Case Study on Breastfeeding and Diet

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Case: Nutrition For Breastfeeding Mothers
Introduction
Babies are fed with breast milk for the first six months of their lives since delivery, and during this time the baby relies upon the mother for all her nutritional needs. It is for this reason that mothers need to adopt healthy dietary plans for the sake of the baby regarding protein, energy vitamins and other nutrients which are transferred from mother to child through the breast milk. There is usually a very high demand for nutrition for both the mother and the child, and thus mothers need adequate nutrients from their daily diet, and it is based on food selection and preparation (Nutrition during Breastfeeding, 2015).
Case profile
Female
Breastfeeding
Child below six months of age
Dietary needs
Energy
For breasting mothers, the nutritional needs exceed those of a normal person. They require an extra 500 kcal of energy during the six months and 400Kcal after the six months. The energy need can be achieved by eating extra slices of bread each day. It, therefore, involves eating more than the usual from a balanced diet. Mothers produce an average of 750 ml of milk each day, and therefore, lack of meeting the extra amount of energy needs means that the mother’s fat reserves will be used instead (Nutrition During Breastfeeding, 2015).
Proteins
There is also a need for more protein, but the need is not as much as that for energy. However, when energy needs are not met, then the body will use up the available proteins (Nutrition during Breastfeeding, 2015).

Other nutrients
There are other important nutrients, and they include thiamine, riboflavin, vitamin A, C sodium and many others. These are nutrients that babies need and rely on their mothers to access them. Mothers also need high amounts of calcium of up to 100mg every day because it is an essential component of the lactation process (Nutrition during Breastfeeding, 2015).
Conclusion
Breastfeeding mothers need more nutrients because they are the source of nutrients for babies. Babies need breastfeed for six months after birth and thus depend on their mothers. Mothers, therefore they need strong dietary discipline associated with additional amounts of different nutrients to meet the nutritional needs of their babies. This means that they have to eat a bigger amount of food, more than normal.Works Cited
“Nutrition during Breastfeeding.” MyVMC, 3 Aug. 2015, www.myvmc.com/pregnancy/nutrition-during-breastfeeding/.