As they seek to increase their breastmilk supply and boost immunity, most Kenyan mothers are looking for ways that are devoid of colic (to their babies) or their adding weight during the breastfeeding period.
The African traditional foods such as fermented porridge, chicken peas, fish, and traditional vegetables though great in increasing breast milk might end up causing the woman to gain weight.
At the same time, the modern Kenyan woman might not have lots of time between work, school and taking care of the other kids to cook and eat all these healthy African foods.
Breast milk letdown is also affected by a set of factors that we looked at here.
She will therefore search for the best breastfeeding supplements to take after childbirth.
What is the best supplement for increasing breast milk
Well, in this article we are going to help them out on the safest and medically approved supplements that they can take. These supplements will not only boost their breastmilk let down but also boost the immunity of mother and child.
Let’s get into the nitty gritty.
During pregnancy, your doctor might have given you some prenatal multi-vitamins. Well, we advise that you to continue taking them even after childbirth.
According to Dr. Sherry Ross of Santa Monica, your pronatal supplements should give you the following: calcium, folic acid, vitamins A, B6, B12, C, D, iron, iodine and DHA.
Iron
According to Nurse Patricia of Royal Care Medical, the normal hemoglobin range (HB) in a woman is 12.0 to 15.5 grams per deciliter. At times, it falls lower than this.
"If the HB falls to less than 6 grams per deciliter, it is recommended that the woman gets a blood transfusion. For 10 to 12, one should take iron supplements."
According to Pubmed Central, a lactating mother aged between 19 and 50 needs to take at least 10 milligrams of iron per day. This she can get either by taking iron-rich foods or going the supplementation way if the foods she is eating are iron deficient.
Iron deficiency will lead to tiredness, shortness of breath and low energy levels according to this article on Healthline.
Iodine
According to the National Institute of Health, a breastfeeding mom should get 290 micrograms of iodine every day.
You can get iodine from iodized table salt, fish and dairy products.
Vitamin D
According to a 2015 study done by the American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP), a breastfeeding mother needs to take about 6400 IU of Vitamin D so that her baby can get sufficient amount of the same from her breastmilk.
Vitamin B12
If you are taking animal protein, then you are getting a good supply of Vitamin B12. Vegetarian mothers though will need supplementation of the vitamin.
Choline
A 2019 article on Pubmed Central suggests that lactating mothers should be having a daily intake of 550mg of choline so that the baby can get a good share of the same.
DHA
DHA is good in developing your baby’s brain, eyes and eyes.
Good sources of DHA include salmon, tuna and sardine. If you are not taking these foods, NCBI advises that you take DHA supplements that contain at least 250 to 375 mg of the docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).
One good breastfeeding supplement that we recommend here at Royal Care Medical is pregnacare that increases your breast milk.