Most tired mums are not short on willpower. They are short on breakfast.
What the official protein numbers actually say, and four small habits that hit them on a day with a baby attached to you.
Quick answer
The general adult reference intake for protein is about 0.8 g per kilogram of body weight per day, and the Institute of Medicine sets a higher figure of 1.1 g per kilogram per day during lactation, roughly 25 g a day more than the non-pregnant baseline. For a 70 kg breastfeeding mum that is around 77 g a day. Protein does not heal a diastasis on its own, but chronically under-eating it while asking your body to make milk and rebuild tissue makes everything slower and harder.
general adult reference intake for protein per day
the higher reference intake set for lactation
extra protein per day recommended during lactation versus baseline
Why protein matters more after birth
Two things are happening at once. Your body is repairing tissue that was stretched, and in many cases cut, over months. If you are breastfeeding, you are also exporting nutrients into milk every day. Both draw on the same amino acid pool.
Protein is not a treatment for abdominal separation. It is the raw material your body works with while you do the work that actually changes the abdominal wall. That distinction is exactly why we came down the way we did on collagen supplements for diastasis recti: the raw material was rarely the bottleneck, and a powder was never the lever.
How much protein do you actually need?
The numbers below come from the Institute of Medicine Dietary Reference Intakes. They are population reference points for healthy adults, not personal prescriptions, and they do not account for illness, diabetes, kidney conditions or a very low calorie intake.
| Your weight | Not breastfeeding, 0.8 g/kg | Breastfeeding, 1.1 g/kg |
|---|---|---|
| 55 kg / 121 lb | about 44 g/day | about 61 g/day |
| 65 kg / 143 lb | about 52 g/day | about 72 g/day |
| 70 kg / 154 lb | about 56 g/day | about 77 g/day |
| 80 kg / 176 lb | about 64 g/day | about 88 g/day |
To put those figures in food terms: two eggs give roughly 12 g, a 170 g pot of Greek yoghurt roughly 15 g to 17 g, a chicken breast roughly 30 g, a tin of chickpeas roughly 15 g. Most mums who feel short are not missing a supplement, they are missing one whole meal.
Step 1: Anchor a protein source to breakfast
Breakfast is the meal that vanishes first with a newborn, and it is the one that sets the tone. Pick one thing that needs no cooking and no decision: yoghurt, cottage cheese, a boiled egg you made last night, leftover dinner. The point is removing the choice, not optimising the food. If mornings are already a write-off, our guide to eating for postpartum energy has more low-effort options.
Step 2: Keep two grab-and-go options within arm's reach
Wherever you feed the baby, keep something you can eat one-handed. Cheese portions, roasted chickpeas, a protein-containing bar you actually like, nuts, a shaker of milk. Feeding sessions are the reliable fixed points in a chaotic day, so pairing them with food is the habit that survives. This also helps with the energy dips covered in steady energy while breastfeeding.
Step 3: Add protein to what you already eat
Do not rebuild your diet. Upgrade the meals already happening. Stir a spoon of yoghurt or lentils through soup. Add an egg to toast. Choose the higher-protein version of the bread, cereal or pasta on the shelf you already reach for. Five grams added in four places is twenty grams you did not have to plan for.
Step 4: Check in at the end of the day, not at every meal
Tracking every bite is a fast route to quitting. Once a week, look back over a single day and ask whether protein showed up at three points. If it showed up at one, that is your fix. Consistency over a month matters far more than precision on a Tuesday, which is the same principle behind training little and often rather than heroically and rarely.
What about powders, bars and collagen?
Powders are convenient food, nothing more. If a shake is the only realistic way you eat protein before noon, it is a good tool. If you are already hitting your target from meals, an extra scoop adds cost and not much else. Collagen specifically is an incomplete protein and has no evidence behind it for abdominal separation, which we set out in the full evidence review.
One more thing worth saying plainly: eating enough matters for milk supply too, and cutting calories hard while breastfeeding is a common mistake. See whether exercise affects milk supply and how to structure core work while breastfeeding.
Food supports it. Training changes it.
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Frequently asked questions
How much protein do I need while breastfeeding?
The Institute of Medicine reference intake during lactation is 1.1 g per kilogram of body weight per day, about 25 g more than the non-pregnant baseline. For a 70 kg mum that is roughly 77 g a day. Your own needs may differ, so treat it as a starting point.
Can eating more protein close a diastasis recti gap?
No. Protein supplies the material your body repairs with, but the abdominal wall changes in response to how it is loaded. Nutrition supports recovery, progressive core training drives it.
Is it possible to eat too much protein postpartum?
For healthy adults, intakes moderately above the reference range are generally well tolerated. Very high intakes are not necessary and can crowd out other foods. If you have kidney disease or any other medical condition, ask your GP before increasing protein.
Do I need protein powder?
Not necessarily. Powder is a convenience, not a requirement. It earns its place only if it is the difference between eating protein and skipping the meal entirely.
I am vegetarian or vegan. Is this harder?
It takes a little more planning rather than being out of reach. Combine legumes, tofu, tempeh, soy milk, seeds and whole grains across the day, and pay attention to B12 and iron as well. A dietitian appointment is genuinely useful here if you can access one.
Sources: Institute of Medicine, Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids, 2005. NHS, Breastfeeding and diet. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Postpartum Pain Management and Recovery guidance.
General education, not medical advice. Results vary from mum to mum. Reference intakes are population figures, not personal prescriptions. Speak to your GP, midwife, a registered dietitian or a women's health physiotherapist about your own recovery and nutrition.