It is not only during pregnancy; new mothers get diet advice even during breastfeeding and some of them have no scientific basis. One such advice that comes to most new mothers, especially from the elders, is not to drink cold beverages during breastfeeding as it could lead to a cold in the child. Well, that is not all, some women are also advised not to take a cold water bath as that can also cause the same problem. Now, let us tell you that these advice don t have any rational explanation.
No, we are not telling you this just out of the blue, in fact, Dr Raghuram Mallaiah, director neonatology, Fortis Le Femme cleared this myth during the LactoClave 2016 organised by Medela stating that If a mother drinks cold beverages during breastfeeding it doesn t harm the baby or give her a cold. This is because; the viral infection doesn t get transmitted through breast milk. Instead, if the mother has to pass on an infection to the baby it is transmitted through droplets of body fluids and the virus gets transmitted to the baby even before the symptoms are visible to the mother. In fact, there is no reason for a mother not to breastfeed if she has a cold or a cough as that would not change the composition of her milk. Probably the only time a mother might not be able to breastfeed her baby if she has to undergo surgery due to any medical urgency.
So this puts things into perspective, there is no relation with consumption of cold fluids and change in milk composition. The only thing that a mother should keep in mind is to drink lots of fluid during the breastfeeding as that helps to boost milk supply. Apart from this, a diet rich in protein is all that a mother needs during lactation. However, there is no need to eat too much protein during lactation just a 400 calories extra is enough to take care of her needs. And yes, sipping on a glass of cold lemonade on summer afternoons is not going to hurt a breastfeeding mother nor her baby, be rest assured.
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