Maternal nutrition during breastfeeding

Abstract

Women's diet during pregnancy and lactation period and that of the child in the first two years of life (the first 1 000 days) are crucial for development and health at that time and in later stages. Through a non-systematic review of national and international articles, the issues of nutritional requirements during the breastfeeding period, key nutrients in the diet, source foods, and micronutrient supplementation, and effects of diet and maternal nutritional status on milk composition are addressed; highlighting the need for a balanced diet that does not exclude any food per se and that guarantees the contribution of nutrients linked to neurodevelopment, especially omega 3 fatty acids. Successful breastfeeding will depend on the comprehensive care of the mother-child dyad, where maternal feeding has a key role. Caring for the mother is protecting breastfeeding.