Considering the World Breastfeeding Week, held in the first days of August, we tell you what you should keep in mind if you are nursing

The benefits of breast milk for the baby are widely known. According to the Consumer newspaper, this food, in addition to containing the appropriate nutritional components for babies, also contains antibodies that will help fight infections, avoid overeating that can lead to childhood overweight, and improve the mother-to-child relationship.

Leer en español: Protege a tu bebé: 4 cosas que deberías saber si estas lactando

Considering the World Breastfeeding Week, held in the first days of August, LatinAmerican Post team gathered 4 things that you should keep in mind if you are breastfeeding.

1. It is usually believed that the mother should eat for two people. However, according to the baby's ABC newspaper, it is not true that mothers must eat twice as much as they are feeding another human being. What you should do is take a healthy diet, rich in vegetables, fruits, proteins, and carbohydrates, divided IGNORE INTO five meals a day.

"The food should be as natural as possible and, as far as possible, you should choose vegetables of hydroponic or homemade origin, natural fish over the canned, avoid excessive consumption of meat by antibiotics, as well as foods rich in sodium and saccharin. Do not eat raw foods such as homemade mayonnaise, ceviche and sushi, avoid the intake of refined sugars and unhealthy fats and chocolate", says Stefanie Chalmers, professor of nutrition and dietetics at Universidad del Pacífico.

Also read: What are the foods that affect your baby during and after pregnancy?

2. You should keep in mind that dieting to lose weight while breastfeeding is harmful. Dieting while breastfeeding can be harmful to the baby because it will affect the production of breast milk. In fact, according to Charlmers, the mere fact of breastfeeding generates an increase in energy expenditure, which translates IGNORE INTO the use of adipose tissue reserves accumulated during pregnancy.

3. Another myth around breastfeeding is that mothers with cancer, hepatitis A, B or C, and prosthetics should not breastfeed. There are very few diseases that exclude breastfeeding; either by risk of infection or by the side effects that the treatment may have.

According to the Consumer newspaper, AIDS and the infection caused by the human T-cell leukemia virus are transmitted through breast milk. However, since these viruses do not survive outside the human body, it is possible to extract and freeze the milk to feed the baby.

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4. Women who are breastfeeding should consume more water. If you are lactating, you should make sure you have a good intake of fluids, especially water, since breast milk contains 85% -90% of water that must be replaced.

According to Chalmers, although an adult's water intake is usually satisfied with 8 to 10 glasses of water per day, 800 cc per day should be added during periods of exclusive breastfeeding.

LatinAmerican Post | Luisa Fernanda Báez
Translated from “Protege a tu bebé: 4 cosas que deberías saber si estas lactando”