Omega 3 Oil & Breastfeeding

Improving your health--and that of your baby--may be as easy as eating salmon, drizzling flax oil in your yogurt or cooking with canola oil. These foods provide you with omega-3s that are carried to your baby when you breastfeed. Two types of omega-3s, DHA and EPA, are found in fatty fish and algae. Another kind, ALA, is found in walnuts as well as flax and canola oils. According to MayoClinic.com, these essential fatty acids "help promote a baby's brain development."

Benefits for Baby

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential nutrients and are beneficial for your child's whole body, from the nervous system to the eyes to the skin, says pediatrician and father of eight Dr. William Sears. These essential fatty acids are transferred to your baby through your breast milk and may make your baby smarter, improve vision, enhance immunity, and could even prevent eczema.

Benefits for You

You'll get benefits from omega-3s, too. They strengthen your cardiovascular system by lowering LDL cholesterol levels and may even help you lose weight by speeding up your metabolism. These essential fatty acids may also improve your mental state and help you avoid postpartum depression, according to La Leche League International, an organization that provides information and support to breastfeeding mothers.

Fish Oil

Fish oil is "the richest source of DHA, the healthiest type of omega-3 fatty acid for infants," according to Dr. Sears. Salmon and sardines are two varieties of fish that are both high in omega-3s and low in contaminants such as mercury. If you don't consume fatty fish a couple of times a week, you may want to take fish oil supplements. These supplements made from fish body oils are virtually free of toxins and safe for nursing moms. Don't take cod liver supplements when you're breastfeeding, because they can have an excess of vitamins A and D that could be dangerous for your baby.

Flax and Canola Oils

Your baby's first year is important--his or her brain will actually triple in size. Flax supplies fats that support brain-building. He suggests that you supplement your diet with a daily tablespoon of flax oil while breastfeeding. In fact, taking this omega-3 oil with a meal can actually improve the nutrition of other foods. Cultured dairy foods like yogurt or kefir, vegetables in the cabbage family and animal proteins help the essential fatty acids integrate into cell membranes.

Flax oil should not be used for cooking. Canola oil is not as rich in essential fatty acids as flax, but it still provides a considerable amount. It can be used in cooking and baking. Both of these oils contain the fatty acid ALA, but they do not provide the health benefits of DHA and EPA, which are found in fish or algae oil.

Algae Oil

If you are a vegetarian, you can take DHA supplements made from algae, the dietary source of omega-3s for fish. Algae oil is the richest and only plant source of DHA available.