What you eat and drink can affect what’s in your breastmilk, but it doesn’t affect how much breastmilk you make. If you’re breastfeeding, doctors recommend that you eat a healthy diet. This can make sure you’re getting all of the vitamins and minerals you need and that you pass them on to your baby through your breastmilk. Doctors also recommend that you avoid a few things that could get into your breastmilk and harm your baby.

 

Here are some rules of thumb for a healthy diet:

  • Have about 2,000 calories a day, but this is different for everyone
  • Have a mix of different vegetables, fruits, protein, whole grains, and low-fat dairy
  • Avoid extra sugars, fat, and salt

 

Some things that doctors recommend you avoid while breastfeeding are:

  • Seafood with a lot of mercury in it, like swordfish, shark, and king mackerel
  • Drinking alcohol
  • Drinking more than 2-3 cups of coffee per day
  • Any consumption of cannabis, including eating it baked into something or in the form of gummies

 

Your doctor might recommend that you take some vitamins, like folate or folic acid, iron, iodine, choline, vitamin B12, or vitamin D. You need more of these vitamins while you’re lactating than you would normally. You can get all of these vitamins from food by eating a healthy diet. But if you’re still not getting enough of them, your doctor might recommend a supplement. Talk to your doctor about what vitamins might be good to take.

 

Healthy food keeps you and your baby feeling good!