Alternative Medicine: Breast-feeding and nutrition

August 17, 2007

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/health/327684_altmed16.html

Washington state has one of the highest breast-feeding rates in the country. Breast milk is known to boost children's immune systems, brain development and help fight off many infectious diseases. So, what can a mother do to help ensure a good milk supply?

From day one, it is key for new moms to have support from a licensed health professional trained in lactation. As much as people would like to believe that breast-feeding is instinctive, it actually can be quite a learning process for mother and child. New studies show that if a nursing mother gets off to a good start, the mother's milk supply will remain stable, and she will be more likely to breast-feed longer.

It also is important that a nursing mother have good nutrition. She will need up to an additional 500 calories to produce adequate supplies of milk and often will feel thirstier. Studies have shown that even the act of bringing food and drink to a new mother may help increase her milk supply. In part, this is a result of good nutrition, but being taken care of can trigger a hormone involved in assuring good milk flow.

Some of the foods traditionally used to help maintain milk supply in nursing mothers include brewer's yeast, mineral-rich foods such as dark leafy greens and oatmeal.

There's also a handful of medicinal herbs that historically have been used to increase milk supply, including fennugreek, blessed thistle, goat's rue and fennel. Consult a qualified health professional trained in botanical medicine before using these herbs.

-- Sheila Kingsbury, ND, RH (AHG), assistant professor, Bastyr University; Chairwoman, Seattle-King County Breast-feeding Coalition

Bastyr is a non-profit, private university offering graduate and undergraduate degrees, with a multidisciplinary curriculum in science-based natural medicine. The university's Seattle teaching clinic, Bastyr Center for Natural Health, is the Northwest's largest natural medicine clinic. Go to bastyr.edu or bastyrcenter.org.

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