How Postpartum Nutrition Can Elevate Your Breastmilk

Let’s talk postpartum nutrition. 

Real talk - you are going to be utterly exhausted after the marathon of pregnancy, birth, and sustaining this beautiful new babe that is now earth-side.

This is the exact reason why it’s incredibly important to make sure mama is well nourished. “Food is medicine” and therefore it’s essential in helping you to optimize healing from birth, make the transition into the amazing journey of motherhood, AND up-level the quality and quantity of your breast milk. 

Even though you’re probably constantly hungry - especially as a breastfeeding mama - feeding yourself may be the last thing on your priority list. 

But, the reality is, it’s one of, if not the most, important thing for new mamas to focus on. 

Food is what is going to keep you (AND baby) going, providing you with sustained energy to not only survive, but thrive, in your new role.

As a breastfeeding mama, you probably know that breastfeeding is an important component to ensure proper infant development, maximize learning capacities, and prevent illness in your baby. At no other time in life is nutrition so important!

A mother’s breast milk uniquely meets her baby’s individual nutritive and immunological needs. Healthy breast milk is perfectly designed and ever-changing in order to adapt to your baby’s changing needs and shape their physical and mental development. But this is only true when mom supplies her body with the most nutrient-dense foods possible.

The typical modern diet of conventional meat and dairy products, sweeteners, refined grains, rancid vegetable oils, genetically modified foods, colorings, flavorings, and hundreds of other additives do not optimally nourish and build your baby (or you!). 

A high intake of whole, real, nutrient-dense foods is necessary to nourish both mama and baby during this intimate time of change and transition. But what does that look like?

Here are a few tips and tricks to help you get started on the nourishment journey:

Always choose organic, especially animal products (if you eat them). Breast milk contains quality fats that nourish your baby’s growing brain. Remember that fats attract and store fat-soluble chemicals, so the more you avoid hormones, chemicals and toxins, the less ends up in your breast milk. 


Wild fish is the best place to get fully-formed EPA and DHA, both of which are critical nutrients central to the brain's growth, structure, and development. The brain and entire central nervous system both need DHA in order to properly form and function.

Coconut is the richest food source of lauric acid, which is responsible for breastmilk's antimicrobial properties, providing an essential boost to your baby’s immune system. The fats of coconut products can also help increase both a nursing mom's energy and immune system. This in turn helps stabilize blood sugar levels so you’re staying grounded, stable and steady throughout the day. 

Choline, found in egg yolks and grass-fed liver, is critical for brain development and is the precursor to acetylcholine, which is important for memory and learning. I highly recommend supplementing with additional Phosphatidylcholine while breastfeeding.

Including healthy fats and high-quality protein for every meal and snack will help to stabilize blood sugar levels, alleviating unnecessary stress on mama’s body.


Looking for more nutritional direction to help transition from pregnancy to breastfeeding mama? 

Look no further. 

I’ve joined forces with The Bloom Method to bring you a step-by-step guide to optimizing your postpartum journey with food! Over the last several months, I’ve researched and gathered all the knowledge and resources I could find to create, hands-down, the most comprehensive postpartum nutrition guide out there. You’ll find tips for success, frequently asked questions, nutrition and lifestyle guidelines, a daily checklist, how to add calories OR make substitutions for those oh-so-yummy but not-so-great food choices. But most importantly – you’ll find a FOUR WEEK meal plan outlining what each and every day can look like, with recipes to match. 

Women have been asking me to create something like this for years, and now it’s finally here!