My bad diet and BF

[Tecopa]

I've just noticed my diet has become appalling - lack of time, energy and desire to eat properly I guess being so busy and I don't tend to even feel hungry much these days. I know I have to improve it and put myself first sometimes but I do wonder what my diet does to my breast milk? I'm leaning heavily on take away or chocolate and junk food and not eating much fruit and vegies - even forgetting decent meat sometimes! And some days drinking far too much Coke Zero and not any water

Will my bub get milk that is poorer quality? I don't have any supply issues which I'm grateful for but will it be tasting so much like McDonalds I'm setting him up to be a junk food addict

Are there any studies on this kind of thing? I've read that in third world countries even malnourished mothers have perfect milk for their babies - but of course the mother suffers for that since bub's needs are first and she doesn't get the nutrition she needs. Is that what I'm doing to myself?

[Kmn]

Too much caffeine/coke can make bub a bit unhappy.
Otherwise that will happen is you will feed ordinary as bub gets nutrients over you!
Start small - reduce the coke a bit, add the occasional green thing and don't stress over it.

[CinderToriella]

they do say its just as important to eat well and drink plenty of water while Bfeeding just as if u were pregnant still- i dont know

Are u still taking your vitamins? take a multi that can be used during breast feeding , and try and drink water its very important for milk supply and for your own health not just bubs..
I know its hard i have found it hard thr whole way through this pregnancy to eat well, always sick etc. but i have taken ELEVIT the whole time and will continue to as well
I DRINK water but i love water so thats a good easy thing

but dont get me wrong i LOVE my full strength coke heheheh we have cartons of it here

just do your best i cant imagine yet ow hard it would be to make time when u have a little one.

[CinderToriella]

but i do limit my caffeine to one can of coke per day

[sloane]

i'm pretty sure the eating well part is for your benefit, not the baby's. i've seen a few posts around highlighting how mothers in poverty striken areas can still BF successfully without access to the variety, quality & quantity of food we have.

i found that caffeine made DS go a bit wild in the early months but that it settled down by around 5 months, although i still try to limit it though.

i think it is a good idea to try and be as healthy as possible though to make sure you're feeling your best (esp if you're still getting multiple wake ups a night!!)

[CinderToriella]

they are say to try and have your caffeine after a feed so that it has enough time to get out of your system before the next feed, so it doesnt make bubs all jumpy

[Barb Glare]

Hi,
Womens' milk has been thoroughly studied - and it's amazingly uniform across all economic situations and types of diets.
You can breastfeed beautifully on a tim tam and a can of coke - but you will feel like hell yourself. And being a mum, you want to feel as good as you can. It's important to your own health and well-being.
I often suggest that, rather than worrying about babies getting into a routine, they put themselves in a routinve - write yourself a little chart to put on the fridge and tick off when you have eaten something healthy.

[AliBaby]

I had a pretty poor diet when bf and put on a lot of weight. More than I did when pregnant I still made sure that I ate healthy food but I was constantly hungry and would then indulge in take aways, junk food, etc.

I know any type of coke is bad for you but I did actually change to caffeine free and you wouldnt notice the difference.

If you are really having trouble eating healthy food, make sure you take some vitamisn as someone suggested. Your baby will always get any nutrients from your body before you but you do need to make sure you look after you as well.

I really found the adjustment of being at work to being at home quite difficult as I would always be going to the fridge or cupboard. And to add into the mix all the mothers group meetings with yummy food equalled not a great combination.

I am now finding the balance and looking after myself. You will get there hun. Being aware of the problem is the first step.

[beaver]

Hi
I was tending to followyour poor diet too several weeks ago but a combination of stress and poor diet lead to my supply lowering. I notice that on the days that I do not drink 2L water and eat well that DS was require an artifical comp so I am on vitamins on! Whilst I was reading up on increasing supply, I found out the tea, coffee, chocolate (caffeine) decreased supply and also can make baby irritable. Glad to here you're not having any issues with supply but try to drink cordial if you don't like water (2L water per day for BFing mothers) and have some healthy meals / snacks or choose a healthier take aways - yiros, take-away counter meal, grilled fish with salad?