What can I eat and drink while breastfeeding?

Find easy guidance on food, drinks and supplements that support your health and your baby’s well-being — plus important information about alcohol and smoking.

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What is good to eat during the breastfeeding period?

Swipe here to see which foods and drinks are recommended while you are breastfeeding — and what you may need to pay special attention to.

What can I eat while breastfeeding?

Breast milk almost always contains exactly what your baby needs during the first 6 months. Its composition changes naturally over time to match your baby’s development. For your own health, it is important to eat a balanced and varied diet.

There are many myths about foods you should avoid — such as strawberries or chocolate — but both are perfectly fine while breastfeeding.

However, you should avoid large predatory fish such as tuna, and take extra care if you follow a vegan diet. Swipe to read more.

Official recommendations for food and drink during breastfeeding

The general guidance for breastfeeding parents is:

  • Eat a healthy and varied diet. In most cases, you can eat everything in moderation, except large predatory fish (see the section on fish below). Take the following supplements:
  • Vitamin D: 10 µg daily
  • Calcium: 500 mg daily if you do not eat cheese or consume dairy products

 

You can read more about the Danish official dietary guidelines for pregnant and breastfeeding parents here:

Fødevarestyrelsen

Can I eat fish while breastfeeding?

Yes — fish is healthy, and you can include it in your diet, but it is important to choose the right kinds. Fish and shellfish are good for your health, but you should avoid tuna and other large predatory fish such as perch, pike-perch and oil fish.

You should also limit your intake of salmon from the Baltic Sea — including in sushi — because these fish may contain environmental pollutants that can affect your baby’s brain development.

Is my milk still good enough if I am vegetarian?

Yes. Eating a vegetarian diet is usually not a problem for breast milk quality. Most vegetarians get enough nutrients to produce milk that meets their baby’s needs.

However, if you eat no meat, fish, eggs or dairy products, your baby may miss out on certain important nutrients. (See also the section on vegan diets.)

I am vegan. Does that affect breastfeeding?

If you eat a vegan diet, it is very important to be aware that both you and your baby can become deficient in vitamin B12. Lack of B12 can have serious consequences for your baby’s brain development.

For this reason, it is recommended that you take a daily B12 supplement throughout pregnancy and breastfeeding. Your doctor can advise you on the correct dose.

What is good to drink during breastfeeding?

Guidance on what you can drink — and how alcohol and caffeine may affect your baby — follows in the next section.

Introduction

Make sure you drink enough throughout the day — for example while breastfeeding — to feel well and stay hydrated. Water is an excellent choice.

Can I drink alcohol while breastfeeding?

Yes, but do so with caution. Babies receive only very small amounts of alcohol through breast milk, but it is recommended that you limit your intake to no more than one drink on an occasion or in a day.

Pumping or expressing milk does not remove alcohol from your milk. As long as there is alcohol in your bloodstream, it will also be present in your breast milk.

It is a common misunderstanding that babies sleep better after drinking breast milk that contains alcohol. In fact, babies tend to sleep more restlessly.

Alcohol can also reduce your milk supply and affect the let-down reflex.

Can I drink coffee, tea and energy drinks?

Yes. However, some babies may react if their mother consumes large amounts of caffeinated drinks.

A typical intake of 2–3 cups of coffee or tea per day rarely affects the baby. If your baby only sleeps in short stretches or seems unusually unsettled, you can try reducing your intake of coffee, tea or energy drinks to see if it helps.

Will I make more milk if I drink extra fluids?

No — drinking more fluid does not increase milk production. But staying well hydrated is still important for your own comfort and well-being.

If you would like more information on how to increase your milk supply, you can read more here: How to get more milk

 

Smoking, nicotine products and breastfeeding

Can I breastfeed if I smoke?

Yes, you can still breastfeed if you smoke, but it is not without risk for your baby. Smoking — and exposure to second-hand smoke — during the breastfeeding period can harm your baby’s health. For this reason, it is best to avoid smoking altogether while you are breastfeeding. If you do smoke, the Danish Health Authority still recommends breastfeeding rather than switching to infant formula.

You can reduce some of the harmful effects by:

  • smoking as little as possible.
  • smoking outdoors and avoiding smoky indoor environments.
  • smoking right after a feed, and then waiting until after the next feed before smoking again.

Many harmful substances from tobacco smoke pass into breast milk, and the same applies to nicotine from other nicotine products. Babies exposed to smoke or second-hand smoke after birth have a higher risk of respiratory infections and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Mothers who smoke also tend to produce less milk than mothers who do not smoke.

If you want help to quit smoking, you can contact the national quitline (Stoplinien). If you need advice about nicotine replacement products, contact your doctor.

www.stoplinien.dk

Good to do

  • Eat a healthy and varied diet while breastfeeding.
  • Avoid large predatory fish such as tuna, perch, pike-perch and fish oil, and limit your intake of salmon from the Baltic Sea.
  • If you do not eat cheese or dairy products, a daily supplement of 500 mg calcium is recommended.
  • If you follow a vegan diet, you should take a vitamin B12 supplement during both pregnancy and breastfeeding; your doctor can advise you on the correct dose.
  • Limit alcohol, and do not drink more than one alcoholic drink on a given day.
  • Avoid smoking as much as possible while breastfeeding — but if you do smoke, breastfeeding is still recommended over formula feeding.

Who can you contact?

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Who can you contact at the maternity ward?

You can contact the maternity-ward staff both during pregnancy and after birth.

Before birth, your midwife is the person to speak with about the early time with your baby and your thoughts about feeding – whether breastfeeding or bottle-feeding. If you have had previous breastfeeding problems, you can create a plan together.

Most maternity wards also offer antenatal classes, and your midwife can inform you about these.

After giving birth, you can receive help with breastfeeding from staff on the delivery or maternity ward while you are admitted.

All parents can also contact a breastfeeding hotline at their maternity ward within the first week after birth if they need help or guidance.

You can contact your municipal health-visitor service

The health-visitor service is available to all pregnant and new parents in Denmark. After birth, you will be offered free home visits with support and guidance to help you get a good start with your baby. Depending on your municipality and your stage in the process, different services and contact options may be available.

Some municipalities offer prenatal visits from a health visitor, where you can discuss breastfeeding, bottle-feeding, and preparing for life as a new family. Check your municipality’s website to see whether this is available where you live.

If you have special needs, you can contact the service to ask whether prenatal visits are offered to you.

Your health visitor will contact you and offer the first home visit. You can always call your municipal health visitor service for advice or guidance.

You can contact your GP if needed

Always speak with your doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding and need medical treatment. In most cases, there is a medication that is safe to use during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Contact the on-call doctor or call 112 in an emergency

For sudden illness or worsening symptoms that cannot wait until your GP is available, or for minor injuries, you can contact the on-call doctor – or call 1813 if you live in the Capital Region.

In emergencies, if something is life-threatening or dangerous, call 112.

Contact volunteer breastfeeding counsellors

You can also contact volunteer breastfeeding counsellors if you need advice or guidance. Denmark has two support organisations: Forældre & Fødsel and Ammenet. The volunteers are mothers who have breastfed themselves, and both organisations provide guidance based on the recommendations of the Danish Health Authority.

Get help from Forældre og Fødsel

Get help from Ammenet

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