Hi Everyone,
Coach Smith here again, in response to the old "drink fluids to make milk" myth. A nursing student from Buffalo (my home town!) asked about the effect of mom's diet and fluid intake on milk supply. The answer is "not much."

Milk volume and composition have very little relationship to the mother's diet and fluid intake. This is well-documented in Nutrition during Lactation (published by the National Academy of Science and available from the US Maternal and Child Health Clearinghouse) and many other sources. Some water-soluable vitamin levels in milk will change with maternal intake. Fat-soluable components, minerals, trace elements, and most nutritents are stable in milk and unrelated to mother's diet. Milk volume is directly related to frequency and thoroughness of breast emptying (ideally by the baby).  Drinking lots of fluids makes her urinate more, period.  Milk volume is NOT related to maternal hydration or nutritional status except in the most extreme starvation conditions. 

That isn't an excuse for a mom to subsist on junk food. A breastfeeding mother's nutrition/diet, wearing a car seat belt and obtaining good dental care are important positive health behaviors for HER health. And all have about the same impact on her milk supply.

Linda Smith, BSE, FACCE, IBCLC
Bright Future Lactation Resource Centre
http://www.bflrc.com/bflrc.htm