Ramadhan and Breastfeeding

By Juana Ahmad

We welcome Ramadhan once again this year and during this holy month we may have planned to perform our ibadah without any interruption, with tarawikh prayers, tadarrus Al-Quran e.t.c, so we may gain His blessing and barakah. However, as a mother who is nursing her baby, especially first time mother, one may wonder whether she may be able to perform her fast without feeling dehydrated or fatigued due to the extra requirement on her to produce breast milk for her baby or whether her child will have enough quality breast milk during the fasting month. You may start to think to yourself whether you should supplement your diet since you may not get enough nutrition for your body to support the production of quality breast milk without depriving your own nutritional needs as a mother.

The answer is of course YES! For nursing mothers, your daily requirement for protein, which is an essential nutrient for production of breast milk, will increase from 45gm to 75gm an increase of more than 50%. While for most vitamins and minerals the increase will be between 25%-50% with some will increase by 100%-300% for example folic acid and iron. Logic will definitely tell you that with our current Malaysian diet which is high in saturated fat and carbohydrates (especially sugar) and small amount of vegetables and fruits taken, you are definitely not getting enough nutrients to carry yourself as a mother who nurses, more so during Ramadhan. Below are tables which show the US RDA (US Recommended Daily Allowance) for pregnant and nursing mothers in comparison to normal adults.

Vitamins Normal Adults RDA Nursing Mothers RDA
Vitamin A 5,000 I.U 5000 I.U
Vitamin D 400 I.U 800 I.U
Vitamin E 30 I.U 15 I.U
Vitamin C 60mg 180mg
Folic Acid 400mcg 800mcg
Thiamine 1.5mg 1.6mg
Riboflavin 1.7mg 1.8mg
Niacin 20mg 18mg
Vitamin B6 2mg 2.6mg
Vitamin B12 6.0mcg 4.0mcg
Biotin 300mcg 300mcg
Panthothenic Acid 10mg 10mg

Minerals Normal Adults RDA Nursing Mothers RDA
Calcium 1,000mg 1,200mg
Phosphorus 1,000mg 1,200mg
Iodine 150mcg 175mcg
Iron 18mg 30 to 60mg
Magnesium 400mg 450mg
Zinc 15mg 25mg

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What and how to supplement your diet during Ramadhan?

You should be getting enough protein, vitamins and minerals and more is in fact recommended for you since it is known that certain vitamins such as vitamins C and B are known to be destroyed during stress, pollution or due to consumption of medication and birth control pills. The surest way to ensure your required daily nutrients are adequate is by choosing high quality supplements that meet or exceed the RDA requirements. Whenever you choose any supplements, be sure to check out its labels for the US RDA. It must be at least 100% of the US RDA or more for vitamins and the combination of calcium, magnesium and phosphorus should be around 60/50/45% ratio because if more, it will not dissolve and be absorbed into your body. Other minerals supplemented should contain 100% of the US RDA. The supplements recommended to be taken by nursing mothers during Ramadhan, should be:

1. Protein in the form of soy protein, which contains all nine essential amino acids and low in fat and no cholesterol to ensure that you are getting a lot of energy and good production of breast milk;
2. Multivitamin which contains all the essential 12 vitamins and 7 minerals as mentioned in the table above (not in a liquid form) just to be sure that you are getting all the vitamins and minerals that you need daily;
3. Vitamin C which provides 500mg sustained release (not time release) and contains 120mg of bioflavanoids for good absorption. This is to help you stay healthy throughout the Ramadhan month and beyond;
4. B Complex which works best when it is combined with all the 8 family members of the B vitamins namely Folic Acid, Biotin, Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12 and Panthothenic Acid known for growth, nerve, brain and reproduction functions and control almost all cells activities in your body;
5. Fiber is definitely needed during Ramadhan since we tend to drink a lot of sweet drinks and eat more carbohydrates and less vegetables and fruits and small quantity of plain water, we may experience constipation and fiber aids regularity. It also gives us the sense of fullness and may reduce your hunger pangs greatly especially for nursing mothers, which sometimes can be unbearable. Also if taken first during breaking of fast will help avoid the tendency to over eat; and
6. Energy drink with balanced electrolytes that helps prevent dehydration and provides energy during the day. Do not choose carbonated energy drink and those with high sugar content, as it is bad for you.

This article may help you in deciding whether you should consume food supplements during Ramadhan or not. In fact, as a nursing mother, you should start on a food supplement regime if you find that your diet is inadequate in comparison to the US RDA in order to stay very healthy even beyond your nursing period. May you have a blessed Ramadhan!.

Source:
1. Nourishing Healthy Children by Dr James Scala (Published by Bruce Miller Enterprises Inc.)
2. How To Begin A Food Supplement Programme by Dr Bruce Miller (Published by Bruce Miller Enterprises Inc.)