One of the hottest nutritional supplements, health and beauty aids, and all around health-foodie-favorites these days is coconut oil. There are myriad uses for it, and you can now buy coconut oil at almost any grocery store. But what about breastfeeding and coconut oil? What are its benefits for nursing moms and babies, and is it even safe to use it?
Breastfeeding and Coconut Oil – Uses and Benefits
One of my favorite uses for coconut oil is to encourage healthy, soft skin. If you’ve had a baby with cradle cap, you know the frustration of trying to treat the crusty mess. Coconut oil not only moisturizes, but its antifungal and antimicrobial properties can help to treat any underlying causes of skin conditions. Although it may seem counterintuitive, treating even oily skin with coconut oil can have amazing effects. In addition, coconut oil is a wonderful all-natural moisturizer you can use in baby massage.
Because of those antiviral, antifungal properties, coconut oil makes a wonderful diaper rash cream. Just apply at each diaper change to help baby’s skin stay soft and healthy (and you can also try using it to treat all the bumps that come with baby “acne”).
Perhaps one of the most exciting uses for coconut oil for nursing moms, at least to this mama of five, all of whom struggled with the malady, is the use of coconut oil to treat yeast, also known as thrush. This frustrating condition involves overgrowth of the fungus that results in pain and difficulty nursing for both moms and babies. Besides dietary and environmental changes and even if you are fine with using a prescribed medication, coconut oil actually has antifungal properties, and if your baby ingests it, it can actually be good for him or her. Using coconut oil applied to nipples and inside baby’s mouth can actually help stop the painful transfer of the symptoms from mom to baby, and back again.
Medical studies published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that moms who consumed coconut oil actually produced a higher concentration of healthy fatty acids in their breast milk. These fatty acids are vital in helping babies stay protected from viruses and other unwanted illnesses.
One more benefit of coconut oil for a nursing mama is that because it is a medium-chain fat, it can help regulate our blood sugar, extremely important in helping with mood swings, and also potentially aiding in weight loss!
(Interesting tidbit: coconut oil can be used even before baby during labor for perineal massage.)
Making Coconut Oil a Lifestyle
Coconut oil can easily be incorporated into your diet by cooking in it; it has a high temperature tolerance, so it’s very versatile in the kitchen. Here’s one of my favorite breakfast recipes, (or try this one); I often substitute coconut oil for butter in these and other dishes. Even better if you’re a mama with a sweet tooth, try this healthy, refined-sugar-free dessert that’s loaded with coconut oil!
*I am not a physician, but a mom who’s been blessed to breastfeed five healthy babies, and who loves to read and study to help other moms have a successful and fulfilling nursing journey. Please seek the advice of a trusted medical practitioner before making changes in your breastfeeding relationship.
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