Childbirth is an important event in a woman’s life both emotionally and physiologically. You will need time and care to get back to being your normal self. Eating right helps you do just that in a healthy and problem free manner. The weight that added on while you were pregnant will also help in the recovery.
The new member of the household needs a lot of your time and energy for his nurture. Here are some basic eating tips for new mothers to meet her new challenges.
· More than three servings of fruits, vegetables and staple food every day
· Having dairy products and fish (or their nutritionally similar substitutes) two times a day
· One serving of a food rich in fats or sugar. A small serving will do.
· Those who want to lose weight after pregnancy will need to wait for 1.5 months to make appropriate changes in their diet for the same; you will need about 300 calories less of food than what you consumed during pregnancy to control weight
Diet during lactation
If you are breastfeed the baby, there are several ways in which you can plan a meal that effectively keeps you and the baby healthy and fit.
· Intake of foods rich in iron is essential to replenish the blood lost during labor and delivery (spinach, egg yolks and lean red meat)
· A good balance of proteins and carbohydrates is needed to build energy reserves
· The right amount of nutrients in a balanced diet will ensure good quality and quantity of breast milk
· You have to eat at least 500 calories more during lactation than what you ate before you were pregnant
· An intake of 2200 calories is required every day. You also need about 500 calories of fat, but that will be taken care of by the body fat accumulated during pregnancy. Breastfeeding helps decrease body fat, mostly in the thighs and hips
· Drinking a lot of fluids (about 10 glasses a day) including dairy products keeps the level of milk sufficient and prevents dehydration.
· Three full meals a day should be supplemented with lots of fruits, whole wheat snacks and vegetables to maintain the right calorific and nutritional intake
· Avoid butter, other fatty foods, refined carbohydrates, too much salt, highly processed foods, caffeinated drinks, and too much sugar
· You should include at least 1000 mg of calcium every day in the form of milk, yoghurt, cheese, calcium fortified fruit juices, soy milk and so on. Diet intake should have adequate balance of proteins, iron, carbohydrates, Vitamin B complex and fats to ensure the right level of calcium in the breast milk.
· Mother’s milk is deficient in Vitamin D; babies should receive the right supplement (about 400 IU every day, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics) to prevent health risks later in life
· There are special herbs, food substances that are believed to increase milk production. Edible gum, almonds, fenugreek leaves are some of them
Though breastfeeding women can eat everything they want to there are certain food types that may cause discomfort (diarrhea, vomiting, colic, nappy rash and so on) for the baby in some cases. As soon as you identify the food item that causes any discomfort, shun it as long as you breast feed the child.
Blurb: Delivering a child is a major event in every mother’s life. She takes time to recover after that. A sensible diet rich in nutrition, in the right balance, can help her return to her normal self faster, besides ensuring a good supply of breast milk for the newborn.