The birth of a child for a woman is an exciting event that requires huge expenses both physically and psychologically. That is why a young mother must carefully take care of her health, because the health of the baby depends on his condition. Lactation or breastfeeding is a very important process, providing not only a close relationship between the baby and mother, but also a necessary condition for the formation of immunity and healthy microflora in the baby.
Maintaining lactation
- The correct mode of the day (adequate sleep and walks).
- Adequate fluid intake (1.5-2 l).
- Frequent attachments to the baby's chest (about 12 times a day, including at night).
- Half an hour before feeding, drink tea diluted with milk.
- Complex vitamins (with lactation, constant intake).
Increased lactation
In cases where milk production is insufficient, the following is recommended:
- Reception of hawthorn extract (20 drops three times a day, course - up to 10 days).
- Nettle broth (1 liter of boiling water pour 20 dried leaves, insist and take a spoonful (tablespoon) three times a day, 10 days).
- Gathering according to Yordanov: dill, anise, oregano 25g each. The collection is poured with boiling water (1 teaspoon in a glass of boiling water). Take three times a day on a tablespoon.
- Vitamin E for lactation - 0.2 twice a day for a week.
- Ascorbic acid 7 days to 1 g per day.
Lactation recovery
- The drug "Apilak" 1 under the tongue three times a day.
- Brewer's yeast, 2 tablets three times a day.
- "Gendevit" - vitamins during lactation (if milk is missing). Three times a day, 1 tablet;
- Fasting honey in the morning - 1 teaspoon before meals, and in the evening the same amount after meals after 2 hours
- Soups (especially mushroom) at least twice a week for half a liter.
- Special herbal collection to increase lactation.
- Drink plenty of tea (sweet tea, milk, fruit drinks, compotes).
All of the above items are observed for four weeks. Lactation is restored after a month.
The danger of hypo- and vitamin deficiency during lactation
In cases of prolonged lack of vitamins during lactation, not only the body of a nursing woman, but also the baby suffers. And this is not surprising, because such necessary vitamins simply have nowhere to draw. With such malnutrition, the baby's development and growth may slow down.
The most unfavorable, according to pediatricians, is an insufficient intake of vitamin D, leading to rickets. To prevent this condition, children receiving breast milk are prescribed additional use of vitamin D.
In accordance with the data of studies conducted by the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, most often breastfeeding mothers develop a deficiency of vitamins B1, C and A.
As a result of this deficiency, caries occurs, the nails are stratified and the hair falls out.
The benefits that vitamins bring during lactation
To prevent the above problems, a nursing woman should monitor her diet, paying attention to products that contain vitamin E, zinc and biotin (from B-vitamins).
Doctors strongly recommend taking multivitamins during the entire lactation period, occasionally taking small breaks between courses (one to two weeks after each course).
Vitamins during lactation are extremely important for both the baby and mother, because they not only affect excellent well-being, but also provide a greater volume of milk produced.
Where do vitamins go
Not everyone knows that the reason for the intensive consumption of macronutrients and vitamins during lactation is not only the production of milk, although the lion's share of the above substances is spent on this. There are other reasons for the deficiency of nutrients in the postpartum period:
- Vitamins are necessary for the intensive work of the intracretory glands, which are activated at this time due to the acceleration of metabolic processes.
- Recent births suggest a significant cost of vitamins that go away at the birth of the placenta and the removal of amniotic fluid.
- Some loss of vitamins occurs with the excretion of feces and urine.
The choice of sources of vitamins depends only on the lactating woman. For example, you can select special foods for food that contain a maximum of useful and necessary substances. However, immediately after the birth of a child, this is problematic, due to severe restrictions in the diet. So, the bulk of berries, fruits and raw vegetables is prohibited, and in case of allergic reactions in the baby, the mother’s diet narrows even more (only cereals, pasta and broths are allowed). But mom, in spite of everything, needs to restore the supply of nutrients lost during childbirth, and therefore there is a second option - the selection of multivitamin complexes specially designed for pregnant and lactating women. It is worth noting that ordinary multivitamins are better not to use, as they can provoke the occurrence of allergies.
What vitamins to drink with lactation?
Any drugs, even the most harmless, should be prescribed by a doctor. But in any case, with lactation, only special means should be used (due to their safety and effectiveness). They include special microcapsules, each of which contains a variety of substances that, when “meeting”, can interfere with the assimilation of each other. Therefore, each of the capsules opens at different times.
What vitamins are possible with lactation
When breastfeeding, there is a lack of certain trace elements and vitamins, and therefore:
- As part of a multivitamin for a nursing mother, calcium must certainly be present, because it strengthens the mother’s teeth, nails and hair, penetrating the baby’s body with breast milk, contributes to the proper development of the baby’s bones.
- Vitamin D during lactation is simply irreplaceable due to the fact that it provides sufficient absorption of calcium, and, therefore, prevents the development of rickets;
- In almost all women, as a result of pregnancy, childbirth, the level of selenium decreases. This trace element is responsible for the adequate functioning of the immune system and, therefore, for the prevention of inflammatory pathologies.
- With a chronic lack of vitamin E, a lactating woman may develop muscle weakness and postpartum depression.
Vitamin Complexes
Special multivitamins for a nursing mother have been developed, which contain the necessary vitamins and trace elements necessary for her important period.
- "Elevit" - a vitamin complex for pregnant and lactating, the most commonly prescribed drug. Its composition includes 7 trace elements and 12 vitamins that restore a woman’s body after pregnancy and childbirth, return energy and saturate milk with everything necessary for the proper development of the baby.
- Vitrum is a complex specially designed for lactating women, it contains 3 trace elements and 10 vitamins. These vitamins are an excellent prevention of calcium deficiency, and they are also extremely convenient when taken. The daily dosage is just one capsule containing all the necessary minerals and vitamins.
- "Alphabet" - vitamins for lactation, which contain 3 types of different tablets taken at different times. Iron is placed in one such tablet and vitamins that facilitate its absorption, in another - powerful antioxidants (beta-carotene, selenium, A, C, E), in the third - vitamin D and calcium.
- "Complivit" - from inexpensive ones, this is perhaps the best vitamins for lactation and pregnancy. This drug was developed by Russian pharmacists and doctors specifically for residents of Russia, it takes into account the characteristics of both the diet and the climate. The complex contains vitamins PP, B6, C, B1, D, B9, E, B12, A, B2, B5, in addition, the complex includes magnesium, phosphorus, iron and copper. One of the advantages of Complivit is that the content of all ingredients is about 70%, which means that an overdose is excluded when it is taken. Unfortunately, many foreign multivitamins contain too high doses of microelements / vitamins, which does not always have a positive effect on the body of a nursing woman and baby, which is naturally fed. Complivit does not cause hypervitaminosis and it is extremely rare that side effects develop when it is taken. Of the additional ingredients in the preparation, only starch, citric acid and sucrose are present. Due to the special complex composition, the drug can be taken during pregnancy, during lactation and as vitamins after lactation, as well as in preparation for conception.
Every day, a nursing woman develops from half a liter to 900 ml of milk containing large volumes of minerals and vitamins from the mother’s body, which is why taking vitamins during lactation is so important to maintain the health and beauty of the nursing woman.
Reception "AEvita" when breastfeeding a baby
The content of vitamins E and A in "Aevita" is quite high, and therefore not all nursing women are shown and useful. If the need for the use of this complex has nevertheless arisen, you should definitely consult a doctor who will prescribe the necessary dosage. This drug is safe in case of taking an adequate therapeutic dose: 1-2 capsules per day, a course of 30 days. Due to the body’s ability to accumulate vitamins, this drug is used in courses, the interval between which should not be less than 6 months. Moreover, repeated courses are prescribed purely by a doctor according to indications.
According to many doctors, Aevit should not be taken if a woman is already drinking another vitamin complex that contains vitamins E and A, due to the high likelihood of an overdose (hypervitaminosis), accompanied by vomiting, drowsiness, nausea and dizziness. In addition, uncontrolled administration of this drug can lead to agitation or confusion (severe cases), due to an overdose of vitamin A; allergic reactions, changes in the liver, thyroid gland and kidneys.
The use of drugs that contain magnesium
Magnesium is one of the most essential microelements in the body, because a sufficient amount of it ensures the normal functioning of the nervous system and heart. Magnesium, as well as vitamin B6, is included in almost all multivitamin complexes designed for pregnant women and women who have given birth.
Absorption of magnesium is possible only in the presence of vitamin B6, which explains the popularity of the medicine "Magne-B6", which is often prescribed for pregnant women with high blood pressure, uterine tone and other problems.
When breastfeeding, magnesium in combination with vitamin B6 should be taken only if prescribed by a doctor, due to the fact that the components of the drug enter the baby's body with breast milk and, if used uncontrolled, can cause drowsiness, bradycardia, and muscle weakness.
The use of calcium-containing drugs
One of the commonly prescribed agents for lactation and pregnancy is Calcium Gluconate. Indications for its use are allergic processes, lack of calcium in foods, bleeding, various inflammatory processes and malfunctioning of the parathyroid glands. In addition, this drug is included in the complex treatment of pathologies of the skin, liver, bones (in particular fractures) and kidneys, as well as an antidote in the treatment of poisoning with fluoride, oxalic acid and magnesium sulfate.
The drug is contraindicated in the appointment of cardiac glycosides, sarcoidosis and a tendency to lithiasis (the formation of stones in organs).
Assign "Calcium gluconate" to pregnant / lactating women more often in tablet form and much less in injectable form.
To take calcium in the form of this drug should be in dosages prescribed by the attending doctor and with extreme caution if a woman is already taking vitamins containing this mineral.
Vitamins in Food
It is no secret that a nursing mother should eat high quality, and most importantly - regularly. Below is a list of products whose natural vitamins are high enough and cover the needs of both the mother’s body and the baby’s body:
- A (retinol) - found in carrots, eggs, milk and the liver. Responsible for the condition of bones, vision, hair, skin and teeth;
- IN 1. Source - cereals, legumes. Control of carbohydrate metabolism and the nervous system;
- IN 2. Sources - eggs, rose hips, liver. Maintenance of liver function and assimilation of iron;
- AT 6. Contained in fish, nuts, meat, cabbage. It is necessary for the proper development of the brain (brain, spinal) in a child;
- AT 12. Sources - seafood, liver, meat, fish. It takes part in hematopoiesis, as well as in the functioning of the liver and nervous system.
- PP Contained in buckwheat, eggs and meat. Control of blood pressure, gastrointestinal tract.
- C. Source - fruits, sauerkraut, vegetables, berries. Maintaining immunity.
- E. Sources - vegetable oils. It is necessary for the synthesis of lactation hormones.
- D. Contained in eggs, fatty fish, liver. Prevention of rickets, proper development of teeth and bones, the work of blood vessels, heart.
Vitamins for lactation - which are better?
As mentioned above, lactation is an extremely important process for both mom and baby, and therefore this or that drug should be selected strictly individually and only by the treating doctor.
Vitamins for lactation, reviews about which are often positive, are selected in accordance with the woman’s diet, concomitant pathologies (if any) and the material situation of the parents of the breastfed infant.
The most common are:
- Fish fat;
- "Elevit pronatal";
- "Alphabet";
- "Vitrum pronatal forte";
- Complivit;
- "Multitabs".