Nutrition during lactation.

A resurgence in breast feeding in the US especially among more affluent and educated women has produced interest in the composition of human milk and its function in the newborn infant. A National Academy of Sciences expert panel on nutrition during lactation concluded that mothers are able to provide milk of sufficient quantity and quality to support infant growth and health even when the mothers supply of nutrients and energy is limited. This chapter presents an overview of the Academys findings and summarizes subsequent research in the areas of milk composition and volume. Although the amount and composition of carbohydrate and protein in human milk are relatively constant fat composition is highly variable affected by factors such as length of gestation and lactation parity volume maternal diet and pregnancy weight gain. In general healthy infants have an average daily intake of 750-800 ml of breast milk in the first 4-5 months after birth. At present there are no established standards for assessing the nutritional status of lactating women.