After delivering the baby, the body of a new mothers moving back to its pre-pregnancy stage. Now she really needs to fulfill breastfeeding needs of her baby. Having nutritious food is extremely important particularly calcium. Breastfeeding mothers should never ignore calcium in their diet for a variety of reasons. The biggest reason being the large amounts of calcium that is secreted into their breast milk and is used by their baby to build stronger bones. This is happening at the speed of light and if you don’t maintain an intake of enough calcium through your diet to fulfill the needs of your body and your baby, you might end up with osteoporosis later in life. You can always use dairy products to fill the gap of calcium requirement after delivery. Never overlook the importance of calcium.
Here are some of the reasons you should be vigilant about calcium in your diet:
- Increased Requirement of Calcium
Most of the breast feeding women are so focused on their babies that they forget about themselves. Many women who ignore their diet only take 400 mg of calcium during lactation and pregnancy. Their daily requirement of calcium is 1200 mg. You can have more than the recommended dietary allowance as long as you take 2500mg daily. It is better to get calcium through food than supplements as your body is able to absorb that better.
- Postpartum Loss of Calcium is Higher
We all know that you lose calcium even during pregnancy. But did you know loss of calcium is four times higher during the nine months of lactation than during pregnancy? You can prevent the loss in bone mineral density by maintaining an intake of calcium.
- Calcium is Lost on Daily Basis
Breastfeeding mothers feed their baby every few hours every single day. They are losing a lot of calcium from their body on a daily basis. A nursing mother tends to lose 200 to 300mg of calcium each day during breastfeeding.
- The Calcium Requirement of the Baby
Your baby needs calcium for the development of strong bones and teeth especially during the first six months. Otherwise, he will become prone to abnormalities. The bones and teeth consist of 99% calcium. For the first six months, your baby needs 200 to 300mg of calcium every single day from breastmilk. You have to fulfill your baby and your body’s calcium requirement through your diet.
What to do if dairy products aren’t working for you?
For many breastfeeding moms, dairy products are not the best source of calcium as it is not well absorbed by the body and dairy happens to be number one dietary cause of colic babies. Here are some of the foods high recommended for breastfeeding mom to pump up their calcium supply:
- Figs: It is a sweet snack not well appreciated for its nutrient value. Eating 4 figs give your 124 mg of calcium. Adding almonds add 75 mg of calcium.
- Blackstrap molasses: one tablespoon blackstrap molasses fulfill 20% of your daily calcium requirements. They are also a rich source of iron and can help you recover after delivery.
- Collard greens: This leafy green vegetable is packed with calcium that is easy to absorb by your body. One cup of cooked collard consists of 357mg of calcium.
- Turnip Greens: One cup of boiled turnip greens can give you 249 mg of calcium.
Soybeans: you can add this to your soups. One of boiled soybeans consists of 261mg of calcium.
