I never thought I’d crave a steak sandwich at 3am, or have romantic dreams about big breakfasts with ham-hock beans. Waking to find that your pillow is not, in fact, a flourless chocolate cake should not cause one tears, but a recent desire for food at early bird hours has caused me to groan for a meal more than once. No, I’m not pregnant. I’m breastfeeding. We know the pregnant lady cliché of a round-bellied woman waking in the middle of the night, screaming at her spouse to fetch a tub of ice-cream, but you don’t hear much about breastfeeding mums. I never had crazy cravings while I was pregnant, for the most part my appetite actually went into hiding. When you’re battling what feels like an all-day hangover, the range of acceptable foods is narrow and salty. Then, as your belly expands, breathing becomes a task, let alone eating, as your organs end up squished around your growing baby. “Your appetite will return”, friends assured me, but I was dubious, as I found myself caring more about what stroller I would buy than what to eat for lunch. But sure enough, right after I’d given birth I was asking for sandwiches. Pizza, too. And where was my banana? My appetite was back, baby. Three months later, here I am, nursing my babe day and night and working up a sizeable appetite. Being a milk machine is hard work and indeed you legitimately need an extra dose of kilojoules/avocado when breastfeeding. Not honouring this will leave you depleted and feeling the sleep deprivation more severely. Mums are often surprised by how hungry they feel at this time, and so I wanted to share a snapshot of my diet as a breastfeeding mum who is also a dietitian, for a little inspiration and reassurance that taking a spoon to your jar of almond butter is totally acceptable. It’s important to eat a wholesome diet for many reasons, but in the context of a breastfeeding mum your top priorities are to feel good and to keep producing breastmilk for your baby. In truth what you eat shouldn’t be too different from your everyday diet, with a few tweaks such as more carbohydrates and extra food and fluid based on your hunger and thirst cues. The rest, a rad variety of plant-based foods, a good intake of protein and healthy fats, and making sure you eat enough stunningly nutritious Omega-3 fatty acids, are what we should all be focusing on, breastfeeding or not. During those early, foggy days, you may not feel like cooking (nor have the time to get into the kitchen), so don’t hesitate in asking people to bring food when they visit. Milk that free-food train for as long as you can. I also recommend you do a bit of meal prep when possible. Keeping the fridge full of boiled eggs, pre-washed salad greens, chopped vegetables and cooked grains will make your life easier and more nourishing. In addition, it’s a good idea to keep a water bottle handy and regularly re-fill when the bottle and boob are drained. It can be tempting to simply gain your fluid requirements by inserting an IV line filled with coffee, however limiting your cups to a couple a day is best for you and bubs. Prioritise water, maybe with a squeeze of lemon. I know how boring that sounds, I can see the eye rolls, but a good Meyer lemon can truly make sparkling water taste like lemonade. Or maybe that’s the sleep deprivation talking… Breakfast I’ll make something that is easy to pour and eat one-handed (goodbye porridge!), such as plain yoghurt and muesli or granola. The muesli will be made with ingredients that are full of healthy fats and fibre, including rolled oats, LSA and other nuts and seeds. Lunch Avocado sourdough toast is my midday saviour (thank goodness for avocadoes and their incredible, healthy fats), served with lemon and chilli flakes. If I have a few more moments I’ll add a fried egg or canned salmon in olive oil. I always try to have two to three serves of low-mercury oily fish each week, as the Omega-3 fats really help support my baby’s development. Dinner The evening meal is usually something defrosted, or a speedy salad assembly favouring canned legumes, pesto and boiled eggs with mixed leaves and other simple ingredients. Making big batches and stocking our stand-alone freezer (best pre-baby purchase ever!) has served me well come dinnertime on those busy/cannot be bothered/I-can’t-deal-with-takeaway-again days. The meal will always involve quality sources of protein, carbohydrate and fats, as well as loads of vegetables. This may plate up as bolognese with pasta, slow-cooked lamb and potatoes, casseroles with a wholegrain (such as wild rice or quinoa), chicken soup and sourdough bread or light curries with rice. Curry? Yes indeed. I ate light (easy on the chilli) curries while pregnant, and I’m finding that our baby is perfectly fine with this craving. You’ll find there are a number of foods that friends/family/randoms in the street and some practitioners will encourage you to limit when breastfeeding, and there can be some truth to these food rules. However your best bet is to eat in moderation (cabbage and onion will make anyone gassy if they eat too much!) and if you suspect something is irritating bubs, cut it out for a while. If you miss it, you can reintroduce the food to see if it really does bother your baby, but don’t be too restrictive. Eating a wide variety of foods may in fact help your baby develop an adventurous palate. Snacks Mid-meal bites vary from yoghurt to boiled eggs and smoothies, and I graze on these based on hunger level/ability to take a moment to put food in my mouth. Thankfully there’s always a rogue walnut or two in my pocket. If you’re up feeding a lot overnight and find yourself hungry (hands high in the air over here) it’s a good idea to reach for snacks that contain a nice balance of protein, fats and carbohydrates to help keep your blood sugar levels steady and ease you back into slumber. Nut and seed bars made with Medjool dates and rolled oats are ideal. Nuts contain countless beneficial nutrients are are super easy to snack on, requiring little preparation besides a bowl next to your bed. Put some dried figs are in the bowl too, as they’re both tasty and gloriously high in fibre (and mums know that post childbirth, you need fibre and fluids). If you’re keen to increase your milk supply you can search for breastfeeding biscuit and muffin recipes online. Many feel they work in supporting lactation, and because they tend to include wholesome ingredients such as rolled oats, linseeds, herbs and spices, they are worth trying. Lastly, eggs are wonderfully satiating and perfect snacking fodder, so I try to keep a batch of mini frittatas in my freezer. Because sometimes you want a savoury hit at 3am, but cannot summon the energy to make scrambled eggs (and apparently partners don’t feel like cooking at that hour either). This may sound like a lot of food, but eating and hydrating well throughout the day and night will do wonders for your energy levels and help you to keep producing milk. Don’t be tempted to cut kilojoules or carbohydrates drastically while breastfeeding. Rather, enjoy your hearty appetite and focus on nourishment. Buy an “in between sizes” pair of jeans if you need to, and stock up on avocadoes. You’ve got milk to make.