Epilepsy Foundation: Keto News, Breastfeeding and the Ketogenic Diet
By Eric Kossoff
For this month’s KetoNews, I asked Dr. Lindsey Thompson, the ketogenic dietitian for Children’s Mercy in Kansas City to write about breastfeeding and the ketogenic diet.
When it comes to infants living with epilepsy, we know two things to be true:
Human milk is the optimal nutrition for babies and provides numerous benefits to both baby and mother in the first years of life.
The ketogenic diet is an effective treatment for infants with epilepsy and can be presented as a treatment option early in life
Approach 1: Mother Expresses Breast Milk (Pumping) And Expressed Breast Milk Is Combined With High Fat (Ketogenic) Formula.
As the ketogenic diet ratio is increased, less expressed breast milk is used in the formula recipe.
Approach 2: Gradually Decrease The Time Baby Is At The Breast And Offer High Fat (Ketogenic) Formula Before Or After Breastfeeding.
As the ketogenic diet ratio is increased, the baby is offered less time at the breast. In a few instances, ketogenic dietitians have also used a supplemental nursing system (SNS) to offer ketogenic formula while the baby is breastfeeding.
Neurologists and dietitians are often most comfortable with Approach 1 due its accuracy; however, the mother and baby’s desires and goals are important considerations in the plan moving forward. The approach that is right for you and your infant will depend on a lot of factors and I encourage you to speak with your Epilepsy team.
Read the full story via Keto News
Learn more about the Epilepsy Center at Children's Mercy