Behavior during breastfeeding

Synonyms in a broader sense

Smoking, alcohol, diet, sport, working while breastfeeding

Smoking while breastfeeding

If smoking cannot be given up completely, attempts should nevertheless be made to smoke as little as possible and never smoke in the presence of the child. Since many toxins such as nicotine, carbon monoxide, heavy metals and cancer-causing substances pass into the breast milk of women who smoke, they should be smoked immediately after breastfeeding instead of before. It should be noted that the child's airways (see lungs) and digestive system can be overly sensitive.

You can read more about this at: Smoking while breastfeeding- how dangerous is it?

Diet while breastfeeding

The diet should be balanced and varied. The energy requirement is only increased by about 300 kcal (by about 700-1000 kcal in twins), so attention should be paid to quality rather than quantity. Especially unprocessed and vegetable, if possible organic, foods should now be on the menu.

You can also read about this: Coffee while breastfeeding? and nutrition during breastfeeding- what you need to consider!

Info: nutrition

The need for proteins, calcium, vitamins and unsaturated fatty acids is increased during breastfeeding.
Dairy and whole grain products, fruit and vegetables, eggs, fish and meat as well as nuts and seeds should now be eaten regularly. Because of the high mercury pollution, fish such as eel, tuna, redfish, pike, monkfish, halibut and wolffish should be avoided.

Read more on the topic: Diet while breastfeeding

Vegetarians should watch out for their iron levels. To do this, you should regularly combine iron-rich foods such as whole grain products and berries with foods rich in vitamin C in order to optimize iron absorption. The consumption of proteins should also be guaranteed. Potatoes and eggs are an ideal combination.

A purely vegan diet is not advisable during breastfeeding, as the insufficient supply of individual substances can endanger the health of the child.

Diet is also not appropriate during breastfeeding, as the fat reserves created during pregnancy are now required. The normal weight loss during breastfeeding of around two kilograms per month should not be exceeded because otherwise too many pollutants will be released from the fatty tissue and get into breast milk.

The flatulence effect of individual foods should be tried out individually, as each child can react differently (problems during breastfeeding (child). An attempt to omit suspicious foods should be tried, whereby it should be noted that the respective food component only occurs after about five hours in the Breast milk appears and disappears again after 24 hours at the latest.

The consumption of alcohol can inhibit the flow of milk, change the taste of the milk and can make the child limp and lazy to drink. Occasional consumption of wine etc. is acceptable, however, high-proof alcohols should generally not be consumed while breastfeeding.

Please also read our topic: Alcohol while breastfeeding

In the case of medication, medical advice should always be sought. Many agents change the taste of breast milk and the color of the child's stool. If breastfeeding has to be interrupted, you can temporarily pump out and discard the milk. For many diseases, however, breastfeeding-compatible medication or alternative healing methods are available.

Please also read our topic on this: Medication during breastfeeding

Contraception while breastfeeding

Breastfeeding only offers safe contraception if certain criteria are strictly met:

• The child is under half a year old and the Menstruation (Menstrual period) has not yet started again.

• Breastfeeding is done exclusively and at least every four hours.

If one of the criteria does not apply, the usual one must be used Contraceptive methods can be used. It are suitable Condoms, Diaphragm (from six weeks after delivery), spiral (also possible directly after delivery) and hormonal contraception. In the case of hormonal contraception, however, only a pure progestin preparation is used (Mini pill) question what must always be taken at exactly the same time. An estrogen-containing pill is unsuitable for breastfeeding.

Working while breastfeeding

According to the Maternity Protection Act the mother must be given breastfeeding breaks of twice a half hour or once an hour a day. If the daily working time exceeds eight hours, this breastfeeding break is extended to 45 minutes twice or 90 minutes once. If you are still fully breastfed, you can continue Pumping out a milk supply can be created, which can then be fed to the child outside of breastfeeding breaks. Regular pumping should also be ensured when you are absent for a longer period of time, such as business trips Milk congestion is avoided.

Exercise while breastfeeding

If used correctly, sport is ideal during breastfeeding to support regression and get back in shape. Post-recovery gymnastics is particularly suitable, in which the abdominal wall and the pelvic floor are trained in order to prevent late effects and ensure optimal post-recovery. However, pelvic floor exercises should never be done while breastfeeding, as this creates tension that can hinder the flow of milk.

Read more on the subject at: Postnatal exercise

A bra that provides good support should be ensured during high-movement sports. Visits to thermal baths are also suitable because of their relaxing effect. The nipples can be protected from the chlorine-containing water with a pure lanolin ointment. Some milk may leak out during a sauna session. In this case, the flow of milk can be stopped by applying slight pressure to the nipples.

Lose weight while breastfeeding - learn more about this topic here.

Jealousy of older siblings

Older siblings must learn to share the undivided attention given to them with their new sibling. This often leads to jealousy or even aggression. So that this does not get out of hand, one should try to pay sufficient attention to the older sibling as well. The father in particular plays an important role here, as the mother is very busy with the newborn baby through breastfeeding, etc. Relatives or other visitors can also be asked to greet the older child first before the newborn is admired. Furthermore, jealousy should never be spoken of in the presence of the child and it should not be forced to caress its little sibling.