Breastfeeding diet advise
If you breastfeed it’s even more important that you have a healthy, balanced diet. Your baby is getting vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients from breast milk, so anything you eat or inhale will be passed on, including alcohol and nicotine.
In the first days, when you need to feed often, you might be hard pressed to prepare a meal so it’s important you have nutritious snacks stored in the fridge or freezer, and meals that can be made in minutes.
Drinking at least eight glasses of water is important to avoid dehydration, while limiting your coffee and tea intake might help if it makes your baby too alert and dehydrates you.
If you feel your diet is not well balanced for whatever reason, a supplement might help – this is not a replacement for a healthy diet. If you are vegetarian, talk to your healthcare professional to make sure you are getting enough iron and vitamin B12, which are mostly found in meat and fish.
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