Infants, to grow well and to be healthy, should be on exclusive breast milk (only breast milk) for the first six months of age and then followed by complementary feeding (breast milk plus weaning food). A mother has to feed her breast milk at least for two years.

Therefore; to produce enough breast milk for the growing child lactating mother has to get an additional meal. A lactating woman needs at least two extra meals (550 Kcal) of whatever is available at home. Also, a dose of vitamin A (200,000 IU) should be given once between delivery and six weeks after delivery. This will enable the baby to get an adequate supply of vitamin A for the first six months. In addition to extra meals and one high dose of vitamin A, a lactating mother also needs:

  • Iodized salt in her diet.
  • At least one litre of water per day.
  • Vitamin A rich foods (such as papaya, mango, tomato, carrot and green leafy vegetables) and animal foods (such as fish and liver).

The average daily recommended calorie allowance for the lactating mother is 2600 Kcal.

Last modified: Sunday, 26 February 2017, 5:08 PM