Breastfeeding: Calories needed for lactation
I am a midwife and I'm hoping you can tell me how many calories a lactating woman should be taking in each day?
Question:Debbi Donovan
Debbi Donovan is a Board Certified Lactation Consultant, as well as a retired La Leche League Leader. For more than a decade, Debbi... Read more
It was once thought that a nursing mother needed to have a diet that was significantly higher in calories and nutrients than a non-lactating woman. It was often recommended that a nursing mom consume an extra 700 to 1000 calories a day. Today, it is known that this much energy is not needed for sustaining lactation -- an extra 200 to 500 calories per day, over a woman's pre-pregnancy diet will be sufficient.
In 1989 the Recommended Dietary Allowances listed 2700 calories per day as the estimated energy need for lactation. Generally, nursing mothers maintain an intake of closer to 2200 calories per day (Nutrition During Lactation, 1991) and even lower, around 1800 calories, when hoping to lose weight. The nutritional quality of human milk generally remains quite adequate, and often unaffected, even when a mother's caloric or nutritional intake is inadequate
The Committee on Nutritional Status During Pregnancy and Lactation, of the Institute of Medicine, was "impressed by evidence that mothers are able to produce milk of sufficient quantity and quality to support growth and promote the health of infants -- even when the mother's supply of nutrients and energy is limited." (1991)
This does not mean that we should not encourage mothers to eat to appetite, consuming a minimum of 1800 calories a day. Optimally nursing mothers should eat a well-balanced diet, rich in nutrient dense foods. In fact, during pregnancy and lactation many mothers are already well motivated, so it is a wonderful time to encourage healthy eating.
It is important for us to remember that a mother does not need a perfect (or near perfect diet) to breastfeed her baby. Best wishes in your work with new moms and moms-to-be!
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