Do I Need Extra Calcium While Breastfeeding My Baby?

A nutritious diet is very important for both you and your baby. Your body needs proper vitamins and minerals to heal after delivery. Additionally, your baby needs good nourishment to help him grow strong and healthy. Therefore, calcium is needed for bones to stay healthy and strong. How much calcium does a breastfeeding mom need? Breastfeeding moms older than 19 years old need three servings a day of calcium. The primary sources of calcium in a breastfeeding mom's diet come from milk, orange juice, cereals, all kind of cheeses, ice cream, sour or cream cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, and green vegetables. Adult women need to consume approximately 1000 mg of calcium a day and 1300 mg for adolescents. Examples of servings can be 1 cup of milk, 1 cup yogurt, 1 1/2 ounces of cheese, 1 cup of pudding or 1 1/2 cup of ice cream. Calcium-fortified cereals or orange juice has good calcium in it. Low-fat yogurt is also good as well as calcium fortified cereals. Prenatal vitamins do not contain too much calcium. Therefore, it is essential for breastfeeding moms to eat a well-balanced diet. Additional examples of food that contain smaller amounts of calcium are green vegetables, turnip, collard, beet and kale, black eye peas and northern peaks, bok choy, corn, tortillas, broccoli, rhubarb, and okra.If breastfeeding moms feel they do not get enough calcium in their diets, ask your doctor if you need to take an extra calcium supplement. Vegans who do not eat dairy products, need to take a vitamin supplement that contains Vitamin B 12. Most supplements nowadays contain Vitamin B 12. Calcium cannot be properly absorbed in your bones without sufficient Vitamin D. Sunlight is a good source of Vitamin D. If you need to take Vitamin D supplements,consult with your doctor first and ask if it is all right to take while breastfeeding. Absorption of Vitamin D depends on upon having an adequate level in a breastfeeding mom's body. Milk is the best source of Vitamin D at approximately 100 IU per cup. Women who breastfeed their baby,need approximately 600 IU a day.What are good examples of foods with calcium? Foods that contains calcium are: Yogurts,cheese, cottage cheese and ice cream contain calcium, green vegetables, broccoli, spinach, collards, kale, turnip, bok choy, parsley, mustard, tofu, soy products, beans, chickpeas, garbanzo beans and pinto beans. Sea vegetables such as nori, kombu, wakame, agar-agar contain calcium. Grains such as tapioca, quinoa, and tortillas contain calcium. Seafood such as shrimp, salmon, mackerel and sardines with bones contains calcium. Herbs such as borage, lamb's quarter, wild lettuce, nettles, burdock, yellow dock contain calcium. Calcium-fortified cereals or orange juice and milk contain calcium. Some people areLactose Intolerant.They do not breakdown calcium products well in their system. For those people, there are good substitutes such as nondairy pancakes, almond milk, rice drink, soy ice cream and imitation cheese products. Sometimes, you may need to take a supplement if you are not getting enough calcium.While breastfeeding, itis very important for moms to get enough calcium. Inconclusion, because of natural bone loss while breastfeeding, you need to make sure you get enough calcium and Vitamin D while breastfeeding. So, be sure to stay on a healthy diet to help keep you bones strong