature more on this subject at a later date. ED.)