Helping breastfeeding mothers eat well.

摘要

Although this column typically addresses intake by infants, I have altered the focus somewhat for this issue to address maternal nutrition when breastfeeding. The benefits of breastfeeding for mother and infant are well documented (Ip et al., 2007). But what happens when a breastfeeding mother encounters problems or has questions about her nutrition? In September, I had the opportunity to spend some time with a lactation consultant. During our interaction, we talked about the importance of a mother's nutrition, including her intake of dairy products. Because nurses often are the healthcare providers to whom breastfeeding mothers turn for nutrition advice when breastfeeding, I thought it would be helpful to review maternal nutrition while breastfeeding, because it has a direct impact on infant nutrition.