Women who are pregnant are always advised by their doctors to eat a healthy diet, not to smoke, and to stay away from alcohol. As part of that admonition, the doctor always explains how the things that you eat and drink can and will affect the baby.
Giving birth to that baby doesn’t mean you can suddenly go on a binge though. If you’re going to breast feed, you still need to watch your diet, avoid alcohol and be especially careful about any over the counter or prescription drugs that you take. Many of these things can end up directly in your breast milk and affect your baby.
You have to realize that your body is working to produce the entire nutritional necessity of your baby. Not only that, but it is adding antibodies and other health factors to the milk it is producing. All of this is important to your baby’s proper growth and development.
If you are lacking in some type of nutrient in your diet, your baby will end up lacking that nutrient as well. Take calcium for example. Calcium is necessary for the growth of bones. If you aren’t taking in enough calcium, how can your breast milk have it for your baby? While that baby was growing in you, it would literally take calcium from your system, if necessary from your bones, in order to have what it needs. But now that the baby is born, it only receives what you give it in your milk.
I realize that most women want to lose the weight they gained from the baby, but you have to be careful about that. A balanced diet is essential to insure that you are giving all the necessary nutrients to your baby. That doesn’t mean you can’t lose weight, just that you have to be careful how you are doing it. Cut out carbohydrates and sugars from your diet, but don’t cut out proteins, vitamins, fruits and vegetables, both you and your baby need them.
