Define the Effect of breastfeeding on Mother?

Successful breastfeeding requires adequate nutrition and rest. For adequate lactation, substrates must be available in sufficient quantities from the mother's diet or body stores laid down during pregnancy. If these are insufficient; some degree of subsidy from maternal body tissue can be expected. As you well know, the simplest evidence of tissue depletion is weight loss. In a sense, pregnancy and lactation need to be considered as a continuum.

Among well-nourished women, weight loss can occur after childbirth, although this depends on their caloric intake and their physical activity. In poorer communities, dietary intakes of breastfeeding mothers are not very different from non-lactating women. However, given the lower caloric intakes, weight Ioss during lactation may not always be as severe as might be theoretically expected. It is possible that changes in tissue composition may mask the changes in body weight. An increase in body water, concomitant with an increase in body fat would result in great weight loss. However, the longer the duration of lactation, the greater would be the impact on the mother's nutritional status.

Studies indicate that there are major physiological alterations in calcium and bone metabolism during lactation, independent of maternal calcium intake. Bones desorption and bone formations are high, particularly in the 1" 3-6 months of lactation. Decreased urinary calcium excretion and increased absorption efficiency have been observed.

We shall next discuss about the nutrient requirements of the mother during lactation which are essential for maintaining her own health, as well as, the normal composition of her milk. Before proceeding further, you must attempt the check your progress exercise given below to recapitulate the concepts learnt so far.