Monthly Archives: July 2021

Registered Dietician/ nutritionist Tammy Kacev explains the importance of Iron during pregnancy and lactation for baby and mum:

We are well aware of the importance of a good diet pre pregnancy and during pregnancy, but once we have our precious babies we tend to neglect ourselves. Just as it is important to eat a balanced and healthy diet that is rich in a variety of nutrients and vitamins including protein, iron and calcium while we are pregnant, it is just as important to do the same while we are breastfeeding. In this article I will be discussing the importance of iron during pregnancy and lactation for both baby and mum.

Importance of Iron during Pregnancy

When we first find out we are pregnant part of the routine health check-up we receive that is done early on by our doctors (and then again in the third trimester) is to check our iron levels. Our body uses iron to make red blood cells (haemoglobin) and when we are pregnant

Here you are, dripping milk, all ready for your baby to feed – but he won’t!

If you have a newborn, there is every chance you will be ‘woman handled’ as somebody tries to get your baby to latch by grabbing baby and boob and shoving them together (if this happens, put your hand up in a stop sign and ask, ‘please can you guide me, I would like to try myself’).

Or, if your baby is older and has been happily breastfeeding until now, you are probably wondering, ‘is he weaning?’

Whatever the reasons for your baby’s breast refusal, your baby isn’t ‘refusing’ to breastfeed because he is being stubborn, and forcing him won’t help.

For newborns, generally if your baby won’t breastfeed it is because he can’t right now, but it doesn’t mean you won’t be able to breastfeed at all – although you will need to be patient, with the right help, most