Fiona, it is not simple maths to work out the extra calories a mother
needs to make breastmilk. The main factor altering this is alteration
to the mother's metabolic rate. I am no expert on this, but have
heard that a lactating (and pregnant for that matter) mother is
similar with regard to her metabolic rate to someone in a famine
situation - ie where the body must become more efficient than normal
on the food available. When you think about mothers in some
countries, who produce healthy babies and sufficient breastmilk, but
have not got the opportunity to eat *any* extra food, their bodies
adapt.
We in the West eat much more than we need to as a general rule, and
are not very efficient in our utilisation of that food - our bodies
don't need to be.
People also vary a fair bit in metabolic rates - from those who can
eat anything they like and not get fat to those who seem to gain
weight by just smelling a cream cake!! And there are the mums who
lose weight quickly postpartum, yet others can make lots of milk but
can't seem to shift the extra weight gained during pregnancy.
So I don't think it is reasonable to set numbers that will apply to
everyone. In recent years, the 'official' extra food a mother needs
has been decreasing, as nutritionists learn more about this. I think
there has also been some evidence that lactating women expend less
energy as well, so conserve some calories that way. I think the need
for extra food is *very* variable amongst mothers.
This trend to conservation of nutrients also applies to particular
components, as well, like calcium. Ann Prentice's studies in UK and
The Gambia have shown that calcium is absorbed more efficiently or
conserved during pregnancy and lactation, so that the mother doesn't
need to consume extra to normal (provided she has a 'normal'
consumption to start with, and not a deficient diet). This
information, I imagine, won't be welcomed by the dairy industry!
These are some of the references I have noted regarding calcium.
Prentice A et al, 1995, Calcium requirements of lactating Gambian
mothers: effects of a calcium supplement on breast milk calcium
concentration, maternal bone mineral content, and urinary excretion .
Am J Clin Nutr 65: 58-67
Prentice A, 1997, Calcium supplementation during breast-feeding, N
Eng J Med 337(8): 558-559
Laskey MA & Prentice A, 1999, Bone mineral changes during and after
lactation. Obstet Gynecol 94: 605-615
Fascinating stuff, isn't it?!
Joy
******************************************************************
Joy Anderson B.Sc. Dip.Ed. Grad.Dip.Med.Tech. IBCLC
Australian Breastfeeding Association counsellor
Perth, Western Australia. mailto:[log in to unmask]
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