Breastfeeding is an important moment in the development of a newborn, and this is why it is worth making every effort to breastfeed a baby. However, some unreasonable stereotypes that have lived in our country for decades can instill fear and anxiety in a young and inexperienced mother. One of them concerns nutrition and how to increase the fat content of breast milk. Let's try to figure out whether its composition can change, what it affects and what kind of fat it should have.
Breast milk
Mother's milk is a unique product of its kind, the full-fledged analogues of which are difficult to find. This is the best food for the baby, which meets all his needs. Only mother's milk contains all the necessary trace elements for normal growth and full development.
However, lactating women often have the question of whether the baby has enough of such nutrition and how to increase the fat content of breast milk, if there are not enough nutritional properties. In order not to worry in vain, you need to figure out how the process of formation of such a product occurs and what it affects.
Lactation
The female body begins to prepare for lactation during pregnancy. This is manifested in the restructuring of the hormonal background and is observed in the appearance of the breast. An increase in the estrogen homon level contributes to the start of the production of another substance - prolactin. It is this hormone that is responsible for lactation. Gradually, its amount in the body increases, and by the time of birth, the hormonal picture is completely transformed and the body is ready for breastfeeding.
There are many opinions on how to stimulate lactation and what to eat to increase the fat content of breast milk. However, the most relevant recommendations, in which the opinions of traditional and alternative medicine agree, are:
- the full presence of protein-vitamin and mineral ingredients in the daily diet of a nursing woman;
- compliance with the drinking regime;
- the use of lactogenic foods and drinks (i.e., that increases the fat content of milk during breastfeeding).
Hormonal effects
The necessary amount of breast milk begins to be produced by the interaction of two hormones - prolactin and oxytocin. In this case, the first hormone stimulates lactation, then the second is responsible for secreting it from the breast. It is he who is responsible for the activity of muscle cells of internal secretion located in the alveoli. Oxytocin stimulates the movement of milk along the ducts to the nipple.
Fluid composition
Breast milk in the female body is produced by the synthesis of lymph and blood. This process does not depend on foods that increase the fat content of breast milk. All the necessary substances accumulate during pregnancy. Therefore, breast fluid has an optimal composition for feeding the baby.
If we consider the chemical composition of breast milk, then we can understand how much it depends on the stages of lactation:
- Colostrum is a very nutritious fluid that is produced in the early days of breastfeeding.
- Transitional milk is a less nutritious fluid that begins to be produced 3-5 days after the start of lactation. It contains less nutrients. Despite the concerns of mothers about how to increase the fat content of breast milk, at this stage the average figure is 3.5%. Such nutrition is fully provided by the baby and the baby eats up.
- Mature milk is a stable liquid composition that begins to be produced after 2-3 weeks from the start of lactation. It, in turn, is divided into anterior (more fluid) and posterior (dense and viscous).
When a woman begins to express breast fluid into a container, she sees only front milk. It was then that she began to worry about thoughts on how to increase the fat content of breast milk for a nursing mother. She begins to make a lot of efforts to increase the nutritional properties of the liquid. However, nature was laid so that the child first drank and then ate. Rear milk, which mom does not observe during decantation and whose fat content reaches an average of 3.8-4%, is very satisfying for babies.
Home conditions: check the fat content of breast milk of a nursing mother
How to increase the nutritional quality of the product being developed is a topic for discussion of representatives of traditional and traditional medicine. There are many recipes for enhancing lactation. However, before taking any action, you can try to determine the fat content of breast milk at home.
Firstly, in order to understand whether a baby has enough food, it is necessary to observe it. If the child is in a good mood, he has normal stools, nothing bothers him, and the baby takes the breast with pleasure, then he’s enough fat content of mother’s milk. In this case, you don’t have to worry about how to improve the quality of breast milk (increase fat content).
Secondly, in order to accurately know the percentage of breast fluid fat, you can conduct the following test: in a container with a measuring scale, pour 100 ml of breast milk and leave it at room temperature for 7 hours. During this time, all the fat present in the milk will rise up.
After this time, it is necessary to visually assess the accumulated layer: 1 mm = 1% fat. Normally, the layer thickness should be 4 mm.
Breast milk fat: how to increase lactation
The diet of a nursing mother is not the main indicator of the nutritional qualities of milk. However, the fact that a woman eats, enters the stomach of the child. The menu of the woman should be varied and at the same time balanced. It is not necessary to increase the calorie content of consumed dishes, since excess calories are likely to remain on the mother’s body, and the child may begin to have gastrointestinal problems in the form of colic and stool disorders.
A poor diet is also the wrong choice: a woman’s physical and psycho-emotional state may suffer from a lack of nutrients. Often, the quality of lactation is reduced precisely because of stress and poor mood. Therefore, speaking about products that increase the fat content of milk during breastfeeding, one should take into account dishes that are necessary primarily for mom. A balanced and full intake of proteins, fats, carbohydrates and other vital nutrients is a necessary condition for effective breastfeeding.
Expert opinion
Many pediatricians believe that without special need to increase the fat content of breast milk should not be. The desire of a woman to improve the quality of breast fluid most often leads to malfunctions in the still developing digestive system of the crumbs. In this case, it is much more important to master the basic rules: do not exclude night feeding, give each breast in turn and only at the request of the child. These rules cannot be neglected, since the rationality of lactation, as well as the health of the mother and child in the future, depends on their implementation.
Essential Products
But still, what increases the fat content of milk during breastfeeding? The diet of a nursing woman should consist of products that provide the body with all the necessary trace elements. During lactation, the menu must include:
- dairy products;
- cereals;
- vegetables;
- baked fruits and vegetables;
- fresh greens;
- low-fat fish;
- diet meat.
Products that increase lactation and fat content of breast milk include beef liver, walnuts, condensed milk. However, a woman should consume daily at least 25 grams of butter and 15 grams of vegetable (preferably olive).
Prohibited Products
In the menu of a nursing woman, the use of sugar and salt should be minimized, and it is advisable to replace white bread with gray. In addition, in no case can be attributed to foods that increase the fat content of breast milk or to a healthy and nutritious diet dishes consisting of:
- legumes (cause increased gas formation and bloating of the tummy crumbs);
- sharp, bitter and spicy spices (spoil the taste and smell of milk);
- sweets, chocolate, confectionery (cause fermentation processes in the tummy and can trigger allergies in the baby);
- citrus fruits (provoke some forms of diathesis in an infant);
- saturated red fruits, vegetables and berries: red apple, watermelon, strawberries, tomatoes (also able to become responsible for various skin rashes in infants);
- seafood (can cause poisoning and allergic reactions);
- mushrooms in all types of cooking;
- pickled and salted preparations;
- carbonated and alcoholic drinks, strong coffee and tea.
A lactating mother should approach the preparation of her daily diet with maximum responsibility.
Plants for increasing lactation
And what foods increase the fat content of breast milk yet? A special place among plant products that stimulate lactation is occupied by cumin, dill, fennel. This also includes dandelion, nettle, rose hips, yarrow, oregano, anise and lemon balm, as well as hazelnuts and walnuts. From garden crops to stimulate lactation apply: carrots, radishes and lettuce. Various infusions and decoctions are prepared from these products. They are consumed in the form of drinks and teas. Such funds help to establish the process of milk production during the period of lactation crises.
Folk remedies
Improve the quality of lactation and increase the fat content of breast milk (many women testify to this) allow some folk recipes, which are often recommended by pediatricians. Here is some of them:
- Take 100 grams of raisins, dried apricots, figs and walnuts, mix and grind. For 400 grams of dry mix add 100 grams of honey. The resulting preparation should be consumed 1 tablespoon before each feeding the baby.
- Black tea brewed in hot milk.
- Steal walnuts in milk and leave for an hour. Consume 1 tablespoon before each feeding.
- Freshly squeezed carrot juice, which is often added to fatty milk, honey, fruit and berry juices, should be consumed 2-3 times a day.
There are many other recipes for improving lactation, the effect of which is confirmed by centuries of use.
Nutritional supplements - breast milk fortifiers
Many young mothers in order to improve the nutritional properties of breast milk begin to use all kinds of enrichment preparations for industrial production. They are conditionally divided into several subgroups, each of which in its own way stimulates lactation. These are drugs that correct the diet for:
- a protein of animal origin (Femilak, Enfa-Mama, Dumil Mama Plus, Olympic, etc.);
- enriched with lactogenic additives (for example, the Milky Way drug);
- plant origin;
- Supplements ("Leovit Nutrio", "Apilactin" and "Lactogon" - preparations based on royal jelly);
- special vitamin and mineral complexes.
How to understand that a child has enough breast milk
In matters of breastfeeding, including the nutritional qualities of breast milk, it is necessary to focus not on the assumptions of the mother, but on the condition of the baby. If the baby is in a good mood, nothing bothers him, he grows normally and gains weight, being exclusively breastfed, then no measures need to be taken to increase and improve lactation. In cases where the child is constantly worried, grows poorly and at the same time there is a "syndrome" of dry diapers - this is a clear signal that the baby is not eating up. In this case, you should contact your supervising pediatrician. However, most often in such cases, doctors recommend a special diet and regularly use foods that increase the fat content of breast milk.