Eating fish while breastfeeding

Seafood (fish and shellfish) can be part of a healthy diet for you and have benefits for your unborn child or breastfed baby. Omega-3 fats in seafood have important health benefits. These benefits can outweigh concerns about chemicals that may also be in seafood. Studies have shown that getting enough omega-3s in utero and during infancy (either through breastfeeding or supplemented formula) has a positive effect on a child's vision and cognitive development.

There are several types of fish you should not eat, because they contain high levels of mercury: 

shark, swordfish, king mackerel, and tilefish, all fresh or frozen tuna, striped bass, bluefish, Chilean sea bass, golden snapper, marlin, orange roughy, amberjack, Crevalle jack, Spanish mackerel from the Gulf of Mexico, and walleye from the Great Lakes.

To get the most out of seafood choices, pick those that are higher in omega-3 fats and lower in mercury more often - like salmon, herring, sardines, pollock and trout.

Many foods – such as eggs, milk, soy beverages, juice, yogurt, bread, cereal, and margarine – are now fortified with omega-3s. Some don't contain very much DHA or EPA, but small amounts can add up.

You may have heard that flaxseed is a good source, but the only omega-3 fatty acid that plant foods contain are ALA, which has not been proven to provide the health benefits of DHA and EPA. To cover your bases, especially if you don't eat fish, you might choose to take an omega-3 supplement.

Make photos with your breastfed baby, upload to the App. Write whether your eat fish and what types you choose.