Newborn & Infancy

Early Infancy (0-5 months)
No solid foods under 6 months of age; Breast Milk or Formula feeding only

During these precious early months of your baby’s life, it may feel as though it’s about feeding, sleeping, pooping, and crying (and yes, there’s definitely a lot of that!).  But there’s also a whole lot more that is happening “behind the scenes” in your baby’s healthy habit learning journey!  During this time, your baby will learn to regulate his or her appetite based on their nutrition (breast milk or formula) and through feeding practices (breastfeeding, bottle feeding or both).

Breastfeeding

Breast milk, by nature, is customized to meet your baby’s nutritional needs during their first 6 months of life and provides the building blocks required to grow your baby’s body, shape their brains and fuel all their activity! Human breast milk also delivers powerful immunological properties that fortifies your baby’s own developing immune system and provides antibodies that helps fight pathogens. Breastmilk also delivers hormones that provide important signals to your baby’s body, including leptin – a hormone that helps regulate appetite and energy metabolism.

It’s long been believed that the composition of a mother’s diet had little effect on the composition of her breast milk. This belief is rooted in the fact that the biological “recipe” of breast milk has stood the test of time; nourishing babies born in famine and other grave conditions and environments throughout human history. But as it turns out, this long-held belief may not be so iron-clad!

For the first time ever, research shows that diet can influence the composition of breast milk, and that shortly after mothers consumed a meal high in sugar and fat, the composition of sugar and fat in her breast milk increased as well.  So, what does this mean? Well, according to scientists, more research needs to be done before any conclusions can be made. But if evolutionary biology has taught us anything, it’s that we are constantly adapting to survive the environment we are born into, and the “clues” of how to adapt are delivered through the mother’s diet. And while more research may prove that mom’s diet does influence the composition of her breast milk, it may take decades, possibly generations, before realizing any affects it could have on her child’s health and development.

We don’t have decades let alone generations!  What this study does prove is that mom’s diet while breastfeeding matters! The overall quality and quantity of your nutrition can have a profound impact on your child’s health and even influence your baby’s future food preferences through flavor bridging! Research shows that babies who were exposed to the  flavors of certain vegetables that their mother’s consumed while breastfeeding had an easier acceptance to the same vegetables once they were introduced later on in infancy!

Healthy Habit Learning Through Breastfeeding

Nutrition Nanny® offers nutritional programs that optimize your nutrition and your baby’s healthy habit learning throughout your breastfeeding journey!  Developed by a Registered Dietitian, our programs are customized to meet the nutrient and energy requirements for optimal breastfeeding while promoting gentle weight loss if desired. Our programs customize your macronutrient distribution based on your goals, preferences and lifestyle, and are comprised of delicious and nutrient-rich meals and snacks that help train your baby’s taste buds at the same time! ACT NOW and get your customized plan today!

For more breastfeeding resources, click here:

https://www.babylist.com/hello-baby/best-online-breastfeeding-resources