As soon as your baby is born, the first most important thing to do is breastfeed. Mother's milk is extremely important for the baby in the initial years. It is the only source of food and nutrients for the growing baby. Therefore, it becomes crucial for the mother to make sure that the milk production is enough to feed the baby.
Most mothers have genuine worry that whether their body is producing enough milk to feed their baby. The only solution to this worry is to embark on a healthy diet. When the mother eats healthy, the child automatically receives the nutrition. There are a few foods which have been found to be quite helpful in increasing the milk supply. Such food items with lactation promoting properties are known as lactogenic foods. Adding these lactogenic items to your diet will ensure proper supply of milk to your baby to fulfill their growing needs.
So, here are the 10 foods to increase the breast milk in the breastfeeding moms. Take a look:
Oatmeal has the property of lowering the cholesterol level and maintaining a healthy blood pressure. Since oatmeal is a comfort food, it helps the mother's body to relax. This helps the body to release oxytocin, a hormone involved in milk production.
The wonder leaf, spinach always comes to your rescue. Spinach is an excellent source of Vitamin K, A and folate. Folate is particularly important for pregnant as well as breastfeeding mothers. The presence phytoestrogens in spinach helps to promote breast tissue health and induce lactation.
Like spinach, carrots also contain phytoestrogens which is very essential for breastfeeding mothers. Carrots are also rich in beta-carotene and vitamin A which is very important to keep up the energy level of lactating mothers.
Hummus is typically made from chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil. It is considered an ideal snack for the breastfeeding mothers. It is because legumes like chickpeas or green beans and garlic are important lactogenic foods. Hence, this dish is a complete source of protein and an excellent food for nursing moms.
The enzymes and phytochemicals present in the papaya are believed to enhance the breast tissue and improve lactation. The sedating quality of papaya also helps the nursing mothers to relax.
This wonder food contains high amount of fibre, folic acid, vitamin A, C and K. All of these are extremely important in maintaining healthy supply of milk in breastfeeding mothers. It also contains essential amino acids which helps in improving milk supply.
Brown rice is rich in complex carbohydrates. This helps to maintain the energy levels of lactating mothers. It also triggers prolactin secretion which is a key hormone involved in lactation.
Apricots are high in fibre, vitamins and calcium. Calcium rich foods have been found to be very helpful in milk production in nursing mothers. Apricots also contain tryptophan which naturally boosts the prolactin level.
Fishes are an essential food item for lactating mothers. Salmon especially contains the essential fatty acids and omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids give a boost to the milk supply of the breastfeeding mothers. These also help in improving the quality of the milk making it more fattier and nutritious for the baby.
Drinking more and more water throughout the day is the best way to improve milk supply. As you breastfeed, the level of fluids gets depleted. So, before you sit to feed your baby, make sure to drink a glass of water.