Fruits, vegetables, vegetables, rice, beans, meats and eggs should be part of anyone’s diet in order to increase the amount of nutrients in the body. For mothers who are breastfeeding, the consumption of natural foods can bring benefits to the child’s health.
The campaign golden august promotes awareness of the importance of breastfeeding. In general, the first months of a child’s life are intense, especially for mothers, who need to maintain constant care for the newborn. In order for the mother to be able to eat healthy and fully, family support is essential – both in preparing meals and performing other household tasks.
Researcher Danielle Aparecida da Silva, coordinator of the milk bank at the Fernandes Figueira Institute (IFF/Fiocruz) says that support from parents, family members and society increases breastfeeding rates.
“Adopting an inclusive approach to breastfeeding that brings together parents, friends, family, co-workers and the community is essential to create an enabling environment that allows mothers to breastfeed optimally,” he says.
Balanced diet
Professor at the Institute of Nutrition at the University of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Uerj) Jorginete de Jesus Damião says that care with hydration must be redoubled, since the liquid part of milk is produced from the mother’s hydration.
“It is important for a woman who is breastfeeding to drink even more water. A good tip is to always have a bottle of water close by when she goes to breastfeed”, says Jorginete. With increased demand for water in the body, it is possible to feel more hungry and thirsty and, therefore, the woman who is breastfeeding may become more dehydrated than normal.
Professor José Alfredo Lacerda, from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Brasília (UnB), says that women who are breastfeeding need to have a balanced diet, with carbohydrates, fats and proteins.
“Actually, she must consume even a little more to supply the reserves, since she will spend more energy to produce the milk”, says Lacerda. “Food normally does not harm a child. The mother should eat everything, especially fruits and vegetables. Only if the baby responds badly should the mother pay attention to something in particular”, adds the teacher.
“It would be super good for the mother during the breastfeeding period to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables daily, proteins from well-cooked chicken or turkeys, eggs are also important, fish two to three times a week, opt for sardines, salmon, tuna”, adds doctor Carolina Curci, specialist in Gynecology and Obstetrics at Santa Casa de Misericórdia in São Paulo and a postgraduate in reproductive medicine.
Experts recommend avoiding excess milk, red meat, dyes and ultra-processed foods. Although the consumption of ultra-processed foods such as crackers, sausages and ham is practical, these foods are nutritionally unbalanced, full of fats, sugars and sodium.
“Sometimes the mother drinks a lot of cow’s milk and this can cause a problem in the child, such as colic. So, the recommended consumption of milk is a maximum of two glasses a day. It is also worth replacing it with another type of protein. The ideal, during the breastfeeding period, is to consume more white meats such as fish and chicken”, says Lacerda.
benefits of breastfeeding
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ministry of Health advise that you should breastfeed with breast milk for up to two years or more, exclusively until the baby’s sixth month of life.
“Breast milk is the most complete compound of vitamins, minerals, antibodies and has the ideal amount of water for the baby. So, first of all, we need to understand that nothing replaces breast milk”, says doctor Carolina.
The specialist believes that one of the biggest challenges at the beginning of breastfeeding is in the correct grip of the breast by the child. “Patients need a lot of patience to make the little baby wake up and learn the correct latch. Without it, there is no correct stimulus for sucking and you will not have adequate milk production”, says Carolina.
The Ministry of Health recommends the best position to breastfeed and stimulate the attachment of the breast:
- the baby should be facing the mother, close to her body, fully supported and with arms free
- the baby’s head should face the breast and the nose right in front of the nipple
- only put the baby to suck when he opens his mouth wide
- when the baby takes the breast, the chin should touch the breast, the lips are turned out and the nose is free
- the child should grasp, in addition to the nipple, as much of the dark part of the breast (areola) as possible
- each baby has its own breastfeeding rhythm, which must be respected
The Brazilian Society of Pediatrics (SBP) states that breast milk favors the development and digestive and immunological maturation of newborns.
According to the SBP, breastfeeding reduces complications related to premature birth, such as inflammation and necrosis of the intestine, eye and lung disorders and late sepsis (severe complication resulting from infection), which mainly affects preterm infants admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Units ( NICU).
When breastfeeding, the woman loses the weight she gained during pregnancy faster and is protected from various diseases. The practice decreases bleeding from the uterus (which occurs for a period after childbirth), preventing anemia, and reducing the chances of developing osteoporosis, breast, uterus and ovary cancer.
“Breastfeeding contributes to the development of the palate, the roof of the mouth, swallowing and the child’s speech therapy. In addition to benefits for weight and digestion”, says Carolina.
Source: CNN Brasil
