2.4 What should be the diet of a mother, who is breast-feeding her baby?

A mother who breast-feeds her baby should eat a well balanced diet; which means she should be drinking plenty of milk or eating milk products, eating meat, beans and dals, vegetables and fruits. She should be taking more than what she takes normally. She needs about 400 to 500 calories extra than her usual requirement. Drinking milk or eating milk products are essential because the calcium content is necessary for the baby’s bones and teeth. If the mother does not like milk or cannot tolerate it, then she should take calcium tablets with vitamin D daily. The mother, who breast-feeds her baby, usually loses the weight that she has gained during the pregnancy within 3 months. She should keep on checking her weight. If the weight loss is too much she should increase her calorie intake.