Pumpkin while breastfeeding (during lactation): can a nursing mother eat it?

After childbirth, a woman’s body is under a lot of stress: caring for the baby and feeding it. Only adequate nutrition of a nursing mother can provide the baby with the necessary amount of breast milk. Not all products are allowed during this period; the list of restrictions is long.

Pumpkin is one of the foods allowed for consumption during the postpartum period.

Dishes prepared from pumpkin can provide the mother, and with her the child, with vitamins, microelements, and minerals necessary for their health. Will ensure normal lactation and good quality milk. Pumpkin is indispensable during breastfeeding.

Beneficial features

The benefits lie in the chemical composition of the medicinal vegetable:

water;
proteins;
fats;
carbohydrates;
ash;
cellulose;
starch;
organic acids;
pectin;
potassium;
calcium;
magnesium;
manganese;
copper;
zinc;
vitamins: PP, C, carotene, B1, B2, B9, E, K;
sugar.

Due to its composition, pumpkin is considered a valuable dietary product. Easily digestible and helps reduce weight. In combination with meat, it promotes rapid protein absorption.

Pumpkin is good for blood vessels, strengthens their walls, normalizes blood pressure: it lowers it for hypertensive patients, and increases it for hypotensive patients. The diuretic effect that the pulp has can be used to reduce swelling. Anti-inflammatory properties help the body recover after childbirth.

Pumpkin restores youth and health to the skin. Skin cell regeneration improves when consuming pumpkin in any form. Vegetables can be stored in a dry, dark room for a long time. In winter, you can include it in the diet of nursing mothers. By consuming pumpkin pulp and seeds, women prolong the period of breastfeeding. This reduces the risk of allergies and diathesis in infants. A child with breastfeeding gets sick less often and develops better. To the question whether a nursing mother can have pumpkin, the answer will be in the affirmative: not only is it possible, but it is also necessary.

Conclusions and recommendations

In conclusion, I would like to once again say about recommendations for nursing mothers who decide to introduce this healthy vegetable into their diet.

You can try a pumpkin dish for the first time no earlier than a month after giving birth.
It is advisable to use melons that have green skin.
It is necessary to introduce the dish into the diet carefully, observing the baby’s reaction.
If a child has an allergy or stomach upset, pumpkin should be excluded from the diet for a month.
The healthiest pumpkin dishes are boiled or baked.

It is difficult to overestimate the benefits of this type of melon crop for the body of mother and child. Therefore, young mothers should definitely include this vegetable, amazing in its properties, in their diet.

Dear readers, share the link to the article with your friends on social networks and do not forget to leave your comments. Tell us about whether you ever ate pumpkin dishes while breastfeeding and how it affected your baby’s well-being.

When to include pumpkin in the menu?

Pumpkin should not be included in the menu immediately after childbirth. This is explained simply: 100 grams of product can contain from 2 mg to 28 mg of carotene, the amount directly depends on the variety. Varieties with bright orange skin have a higher β-carotene content.

β-carotene is a very useful substance and necessary for life, but when we are talking about an infant who is a few days old, its excess can be harmful. This can be justified by specific reasons. 70% of newborns have signs of physiological jaundice:

The skin and mucous membranes of the mouth are characterized by a yellow tint;
The sucking reflex is weak;
The child has increased sleepiness.

This is not a pathology. Symptoms most often appear three or four days after birth. By the end of the first month, life disappears completely. At this time, all foods that stimulate the production of bilirubin in the body should be excluded from the mother’s menu. Such products include pumpkin, which contains β-carotene.

The absence of symptoms of physiological jaundice does not mean that the mother can eat pumpkin in the first month of the baby’s life. Its enzyme system is poorly developed. Excess carotene supplied with milk can cause carotene jaundice.

To summarize: it is advisable to gradually include pumpkin in the menu of a nursing mother only 30 days after birth if the child has no pathologies.

Whether it is possible to eat it if there are any abnormalities in the development of the baby should be discussed with a pediatrician.

Tasty and healthy

Here are recipes that will be useful for mommy in organizing proper and healthy nutrition.

Healthy porridge

A popular dish for nursing mothers is pumpkin porridge.

Milk - 500 ml;
Small pumpkin, approximately 400 g;
Semicircular rice - 1 cup;
Butter - 30 g;
Granulated sugar - 3 tbsp. l.

You should start with pumpkin. Cut it into two parts, remove seeds and fibers and wash well. Cut the halves into small cubes.
To prepare porridge, it is better to choose semi-circular steamed rice, which does not stick together or become overcooked. Pour the cereal into a deep bowl and add water. Leave for 2 hours and rinse. This method of preparing rice allows you to remove the starch contained in the grain.
Place the pumpkin in a saucepan and add milk. It is necessary that all the pieces are covered with milk.
Add rice to the mixture and mix all ingredients.
Place the pan on the stove and bring the porridge to a boil. Cook over low heat for half an hour. It is important to stir the dish to avoid burning.
At the end of cooking, add salt, granulated sugar and butter. Mix.
To form pumpkin puree, you need to mash the porridge with a fork.

A fragrant and tasty dish is ready!

Pumpkin dessert

Women have such a sweet tooth, and nursing mothers are no exception. During lactation, you want to please yourself and eat sweets, but is it possible to eat dessert without harm to the baby? Certainly! Attention moms, pumpkin dessert.

Pumpkin - 300 g;
Apple - 2 pcs.;
Honey - 2 tbsp. l.

Wash the pumpkin, cut into halves and remove seeds. After this, cut into cubes.
Wash the apples, core them and cut them into pieces.
Mix the fruits in a baking pot. Pour honey over the top of the dish. If desired, add a pinch of cinnamon for flavor.
Place the dessert in an oven preheated to 180 degrees and bake for 20 minutes.

Pumpkin baked in foil from Yulia Vysotskaya: video

These are the simple but tasty dishes you can add to a young mother’s diet.

A nursing woman definitely needs pumpkin in her diet. Vitamins, minerals, fiber - all this is created by nature to support the body of mother and child. The fruit is introduced into the menu already in the first month of the baby’s birth. If you are allergic to yellow culture, you should immediately stop using it. After a couple of months of breastfeeding, you can repeat the allergy test and, if the outcome is favorable, enjoy pumpkin dishes.

pumpkin juice

A baby's digestive system is delicate. Any product eaten by the mother affects the baby’s well-being. Vegetable and fruit juices that you can buy in stores contain preservatives. They will bring little benefit to the mother’s and child’s body. In addition to allergies, they can cause colic and bloating in the baby, which means crying, sleepless nights, and poor health in both the nursing mother and the baby.

Freshly prepared pumpkin juice brings only benefits:

Does not cause excessive gas formation in the child.
Strengthens maternal immunity, protects the child from infection.
Improves lactation, makes breast milk tastier.
Eliminates problems with constipation in a nursing woman.
Helps restore hair, nails, and restore skin elasticity.

Cooking options

During lactation, mothers should not eat fatty foods. They can cause colic and constipation in the baby. The best cooking option is steamed, oven-baked or boiled dishes.

Baked pumpkin tends to retain most of the nutrients. They, along with breast milk, reach the baby and saturate his body with useful microelements.

You can also prepare porridges, purees, juices and casseroles from this type of melon crop. To make pumpkin dishes tastier and more varied, cereals, fruits, honey, and dried fruits are used together with it in cooking. This allows you to experiment and create real culinary masterpieces.

Which dish is healthier?

Pumpkin dishes can be called equally healthy using any method of preparation. It all depends on the gastronomic preferences of the nursing mother.

Some women during lactation doubt whether baked pumpkin can be consumed while breastfeeding. Of course it is possible. Boiled and baked pumpkin are two options for the most correct and valuable, from the point of view of benefits, preparation of this vegetable.

Eating raw melons while breastfeeding is undesirable, as this can cause increased gas formation in the intestines.

If a young mother wants to lose weight and get in shape after giving birth, then she is not recommended to eat pumpkin pies. They have a high calorie content and cause rapid weight gain.

When consuming freshly squeezed pumpkin juice, you must carefully monitor the baby's reaction. Juice can cause loose stools and allergies in a child.

How to make juice?

Making pumpkin juice is easy. You will need a pumpkin and a juicer. The first thing to pay attention to when buying a gadget for the kitchen is power. The structure of pumpkin pulp is very dense. With a low-power juicer, you will get little juice and the product will be wasted. Suitable models with a power of at least 800 W:

screw;
centrifugal.

When choosing a pumpkin on the market, you should give preference to brightly colored fruits; they contain more useful substances and last longer. The juice is rich in taste.

Preparation:

Wash the pumpkin, remove peel and seeds.
Cut into slices 3 * 3 cm.
Squeeze out the juice.
Do not throw away the seeds. Rinse. Dry with a paper towel. Spread on a napkin. Dry at room temperature. Drying in the oven or in a frying pan kills all the beneficial substances.

How much juice can mommy drink? Nutrients are stored in juice for no more than half an hour. It should be drunk immediately after preparation. Drink no more than 0.5 cups of juice with pulp per day. The first times, drink 1⁄4 cup. It is necessary to check the child’s body’s reaction to the juice; you can drink it every day if the child does not have:

rash;
loose stools;
stomach pain.

A few days after you start taking the juice, your breast milk production will increase.

For a mild cold, the juice can have a healing effect; if the mother has a cough, the juice will help get rid of it.

For all its benefits, juice has contraindications. Not all women can afford to drink it. You should stop using it if:

Worried about diarrhea.
If a woman has gastritis with low acidity.
Stomach ulcer worsened.
For diabetes mellitus type I and II.

Is it possible for a nursing mother to pumpkin?

Doubts about the permissibility of eating pumpkin by a nursing mother are explained by the characteristic color of this vegetable. Many young mothers are faced with the fact that the adult generation, which raised their children during the “old pediatric school,” is very strict about the nutrition of the mother in labor. Thus, all red, yellow and orange fruits and vegetables are prohibited, since they can theoretically provoke allergies in a child.

According to Korean studies, in some countries there is a prejudice that pumpkin suppresses the production of breast milk, and this provokes a condition that is dangerous for the baby [1].

Eliminate constipation

Constipation is a problem that many women face after being discharged from the hospital. For some, the problem exists for a long period of time after childbirth. Digestive problems arise for a number of reasons:

nights without sleep, chronic lack of sleep;
low physical activity without sports exercises;
nutrition limited due to breastfeeding.

Constipation is harmful not only to the mother, but also to the baby. Toxic substances formed in the intestines due to stagnation of food pass through the milk to the baby and negatively affect his well-being.

From time immemorial, pumpkin has been known as a vegetable that can mildly relax the intestines. If mommy eats pumpkin, it will gently, without causing any harmful effects on the baby’s body, solve the problem with constipation:

Improves intestinal motility. Fiber and pectins contained in the pulp will facilitate the passage of feces and clean the mucous membrane.
Stimulates bile production. A sufficient amount of bile acids normalizes digestion.
Removes toxins from the body.
Vitamin T, which is part of it, will facilitate the absorption of heavy foods and remove bad cholesterol.

Pumpkin is an indispensable product for constipation. Frequent constipation will stop tormenting as soon as there are dishes containing it in the daily menu.

When can you first try drinking pumpkin juice during lactation and in what quantity?

Experts assure that most of the side effects from drinking pumpkin juice can be avoided if the procedure for introducing this drink into the menu of a nursing mother is correctly organized. This will also allow you to react in time if the baby develops allergies or digestive problems.

It is considered safe to start drinking pumpkin juice from about three months of age – by this time the baby will have grown up enough, and the mother’s body will have more or less recovered.

An earlier introduction will most likely lead to a negative reaction, for example, digestive problems and colic.

To begin with, a nursing mother should try just 1-2 tablespoons of juice, which can be diluted with water if desired. After this, it is recommended to wait about a day to make sure that the baby is not allergic to the new drink. At this time, you should not try other new products - in case of a negative reaction, you will not be able to understand what exactly the baby reacted to so badly.

If no allergy symptoms appear, then you can increase the volume of the drink, for example, up to half a glass. The next step will be to fully introduce pumpkin juice into your menu - the nursing mother drinks a whole glass and if in this case the baby reacts normally to it, she adds the drink to her list of safe foods.

It should be noted that a whole glass is precisely the daily norm of the drink for women who are breastfeeding, and up to 2-3 glasses of juice are allowed per week.

Usually, after introducing the juice, nursing mothers are recommended to try the pumpkin pulp itself. It can then be added to porridges and used in the preparation of sweet and, most importantly, healthy baked goods.

Can I have pumpkin seeds?

Doctors believe that if there are no allergic reactions in a child, it is allowed to eat pumpkin seeds while breastfeeding. Allergies can manifest themselves as:

Rash;
Redness of the skin;
Itching;
Stomach upsets.

Pumpkin seeds are needed during breastfeeding; the body receives:

oils;
organic acids;
proteins;
carotene;
vitamins.

It is recommended to use them two months after giving birth. You should first consult your pediatrician. Start with 5 pieces. Eat after lunch. Do not clean the green film, it is the most useful. If there are no negative reactions from the body during the day, use can be continued.

To increase the nutritional value of breast milk and increase its quantity, you need to eat several pieces at a time; you can add them to salad, porridge, soup, or yogurt. The taste of the food will be better. The maximum permissible daily dose is no more than 60 seeds.

The infusion will help enhance lactation and increase the nutritional value of breast milk.

Infusion recipe for lactation. Ingredients:

Peeled pumpkin seeds – 1 part.
Walnuts, kernels – 1 part.
Milk – 3 parts.

Start cooking in the evening. Boil the milk. Pour nuts and seeds over them. Leave to infuse overnight. Take a teaspoon of infusion three times during the day.

Zinc, magnesium and vitamins contained in the seeds have a calming effect on the nervous system, stabilize it, and help fight postpartum depression. Vitamins help to recover after pregnancy and childbirth. Only dried pumpkin seeds are healthy; fried ones lose all their healing properties.

What are the benefits of pumpkin for mothers and babies?

The effect of a vegetable on the body is determined by its biochemical composition. When deciding for yourself whether pumpkin can be breastfed, you should take into account its effects, the presence of contraindications, and the individual characteristics of the organisms of a nursing woman and baby. In general, this is an extremely useful product, widely used in culinary recipes, folk medicine and cosmetology.

Table 1. Biochemical composition of pulp

Substance	Contents per 100 g of raw vegetable	Percentage of the norm for an adult, %
Proteins, g	1,0	1,2
Fats, g	0,1	0,15
Carbohydrates, g	4,4	3,4
Energy value, kcal	22,0	1,5
Dietary fiber, g	2,0	10,0
Organic acids, g	0,1	–
Vitamin A, mcg	250,0	27,8
β-carotene, mg	1,5	30,0
Vitamin B1, mg	0,05	3,3
Vitamin B2, mg	0,06	3,3
Vitamin B5, mg	0,4	8,0
Vitamin B6, mg	0,13	6,5
Vitamin B9, mcg	14,0	3,5
Vitamin C, mg	8,0	8,9
Vitamin E, mg	0,4	2,7
Vitamin PP, mg	0,7	3,5
Iron, mg	0,4	2,2
Iodine, mcg	1,0	0,7
Potassium, mg	204,0	8,2
Calcium, mg	25,0	2,5
Cobalt, µg	1,0	10,0
Magnesium, mg	14,0	3,5
Manganese, mg	0,04	2,0
Copper, µg	180,0	18,0
Sodium, mg	4,0	0,3
Sulfur, mg	18,0	1,8
Phosphorus, mg	25,0	3,1
Fluorine, mcg	86,0	2,2
Chlorine, mg	19,0	0,8
Zinc, mg	0,24	2,0

The high content of useful components explains the benefits of pumpkin during breastfeeding:

improvement of metabolism, vision, immunity;
normalization of water-salt metabolism, gastrointestinal tract function, sleep;
decreased blood pressure, increased acidity of gastric juice;
strengthening the walls of blood vessels;
purgation;
reduction of edema, removal of excess fluid from the body;
cell renewal, accelerating the regeneration of damaged tissues.

On a note! Not only the pulp of the vegetable is valuable, but also the juice, seeds and pumpkin oil obtained from them.

Simple recipes

Pumpkin goes well with various products of both animal and plant origin. Using this, you can create a varied menu for every day. Soups, porridges, casseroles, and muffins are delicious.

It has long been proven that porridge cooked with pumpkin improves lactation. There are many porridge recipes.

1. Rice porridge with pumpkin. It's easy to prepare:

Peel the vegetable and cut it. Make the pieces small.
Place them in a saucepan. Pour in a small amount of water.
Boil. Grind in a blender until pureed.
At the same time, cook the rice. Do not overcook.
Mix the puree with rice, pour in milk, add salt and sugar to your taste, stir.
Simmer for 5 or 10 minutes. Porridge for mother and baby is ready. If you wish, you can use millet cereal instead of rice. It is also very healthy and tasty.

2. Recipe for delicious porridge cooked in a slow cooker.

You will need:

Pumpkin;
Dried apricots;
Prunes;
Rice;
Butter;
Water + milk.

Preparation:

Place chopped pumpkin and dried fruits in the multicooker bowl.
Add rice, add water and milk, and add a piece of butter.
Select porridge mode.
The end result is a tasty, low-calorie, nutritious dish. Useful for both the mother and her baby. Breast milk will be tasty and satisfying. Although no sugar was added to the porridge.

3. Another recipe, easy to prepare, very tasty and healthy. Prepare a sweet pumpkin mixture for breakfast.

You will need:

Pumpkin pulp – 450 g.
Applesauce made from green apples – 200 g.
Sugar – 1 tbsp. l.
Cinnamon – a pinch.

Simple preparation:

Cut the pumpkin into pieces.
Cook in boiling water until it becomes soft.
We drain the water. Grind until puree.
Add other components. Mix.
Heat until it boils.
Let's turn down the heat. Simmer for 30 minutes.
Let cool. This mixture can be spread on a sandwich or eaten as an independent dish.

4. Prepare a salad of pumpkin and apples. You will need:

Apples – 200 g.
Pumpkin pulp – 200 g.
Natural low-fat yogurt.

Grate everything on a fine grater and season with yogurt.

This salad can be eaten every day; it is very good for the intestines, will reduce the risk of constipation, and will help the body recover faster after childbirth.

5. Cook the pumpkin in the oven. To prepare this simple dish in the oven we will need:

Pumpkin pulp – 0.5 kg.
Shelled walnuts - a handful.
Honey.

Cut the pulp into slices 1 cm thick. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Grease it with oil. Arrange the slices. Drizzle them with liquid honey. Preheat the oven to 180. Place the baking sheet in the oven. Bake for half an hour.

Dry the walnuts a little in a hot frying pan. Grind them with a blender. Baked pumpkin, beautifully placed on a large flat dish, sprinkled with chopped walnuts, will be an excellent dessert.

6. Prepare pumpkin with meat.

When baking pumpkin in the oven with meat, you can get a very satisfying dish that is balanced in taste. The great thing is that it will be low-calorie, mothers can eat it without worrying about their figure.

You will need:

Medium size pumpkin – 0.5 pcs.
Lean beef – 600 g.
Bell pepper – 2 pcs.
Garlic – 2 cloves.
Any garden greens.

The preparation is simple: peel the pumpkin. Remove seeds. Cut the pulp and pepper into cubes. Chop the garlic. Chop the greens.

Grease a baking tray with oil. Place some of the vegetables on it. Place beef pieces on top. Salt everything. Spice up. Lay out the remaining vegetables. Add salt. Sprinkle with herbs. Cover with foil. Preheat the oven to 200 C. Bake for 60 minutes.

7. Delicious cream soup.

You will need:

Pumpkin pulp – 700 g.
Potatoes – 3 pcs.
Vegetable broth (water) – 700 ml.
Onion – 1 pc.
Rosemary – 1 sprig.
Vegetable oil.

We clean the vegetables. Cut into small pieces. Place in a saucepan. Add rosemary, 2 tablespoons sunflower oil, and part of the broth. Simmer until soft. Grind with a blender until pureed. Pour in the remaining broth. Add salt. Bring to a boil, cook for a couple of minutes. Remove from heat. Serve with greens. Pumpkin seeds are good for decoration.

What can you cook

During breastfeeding, it is advisable to consume pumpkin in boiled, baked, stewed form, as well as in soups or purees.

This is not only a healthy vegetable, but also very tasty, so there are many recipes that nursing mothers will like.

Pumpkin porridge with rice is easy to prepare. To do this, peel the vegetable, cut into pieces and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes until soft, and grind with a blender until smooth. Separately, boil the rice until half cooked. Mix pumpkin with rice, add milk and sugar to taste. The porridge should simmer for another 5 minutes over low heat.
You can also bake pumpkin with apples and honey in a pot. To do this, cut the peeled pumpkin and apples into small cubes, put them in a pot, add honey and you can sprinkle with cinnamon. In 20 minutes, a healthy, appetizing dish will delight you with its aroma and excellent taste.
Candied pumpkin. Peel the pumpkin, cut it into slices, sprinkle with sugar and bake at 200°C until cooked.
Baked pumpkin with meat

Peel onions and carrots;
Rinse the meat (pork or beef will do);
Chop the onion and fry it together with the meat in vegetable oil;
Add chopped carrots, salt to taste, a pinch of coriander and 2 tbsp. tomato paste;
Wash the pumpkin, cut off the top, remove the seeds and put the prepared filling inside. Cover the top with the cut top, grease the entire surface with vegetable oil and wrap the vegetable in foil. Bake at 180C for an hour.

By the way! If you want to make a sweet pumpkin, then instead of meat, put rice, raisins and honey in the filling.

Therefore, to the question whether a nursing mother can have pumpkin, the answer is a definite “yes.” Provided that the child does not have an allergic reaction to it. Otherwise, you should postpone eating pumpkin for a couple of months, and then try introducing it into your diet again, starting with microdoses or micropieces!

Pediatricians say that pumpkin will be very helpful during breastfeeding, and side effects in mother or baby are quite rare. A woman should eat this healthy product during pregnancy to restore and replenish the vitamin balance. You will learn how to correctly introduce pumpkin into the menu and what is best to cook from it in our article.

With the arrival of a baby in the family, a nursing mother has many questions related to diet. A properly designed menu will help a woman recover faster after childbirth, and the child will get as many useful substances as possible from mother’s milk.

Beneficial features

The benefits lie in the chemical composition of the medicinal vegetable:

water;
proteins;
fats;
carbohydrates;
ash;
cellulose;
starch;
organic acids;
pectin;
potassium;
calcium;
magnesium;
manganese;
copper;
zinc;
vitamins: PP, C, carotene, B1, B2, B9, E, K;
sugar.

Due to its composition, pumpkin is considered a valuable dietary product. Easily digestible and helps reduce weight. In combination with meat, it promotes rapid protein absorption.

Rules for use during lactation

Components of a nursing mother's food enter the baby's body with nutrition

To get all the benefits of pumpkin and avoid negative reactions in a baby, a nursing mother should follow certain recommendations for consuming the product. Let's list them:

It is allowed to introduce pumpkin into the diet in the first month after childbirth;
for the first time you can try no more than 50 g of vegetable;
You need to monitor the baby’s reaction throughout the day;
in the absence of signs of allergies and the influence of pumpkin on digestive processes, the serving size is gradually increased to the daily norm of 200 g;
if the baby shows signs of intolerance to pumpkin, the product is excluded from the diet for 1–2 months;
It is preferable to eat pumpkin that has been heat-treated to reduce the likelihood of increased gas formation in the intestines.

In what form is pumpkin useful for breastfeeding?

Pumpkin can be baked with aromatic herbs and eaten at any time of the day.

Pumpkin is good for mother and baby in fresh, boiled or baked form. It is worth considering that beta-carotene is a fat-soluble vitamin and is best absorbed in combination with fats, so pumpkin should be seasoned with vegetable oil, butter, and sour cream. Let's consider popular options for using the product in terms of benefits for a nursing mother:

Fresh. Raw pulp is rich in iron, but can cause colic and gas formation in the baby.
Fried in a frying pan. A nursing mother should not eat fried pumpkin. The concentration of nutrients during such aggressive heat treatment is significantly reduced, and the product is difficult to digest.
Baked and boiled. After such thermal exposure, coarse dietary fiber is partially destroyed, and the product is easier to digest, and most of the minerals in the composition are preserved.
With spices. It is not recommended to eat spicy dishes with pumpkin during breastfeeding. They can negatively affect the taste of milk and cause the child to refuse to feed.
As part of complex dishes. Pumpkin can be added to baked goods, desserts, soups, meat and fish dishes, and snacks. The main thing is that other ingredients of the treat are not prohibited during lactation.
Canned. This pumpkin is not recommended for nursing mothers. Canned food may contain hazardous chemicals, large amounts of salt and sugar.
Frozen. If other types of pumpkin are not available, then a frozen product may be present in the diet during lactation. However, it must be taken into account that the chemical composition of frozen vegetables is significantly inferior to fresh ones.

Seeds, juice, pumpkin oil for breastfeeding

Only freshly squeezed pumpkin juice is beneficial for a nursing mother.

A nursing mother's diet may also include pumpkin seeds, juice, and oil. Fresh or dried seeds are rich in fatty acids, vitamin E and A, proteins and amino acids. The product helps normalize cholesterol levels in the blood, improves the condition of the skin and mucous membranes. The daily consumption rate is about 50 g. Pumpkin oil is prepared from seeds by cold pressing. This oil is a concentrate of beneficial substances present in the seeds, and the daily consumption rate is no more than 10 g. The oil cannot be heated; it should be added to salads or taken separately from other products. You can try seeds and oil for the first time no earlier than the baby is 3 months old, since these products contain highly concentrated substances and can cause digestive problems due to the immaturity of the baby’s gastrointestinal tract.

Pumpkin juice is also useful during lactation. You can start introducing pumpkin into your diet in the first weeks after giving birth. The main thing is that it is of high quality, ideally freshly squeezed. Canned or reconstituted juice will not be beneficial for breastfeeding and can cause allergies. At first, it is recommended to dilute pumpkin juice with boiled water in a ratio of 1 to 1, and the dosage of pure juice per day should not exceed 100 ml. Later, pumpkin nectar can be diluted with apple or carrot juice if these products are well tolerated by the baby.

When to include pumpkin in the menu?

The skin and mucous membranes of the mouth are characterized by a yellow tint;
The sucking reflex is weak;
The child has increased sleepiness.

To summarize: it is advisable to gradually include pumpkin in the menu of a nursing mother only 30 days after birth if the child has no pathologies.

Whether it is possible to eat it if there are any abnormalities in the development of the baby should be discussed with a pediatrician.

How to introduce the product into the diet while breastfeeding

Pumpkin is not a prohibited product during lactation. Taking into account the fact that the mother is not allergic to carotene, the product can be introduced into the menu already on the tenth day after birth. Pumpkin should be used after heat treatment, and not raw. It is best to choose varieties with green or white coloring, as these are the least allergenic species.

When using for the first time, you need to prepare the dish in small quantities (up to 20 g). It is better to use it in the morning or in the middle of the day. In this way, you can track the baby’s reaction to the product. If no negative consequences are observed (no allergies, deterioration of stool, bloating or diarrhea), the portion of the dish is increased. If an allergic reaction occurs, pumpkin is excluded from the diet. After 1-2 months you need to try to introduce it into your menu again.

The baby is allowed to try raw pumpkin 4-5 weeks after birth in an amount of no more than one teaspoon per day. Subsequently, the portion is adjusted to 100 g per day in the absence of a negative reaction in the child. If you have an allergy, the fruit is prohibited for consumption for 1–2 months. Then the product is again included in the menu, starting with small portions. It is important to remember that when breastfeeding, pumpkin dishes should be consumed no more than twice a week. One serving – 100–300 g.

pumpkin juice

Freshly prepared pumpkin juice brings only benefits:

Does not cause excessive gas formation in the child.
Strengthens maternal immunity, protects the child from infection.
Improves lactation, makes breast milk tastier.
Eliminates problems with constipation in a nursing woman.
Helps restore hair, nails, and restore skin elasticity.

Is it possible for a nursing mother to drink juice and what are its benefits?

Pumpkin can be called a truly amazing vegetable. Its fruits combine excellent taste and a lot of useful properties, and, importantly, both the seeds of this plant and its pulp are equally useful.

In general, the opinion of pediatricians regarding the safety of pumpkin for a nursing mother and her baby is clear - during lactation this vegetable can and even should be eaten, but only with caution, monitoring the child’s reaction.

Pumpkin juice is, in fact, an analogue of pumpkin pulp, although it lacks some of its disadvantages, but also has a number of advantages. That is why experts recommend that nursing mothers drink juice first, and then switch to pumpkin itself.

A lot can be said about the incredible benefits of such a drink, but we will only note its main positive properties, which will be especially relevant for a nursing mother and newborn baby.

Pumpkin juice is a rich source of powerful antioxidants that have a positive effect on blood cholesterol levels. Thanks to this, the cardiovascular system strengthens and becomes less susceptible to various diseases.
Pumpkin juice, although not in such large quantities as the pulp, contains plant fiber . These substances have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the digestive system and help the intestines function more actively. As a result, nutrients from food are better absorbed and the digestion process is not disrupted.
Pumpkin is rich in vitamin C. This substance is a strong antioxidant, which makes it extremely beneficial for the immune system of a nursing mother and baby. This vitamin stimulates the production of immune cells, and therefore the body better resists any diseases and infections.
After giving birth, women often experience the phenomenon of postpartum depression. Even if this does not happen, severe stress and anxiety still cause significant harm to the nervous system of a young mother. Pumpkin juice has sedative properties - the combination of tryptophan can gently calm the nerves and improve the quality of sleep. For this reason, many pediatricians recommend drinking a similar drink in the evening.
Thanks to a set of useful substances, pumpkin juice helps remove toxins and other toxic compounds from the body . The drink stimulates the function of the liver and kidneys, as a result of which these organs work more actively and quickly remove harmful substances from the body.
Many young mothers notice that after childbirth their skin and hair lose their former healthy appearance. This is primarily due to the fact that when producing breast milk, the body takes nutrients from its own reserves, resulting in a deficiency of beneficial compounds. Pumpkin juice contains vitamins E and C, which make up for this deficiency. Thanks to this, the skin becomes elastic and moisturized again, and the hair is healthy and strong.
Pumpkin juice will also be useful for those nursing mothers who suffer from heartburn and nausea. Just one glass of this drink will eliminate the unpleasant condition and normalize the level of acidity in the stomach .

How to make juice?

screw;
centrifugal.

When choosing a pumpkin on the market, you should give preference to brightly colored fruits; they contain more useful substances and last longer. The juice is rich in taste.

Preparation:

Wash the pumpkin, remove peel and seeds.
Cut into slices 3 * 3 cm.
Squeeze out the juice.
Do not throw away the seeds. Rinse. Dry with a paper towel. Spread on a napkin. Dry at room temperature. Drying in the oven or in a frying pan kills all the beneficial substances.

rash;
loose stools;
stomach pain.

A few days after you start taking the juice, your breast milk production will increase.

For a mild cold, the juice can have a healing effect; if the mother has a cough, the juice will help get rid of it.

For all its benefits, juice has contraindications. Not all women can afford to drink it. You should stop using it if:

Worried about diarrhea.
If a woman has gastritis with low acidity.
Stomach ulcer worsened.
For diabetes mellitus type I and II.

What is the best way to eat pumpkin?

During lactation, pumpkin is consumed in boiled, stewed and baked forms. After heat treatment, all the beneficial properties of the vegetable are preserved. It is better to avoid fried pumpkin, as the content of vitamins and minerals in it is greatly reduced. Fried foods cause colic and flatulence in a child, so pediatricians suggest refraining from this type of cooking.

Ideal dishes are porridge with the addition of pumpkin. It goes well with rice, corn and millet. Such food improves mood, relieves anxiety and increases milk production. If a woman wants something sweet, you can prepare dessert. Pieces of pumpkin and apples are poured with honey and baked in the oven, after which they are consumed in small portions. Casseroles prepared in the oven or slow cooker from approved products with the addition of pumpkin will be useful.

Eliminate constipation

nights without sleep, chronic lack of sleep;
low physical activity without sports exercises;
nutrition limited due to breastfeeding.

Improves intestinal motility. Fiber and pectins contained in the pulp will facilitate the passage of feces and clean the mucous membrane.
Stimulates bile production. A sufficient amount of bile acids normalizes digestion.
Removes toxins from the body.
Vitamin T, which is part of it, will facilitate the absorption of heavy foods and remove bad cholesterol.

Pumpkin is an indispensable product for constipation. Frequent constipation will stop tormenting as soon as there are dishes containing it in the daily menu.

Right choice

To the question whether it is possible to eat pumpkin during breastfeeding, there is a clear positive answer. So it’s time to move on to the right choice of fruit in the market or store:

Appearance. When examining the fruit, the main attention should be paid to the color of the peel. Mature pumpkins have a bright, rich color. The shape and size of the fruit can be any. Round, oval, medium-sized or large - the choice depends on the purpose of cooking. There is no need to choose a product with damaged peel or cut into slices.
It would be ideal to test the pumpkin using a nitrate meter. After all, in the first month of a child’s life, one should not expose his body to harmful substances that may be contained in vegetables and fruits.

A properly formulated diet is very important for a woman when breastfeeding. Together with breast milk, the baby receives the microelements and vitamins necessary for its growth and development.

Losing weight with pumpkin

Many women gain excess weight during pregnancy. After giving birth, a nursing mother cannot go on a strict diet; the child must receive adequate nutrition. Losing weight is difficult. Women, especially young women, experience depression due to loss of slimness; they are not pleased with their plump hips and waist.

The older generation of women often does a disservice to new mothers by teaching them the old fashioned way that while breastfeeding she should:

eat for two;
sleep more;
move less.

Can I have pumpkin seeds?

Doctors believe that if there are no allergic reactions in a child, it is allowed to eat pumpkin seeds while breastfeeding. Allergies can manifest themselves as:

Rash;
Redness of the skin;
Itching;
Stomach upsets.

Pumpkin seeds are needed during breastfeeding; the body receives:

oils;
organic acids;
proteins;
carotene;
vitamins.

The infusion will help enhance lactation and increase the nutritional value of breast milk.

Infusion recipe for lactation. Ingredients:

Peeled pumpkin seeds – 1 part.
Walnuts, kernels – 1 part.
Milk – 3 parts.

Start cooking in the evening. Boil the milk. Pour nuts and seeds over them. Leave to infuse overnight. Take a teaspoon of infusion three times during the day.

Pumpkin while breastfeeding

During breastfeeding, a woman carefully monitors her diet so as not to harm the child’s fragile body. Pumpkin should definitely appear on the menu. Melon crops from Mexico bring considerable benefits to both the nursing mother and the baby:

iron in fruits becomes an indispensable aid in the fight against postpartum anemia. In combination with microelements such as copper, cobalt and zinc, iron molecules take part in hematopoiesis and help increase hemoglobin levels;
vitamin PP lowers the concentration of cholesterol in the blood, reduces the risk of inflammatory processes in the body;
ascorbic acid (vitamin C) helps strengthen immune functions;
the liquid, which makes up 90% of the pumpkin pulp, has a diuretic effect, helps in the fight against edema and excess weight during the postpartum period;
Vitamin B1 has a positive effect on brain activity and calms the nervous system. Pumpkin is an effective preventive remedy in the fight against fatigue and insomnia.

Pumpkin improves the activity of the gastrointestinal tract. But this does not always have a positive effect on the well-being of a nursing woman, since it causes a laxative effect. The baby may develop colic and bloating.

Other reasons to avoid eating pumpkin during lactation:

allergic reaction caused by carotene;
decreased acidity in the mother;
duodenal ulcer;
development of carotenemia (the amount of carotenoids in the blood exceeds the norm). Carotenemia occurs with uncontrolled consumption of pumpkin. One of the main symptoms of the disease is the yellow color of the skin. In this case, it is necessary to temporarily exclude pumpkin dishes from the menu.

There should be no allergy to pumpkin. On the contrary, my pediatrician recommended that I eat pumpkin dishes, since we were born small, and pumpkin promotes the rapid growth and proper development of babies. Despite the fact that we were at risk of allergies from birth, we tolerated pumpkin in our diet well. Good luck to you!
Chistyakova Vera
https://nedeli.org/mama/forum21/topic1473/

Pumpkin and dishes made from it have different effects on the body of mother and child, depending on the method of preparation:

The orange fruit, when eaten raw, will help increase iron levels in the blood. But when consumed in large quantities, intestinal upset and flatulence occur. Raw pumpkin should be included in the diet of a nursing mother as rarely as possible ;
Stewed dishes improve the functioning of the cardiovascular system and help reduce the amount of blood discharge in the first month after the birth of the baby. Cooking pumpkin with vegetable oil improves the absorption of vitamin A;
Cooking preserves nutrients. The product prepared in this way is considered hypoallergenic and safe for consumption during lactation. Boiled pumpkin dishes help with constipation and cystitis;
Steamed product is most beneficial for breastfeeding. The dish turns out juicy, healthy and aromatic;
Baked and fried pumpkin should not be consumed while breastfeeding, as this can cause colic in the baby.

Pumpkin increases the volume of breast milk. This is especially important in the first months after birth, when breastfeeding has not yet been established.

Video: product to increase lactation

Despite the possibility that a nursing woman and child may develop an allergy to carotene, raw pumpkin is a hypoallergenic product. An allergic reaction most often occurs in a baby and manifests itself in the form of:

rash protruding on the cheeks, redness, peeling;
intestinal disorders, stool disorders;
congestion of ENT organs.

To avoid possible negative consequences of eating this fruit, it is better to heat it. In this form, pumpkin becomes a hypoallergenic and safe product.

Pumpkin juice on a nursing mother's menu

Pumpkin juice during lactation is a controversial product.
Freshly squeezed pumpkin juice contains a large amount of vitamins and minerals. Drink:

improves blood clotting;
cleanses the body of toxins;
prevents the formation of acne;
has a beneficial effect on the nervous system and relieves depression.

Due to its high biological activity, pumpkin juice is not recommended for use during lactation. All microelements contained in it are instantly absorbed when they enter the stomach and are passed on to the baby through mother’s milk. The child may have an allergic reaction or diarrhea. You should avoid drinking the drink in favor of a variety of porridges seasoned with pieces of pumpkin. You can drink juice diluted with water in a volume of no more than 0.2 liters per day.

I think it’s better not to take risks for the first six months, otherwise there is still a possibility of an allergy, even if it hasn’t happened before, it may appear. And then, of course, you can if there is no reaction, but you shouldn’t overdo it, there should be some kind of norm, and not like drinking pumpkin juice in glasses. Half a glass is fine.
zeppelin
https://nedeli.org/mama/forum21/topic1473/