Ep. 63: Postpartum/ BF Nutritional Needs with Rebecca Slane, RD
Caitlin Estes:
Welcome to the Woven Well Podcast. I'm your host, Caitlin Estes. I'm a certified fertility care practitioner with a master divinity degree. Each episode will cover a topic that helps educate and empower you and your fertility while honoring the deep connection your fertility has with your faith. Let's get started.
Caitlin Estes:
Welcome back to the Woven Well Podcast. Now, if you receive our monthly newsletter, then you already saw that we're continuing our mental wellness on the Fertility Journey workshop series. With our next topic, pregnancy and postpartum postpartum therapist, Rebecca Henderson will be joining us as we talk about mental and emotional wellbeing during this sensitive season. We would love for you to join us. You can register on our website at woven fertility.com/resources. We're learning more and more about how the care we receive during pregnancy has quite an impact on certainly the pregnancy yes, but also the health of the mother and maybe even long-term benefits for generations to come. That's one reason why we are talking today with Rebecca Slane. Rebecca's a registered dietician who provides nutrition education and counseling to women before, during, and after pregnancy for the health of mother and baby and for the generations to come that will benefit. So Rebecca, thanks so much for being on with us today.
Rebecca Slane:
Thank you. I've been looking forward to it.
Caitlin Estes:
Me too, me too. Okay, so we often hear about nutritional needs during pregnancy because you're quote unquote eating for two, but once the baby is delivered, is nutrition all that different than before pregnancy?
Rebecca Slane:
So actually the general calorie needs during breastfeeding are actually pretty similar to during the second trimester. So, the mother is still eating for two in that, what she is taking in is what is able to supply the baby. And so if the mother isn't getting enough calories or nutrients, then, the, the baby's growth and development can be affected by that. She's not eating for two in the sense that she's eating for two grown adults, but, she does tend to have, roughly 400 calories, additionally needed if she's exclusively breastfeeding. But also higher needs of vitamins and minerals similar to pregnancy, not, not exactly the same, but, but pretty similar.
Caitlin Estes:
Okay. So it sounds like the nutritional choices we make can not only make a difference for nursing infants, but for the health of the breastfeeding mother as well, but the reality is, of course, not all mothers breastfeed for a variety of reasons that are great. So how does that affect things? Does it make a difference?
Rebecca Slane:
Yeah, so, even if the mother is not able to breastfeed or not going to breastfeed, she still has to replenish a lot of the vitamins and minerals that, stores that were lost during pregnancy to supply for the baby. So it's still really important, to be focused on getting good intake of a variety of foods, and getting enough calories after pregnancy. But of course, you won't have as pie of calorie needs if she isn't breastfeeding. And then if a woman is doing a mix of, of both breastfeeding and formula feeding, then she'll have a little bit higher calorie needs, but not quite as high as if she were exclusively breastfeeding.
Rebecca Slane:
But either way, it, it's going to make a, make a difference in two thinking about the conceiving again in the future, because if a mother doesn't replenish well then she actually might have less of possibility of having either a conception or like a healthy, full term birth if, she doesn't replenish well prior to the next pregnancy.
Caitlin Estes:
Now, you know, I've never thought about that. Of course, I've thought about how important nutrition is for conception, but I've never thought about how that those nutritional needs could be impacted from a previous pregnancy and not replenishing in the degree that needed to be in order to be healthy. So that's, that's a really interesting take on that. Okay. So I'm curious, have you seen that play out, you know, have, have you had that happen with any women in your experience?
Rebecca Slane:
Yes. Yeah, so I actually recently spent some time teaching nutrition in Guinea, west Africa, and, what I just mentioned is actually very, very common to see there. So, for instance, a lot of times women, they don't have any, you know, idea of their fertility or, you know, any kind of contraceptives or, or, or trying to space out pregnancies. And so they, they try to get pregnant pretty much year round. When they're not pregnant, they're usually trying to get pregnant, but they have a lot of fertility issues there. And I think part of that could be the fact that, when they do have a pregnancy, oftentimes they get pregnant really quickly. So you know that that oftentimes isn't carried to term or they have a miscarriage. So it, you know, spacing it out is helpful from that end. But I also, saw in general too, just a lot of poor nutrition during pregnancy, and after pregnancy, which also, you know, know is an issue in that a lot of the babies that I saw at the pediatric clinic, were pretty malnourished, or just were very susceptible to infections or sometimes had cognitive delays or issues that could have been preventable.
Caitlin Estes:
Hmm.
Rebecca Slane:
And so part of that is that these women are, are so busy and, they don't really know a ton about nutrition anyways, and they're not really thinking about the fact that they do need more during pregnancy or during breastfeeding. Some of them know they need more food during pregnancy, but not during breastfeeding. But then also fluid, like they, they don't really take a lot of time to drink. Getting clean water is difficult and then their diet is predominantly white rice. It's not been enriched or fortified. So, you know, nothing against having a little bit of white rice, but when you, that's making up most of your diet, you're going to have a lot of deficits. So a lot of what I did was really educate them on the fact that they do have higher needs, so they really need to get larger portions of their meals, but then those extra portions need to include some of the varieties of fruits and vegetables, seafood that were locally available. And then also too that that would help their child develop better and it would also help their milk supply when they're lactating.
Caitlin Estes:
Hmm. Gosh, I feel like I would need that same education in learning what extra things you need and, you know, in how much, what relationship and what are the specific things. So I definitely want us to talk about that, in just a second. But I also want to comment on your mentioning the importance of spacing out for nutritional reasons. I think a lot of times we think about as couples make decisions of what their family size should be or when they should have their next child, etc. There are a lot of factors that get projected onto couples as they're trying to figure that out. But it's really important to remember that the mother's health is very important and she has to restore a lot of her health. And what you're saying is a lot of her nutritional needs so that she can prepare to have another pregnancy if that's their desire and the Lord's will.
Caitlin Estes:
So I think that's in and of itself a beautiful reminder that we really do want to care for and invest in our bodies. And we're all just getting as much education as we can going through each different season, each different stage, trying to learn more and more and more. I know I have a ton to learn. So let's pick back up there where you were saying there's so much that's easy to neglect during this postpartum time and there are things that can get missed. What are some of those nutrients that are, are maybe the easiest to neglect?
Rebecca Slane:
It can definitely vary depending on the person, and there's a lot of factors, but, I did have a few that that I think are, are especially important to highlight, that we might not think of. So, one is fat. So the, the composition of breast milk, the amount of fat in it actually depends on the mother's body fat stores. And so that means that leaner women at baseline will need to have a higher percentage of their calories from fat to make sure that they're supplying enough for the breast milk. But then also, the breast milk in general is greater than 50% of the calories are from fat. So it's the major energy source for the breastfeeding infant. So we really do want to make sure that we're getting enough. But with that being said, and being an RD and thinking about still long-term health, cardiovascular health and good dietary patterns, yeah, I would emphasize those sources of less saturated fats like fatty fish, which, you know, sardines, salmon, mackerel, those are high in omega threes and low in mercury. So those are great options. Egg yolks, avocados, nuts, peanuts, seeds, especially flax and chia seeds, they also have omega threes. And then using those, plant oils that are less solid at room temperature like olive oil, safflower oil, canola oil, avocado oil, and then even whole fat milk or yogurt is totally fine. Sometimes people kind of hate on those, but they're really nutrient dense. And for women in particular, there has been some evidence recently through research to show that whole fat dairy, may be correlated with improved fertility outcomes.
Caitlin Estes:
Okay. Well that's really interesting. And also you're going to have to send me all your recipes for sardines , because , I don't know a lot of people who eat sardines, but I'm sure they are so good for you. Maybe there are a lot of people who eat sardines and it's just not me. I don't know.
Rebecca Slane:
They actually have sardines and Guinea. So that was one of those things that while I was there I was like, they don't have salmon, they don't have mackerel, but I was like, you've got sardines so...
Caitlin Estes:
Yes, make the most of it. We'll have to google some recipes, see what we can come up with. Okay, what are some other things that can be missed?
Rebecca Slane:
So also fluid is one that I think we don't think about very often, but if you are breastfeeding, breast milk is a fluid and so you're losing more fluid than you would otherwise. So that's something that if you don't get enough fluid, then that can actually compromise your breast milk supply and, be, be an issue of course, too. Also in general, I'll give that nutrition recommendation that it's, it's good for that fluid to be predominantly water or the fluid that you get in foods like soups, or other nutrient dense sources like milk for instance. And you, you know, you can consume juice, but I would recommend not more than one cup per day of 100% fruit juice, but we really want to minimize those sugar sweetened beverages because they provide calories but they don't give the vitamins and the minerals, that the baby needs or that we need.
Rebecca Slane:
I like that you're still giving space for that because I bet there are quite a few mamas that have some sort of sweet and drink that is their favorite. And so you're saying they can still have one a day, you're not telling them completely cut it out, but make the primary water or milk or something like that and then you have a little bit of room if you want a Sprite or if you want apple juice or whatever, you've got that option there too. So that's probably a healthy perspective on
Rebecca Slane:
So lastly, I'll just touch on vitamins and minerals. There's a lot that could be said there, and I don't want to go into to too crazy of detail, but those water soluble vitamins, like the B vitamins and vitamin C, you're going to be using more again in the breast milk. So, you need to be consuming more of those and the amount in your breast milk will be reflective of how much you're eating. Same thing with vitamin D, even though it's not water soluble, but the amount available in the breast milk will be also reflective of how much the mother has. And then calcium is a mineral that if the mother isn't getting enough of in her diet, that the baby God made it. So if the baby gets what they need, and that's great , but it also means that if the mother's not getting enough, then it could be pulling calcium from her bones and make her at a greater risk for developing osteoporosis later in life. Which would be a big issue. And then lastly, I just think it's good to recommend being careful if you, if you are taking any kind of supplements at that time, making sure that they're safe. That whole realm of supplements can be really confusing, but it is possible to consume toxic amounts of things that actually can cause there to be toxic levels in the breast milk. Iit's not super common for that to happen, but it is possible. So that's just something to be aware of and that's where, you know, working with a registered dietician like me, like we can assess your diet to see if you're, you're getting enough, but also that you're not getting too much and kind of help you navigate supplements or, you know, if you don't want supplements, then you know what that would look like in your diet. In general. We recommend food first, but supplements do have a place.
Caitlin Estes:
Sure. And your focus on vitamins and minerals, even just that big picture I think is really helpful because a lot of times we think about what the mom needs and that's great, but sometimes moms are like, that's great, but I can't really focus on me right now because I've gotta put all my energy into caring for my baby. But what you're saying is in caring for the mother, the mother is also caring for the baby because the breast milk is going to have those vitamins and minerals that the baby needs, which then sets up that child to be, you know, hopefully healthier and happier, as they're growing as well. So seeing how it all plays out in that system makes it a good reminder that it's important and it's valid even right now in this season.
Rebecca Slane:
Yep, absolutely.
Caitlin Estes:
Yeah. Well these have been really helpful. I think this is a great overview of just the reminder that we need to prioritize nutrition and making sure we're getting enough of these essential things like fat and fluids and vitamins and minerals in this specific postpartum time, especially for those ladies who are breastfeeding, whether a hundred percent or partially. So, if somebody would like to work with you specifically Rebecca, and maybe ask you some questions about this or, begin working with you as their dietician, what would be the best way for them to get in contact with you?
Rebecca Slane:
Well, all my information is actually on my website. So my website is, is a good place to start. It's Slane nutrition.com and Slane is s l a n e, like my last name. And, I would also say too that, you know, again, it's, it can be pre, during or post-pregnancy, you know, that you, you see me or it could be that you just want to assess, you know, how you're nourishing your family. You may already have kids or, or it could be that you're not even married, but you're just wanting to assess your nutrition. Maybe you have some other issues that, that could be fertility related, like P C O S or maybe you have digestive issues like ibs. But I can help you work through any of those.
Caitlin Estes:
Yeah, okay. That's great. And we'll make sure to have your website in the show notes as well. So you listeners, you can, click there if you want to connect with Rebecca as well. Well, thank you so much for being on and sharing with us, Rebecca,
Rebecca Slane:
Thank you for your time.
Caitlin Estes:
Listeners, if you'd like to stay up to date with all we do through woven well podcast and woven natural fertility care, I would love to invite you to join our email list. One email a month, shares all about our workshops, free resources episodes, lots of other stuff going on, so you can sign up wovenfertility.com. Thank you so much for listening as we continue to explore together what it means to be woven well.