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Watermelon breastfeeding

, medical expert
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
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After pregnancy, a long period of feeding begins, which also leaves its certain imprints on vital activity, nutrition, and the mother's day regimen. So, the diet changes significantly. Now you need to take into account that everything that the mother eats will certainly go into the milk, and with it into the baby's body. Everything seems to be extremely simple: food should be healthy, rational, balanced. But still there are many questions that do not cease to bother young mothers. For example, one of the questions: "Is it possible for a nursing mother to have a watermelon?" To be sure to answer this question, you need to know exactly how watermelon works when breastfeeding. Let's take a look at this issue.

The benefits of watermelon

Let's first consider what a watermelon is, what is its composition, how it affects the body, whether it is beneficial or harmful to the human body. It is impossible to answer this question unambiguously. First, the concept of "benefit" is very relative. Secondly, it is imperative to take into account that each person has a different, individual organism. What benefits one person can definitely harm another.

So, most of the watermelon is represented by the liquid part (it contains a large amount of juice). This liquid contains a large amount of vitamins, important trace elements and minerals. They affect the biochemical cycle of the body. Also, watermelon consists of a large number of essential amino acids, carbohydrates. It is a rich source of energy, enriches the body with necessary components, which are further used as a building material for the body.

Separately, it is worth noting the ability of watermelon to have a cleansing effect on the body. It acts as a sorbent that accumulates, neutralizes, and subsequently removes from the body various toxins, metabolites, waste substances, toxins that have accumulated in the body. Excretion occurs through the kidneys, with urine. A twofold effect can immediately be noted here. On the one hand, there is an intensive cleansing of the body, cleansing of the liver and kidneys. This is a reliable prophylaxis of urolithiasis, prevents the development of kidney disease, reduces stress. Also, stones and sand are excreted from the kidneys, which prevents the development of the accumulation of stones and sand in the kidneys.

The harm is that in case of kidney disease, there is an excessive load on the kidneys. Accordingly, a person who already has kidney problems increases the load on them. Accordingly, the development of inflammatory diseases occurs. Current liver kidney disease may worsen. Then this entails diseases of the entire digestive tract.

Also, the benefit lies in the fact that watermelon cleanses the blood, helps to cleanse the skin, its surface and inner layers. Removal of toxins, as well as autoantibodies, reduces the body's aggression against its own tissues, which normalizes the state of the immune system. The normal state of the immune system increases the body's resistance, increases its endurance, reduces the risk of developing infectious, inflammatory, rheumatic diseases, and the development of arterial hypertension. [1] Reduces the risk of developing allergic reactions, relieves muscle pain. [2],  [3] Reduces body weight, body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure through daily consumption of watermelon. [4]

Watermelon when breastfeeding in the first month

As you know, watermelon is very useful for the body. Of course, there are certain contraindications that must be taken into account. But all products and substances have contraindications.

As for the consumption of watermelon in the first month of breastfeeding, the situation here is ambiguous. It is necessary to take into account the fact that the watermelon will have an effect not only on the mother's body, but also on the child's body. There are no direct contraindications to the use of watermelon for a child. It all depends on the individual characteristics of the organism, portability. Therefore, to find out whether a nursing mother can have a watermelon is possible only experimentally. It is quite simple to check how the child's body will react: the mother should eat a small piece of watermelon, and after about 30-40 minutes feed the child. During this period of time, all substances have already penetrated into the milk. Then you need to wait, about 2-3 hours, to fully make sure that the child can handle the watermelon normally. So, if during this period the child did not have rashes, intestinal colic, cough, the body temperature did not rise, and there were no other adverse and alarming consequences, watermelon while breastfeeding can be safely consumed. The main thing is to observe the measure in everything, since excessive abuse can also adversely affect health.

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