Dieting, lactation & black strap molasses

I talked to Jane in lactation and confessed everything about my caloric intake, my current weight and the amount of exercise I do. Let me first say it is amazing what you can learn by talking with someone educated on the subject. In the age of the internet, person to person exchange of knowledge is sadly often overlooked.

Also I want to say thanks to Olga for writing about her experience with lactation and weight loss (see comments to last post).

Here's what I learned from Jane:

- The group of women she sees the most trouble with milk supply in is long-distance runners, she admits that some of it may be dehydration, but she suspects most of it is caloric deficiency.

- You need at least 1800 calories a day when you are breastfeeding. She gave me the same number for breastfeeding and running, interestingly. She also said losing 2 lbs a week sounded like a healthy amount (not that I will continue losing that much, I just thought it was interesting).

- It is very hard to produce vitamin-deficient milk because everything that is needed is stripped from your body. Fat content can go up in your milk if you eat more fat, but doesn't necessarily go down if you eat less. Also, if you don't get enough protein, you can hurt yourself (muscle breakdown).

- Anemia is common in breastfeeding women and she recommends molasses as an iron supplement. (Molasses is a byproduct from the making of refined sugar and contains all of the vitamins and minerals that are taken out of sugar). She said it's great on oatmeal. :)

- The baby will let you know by tugging at the tit consistently at feeds if he/she isn't getting enough milk

Here is some info about black strap molasses (from The World's Healthiest Foods):

I'll have to give it a try.

I have noticed that The Bois seems hungrier than usual the past week, and now I may have an explanation. I need to get at least 1800 calories a day for him, and for my own good, I need more protein and more iron.

Little Daniel Boone deserves the best.