Ryan,
In regard to maternal nutrition among normal mothers, in my experience, it
is not a big factor in the quantity nor quality of milk produced. In my area
of the USA, most mothers are either well nourished or overweight, and quite
a few are morbidly obese. I do not recommend in practice xxx no. of calories
per day or anything like that. I developed a handout with the clinical
dietician at our hosp. and would be glad to mail it to you. Let me know.
Basically it states that mother's milk is the perfect food even if the diet
is not absolutely perfect. We encourage mom to eat a healthful diet and a
variety of foods including lean meats and fruits and veggies. We do not
advise restricting any particular food(s). Virtually all moms I see are
advised by their doctor to take a prenatal vitamin supplement throughout
their lactation. In my experience working with bf moms/babies for about 21
yrs I have not seen poor growth in the baby related to maternal diet. I
would consider an anorexic mom or a young teen mom, for example, to be at
nutritional risk and refer her for nutritional counseling. I hope this is
helpful.

Laurie Wheeler, IBCLC, MN, RN
New Orleans Louisiana, s.e. USA

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