Omega-3s are very important nutrients for your child’s brain development. Since babies’ brain development occurs rapidly during the first 12 months of life, breastfeeding mothers should consume adequate amounts of omega-3s, especially DHA, to ensure that their breast milk contains enough omega-3s.
Here are a few recommendations that have been made based on current research findings:
• The National Academies of Medicine, in its 2006 report, Seafood Choices: Balancing Benefits and Risks, recommended that “women who are or may become pregnant or who are breastfeeding may benefit from consuming seafood, especially those with the higher concentrations of EPA and DHA.”
• The European Perinatal Lipid (PERILIP) Group has recommended that women consume 200 mg DHA per day as fish or supplements during pregnancy and throughout breastfeeding.
• The FDA’s data has indicated that the consumption of fish by women who have just given birth is about 2.97 ounces per week in the U.S. That’s not enough. You should eat up to 12 ounces of fish per week, which may include up to 6 oz. of albacore tuna. None of the fish you eat should be fish that average more than 0.5 parts per million (ppm). To find out which fish are not high in mercury (over 0.5 ppm) click here.

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