After delivery, it is very natural for a mother to render most of her attention to her newly born baby. To keep your energy levels high in appreciation of your new role to breast-feed your baby is of great importance to your baby’s health. The thing is that when you don’t get the needed nutrients from your diet, your body will supplement them by borrowing from your own stores to meet the quality of milk the baby deserves. It will only be right for you to take care of the right diet before your health gets drained. Essentially, your calorie intake, before and after the deliver should remain the same. You will need about 300 calories more than the usual daily intake if you breast-feeding, according to Ohio State University Extension. Consume foods high in proteins, whole grains, and iron, calcium and omega-3 fatty acids.
Below is a guide on the proper kinds of food you need after delivery.
1. Protein
When breast feeding, you will need a little more protein than any other woman. Your daily protein intake should be around 71 grams per day. That is about three to four 3 ounce servings of protein in addition to four to five servings of dairy food stuff in order to meet your protein requirements. Considering that you also have increased calcium needs, you will appreciate the fresh dairy products being part of your meal.
• Eggs, fish, pork, lean meats, nuts, and legumes will supply most of your proteins.
• Be aware about your need for vitamin B-12 if you are vegetarian, since this nutrient is only found in meat.
• Lack of vitamin B-12 can cause slow development of your baby, appetite loss and weakness according to WomensHealth.gov. Check with your doctor for B-12 supplements in case you are a vegetarian.
• Milk, cheese and other daily products help meet your calcium needs.
2. Whole Grains
Energy is vital in milk production and watching after your baby. Simple sugars will only raise your blood sugar levels rapidly and drop at a similar rate. You will soon find yourself feeling tired and depressed. That’s why going for more complex carbohydrates count a lot more Whole grains release nutrients slowly and steadily hence stabilizing your blood sugar levels, keeping you energized for longer. Simple points to remember are
• Whole grains like brown rice, whole wheat products, oatmeal, barley and bulgur quinoa give you required amount of energy instead of excess calories derived from simple sugars.
• Consume nine to eleven servings of whole grain every day.
• One slice of whole grain bread or half a cup of starch is equal to a single serving just for your estimation.
3. Fruits and vegetables
Fruits and vegetables supply your body with vital vitamins, minerals and fiber which helps prevent constipation.
• Include three to five one-cup servings of cooked or raw vegetables and two to four half-cup fruit servings per day.
• Wash fruits and vegetables carefully before consuming in-case of contamination from pesticide.
4. Fats
Omega-3 fatty acids, found in fatty fish are crucial for your baby’s brain and eye development.
• Nursing mothers should eat utmost two servings of fish per week due to the risk of mercury poisoning. • Canned catfish, salmon, Pollock and light tuna pose lower risk since they contain low levels of mercury • The U.S Food and Drug Administration advices nursing mothers to avoid swordfish, tilefish, shark and king mackerel.
• Omega-3 supplements can also take care of the nutritional gap if you don’t like fish
• Stick to olive or vegetable oil for cooking.
5. Drink a lot of liquids
Dehydration can cause fatigue and anxiety and breast feeding can make you extra thirsty. Even moderate dehydration can have a negative effect on your health when nursing. Make sure you drink eight to ten, 8 ounce glasses of water a day. Also, don’t wait for thirst to prompt you to drink water.
Author bio
Kacie Jones is a professional content writer and blogger from UK who shares her travel experiences. Her hobbies include travelling, trekking, Tech, Health, and cooking and she is currently working on a project e111 form which provides European health insurance service.
I had never really thought about different diets after pregnancy or while breastfeeding. I know several of my friends who are breast-feeding now say they are always thirsty while doing it!
Wow, I never thought about proper foods needed after delivery. I'm sending this over to my expectant daughter!
This is great information for new moms. I am sure it will help a lot of ladies.
This is very interesting. I never really thought about post-pregnancy diet. I just knew there were certain foods I shouldn't eat during and after pregnancy.
This will be so helpful for my daughter. She just gave birth to twins two weeks ago. She had not intended on breastfeeding but because they were born at 28 weeks she decided to so she could give them a better start. She isn't sure about what foods she should be eating so this is terrific!
What a great guide, thanks for sharing. I'll pass it along to my daughter who is trying to conceive.
Good list for new moms. I didn't breastfeed but it's true you need to keep yourself nourished after pregnancy.
Fabulous info for all the new mommies out there!!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
This is a great article for new moms who want to make sure they stay as healthy as possible. Thanks!
This is a great list of tips. Ill be passing this on to friends expecting.
This is good information for all the mommies that's due soon.
Yes! These are great tips. Especially the drinking plenty of water part! I never drink enough…it's a bad habit that I am constantly trying to correct.
This is helpful. I will be sharing this to my friend as she just gave birth a few months ago.
This is a great post for all new moms to know about.
Eating well after a pregnancy is just as important as eating well during your pregnancy. Thanks for sharing, great post!
Its very interesting post, have to remember this if and when i have the opportunity to get preg and have a kid or two. Thanks
Good tips for pregnant woman. I am glad I pass this time.
Protein is so important after pregnancy. It's fabulous for toning up and for keeping iron levels up too.
Thanks for sharing. I like to be informed.
I agree with number 5 especially if you breastfeeding. I drink lots of water daily because I'm always thirsty.
I never really thought about different food after pregnancy unless you were breastfeeding. Thank you for sharing! These are some great tips!!
This is great information! Thank you for sharing
Great information! I didn't get a lot of help in this way after my kids were born, but my daughter has a baby now and I will share with her. I know it is so important to maintain good nutritional balance.
This is great! I drank a lot of fresh juice while nursing (many moons ago) and you do need to drink a lot of water! Thank you for sharing!!
I is so hard and so necessary to eat properly after baby! Water is so so so important!
It's definitely a time you need to fuel properly. Your body is doing a lot of healing and repair work at that time.
This is great. Never thought about it. I just ate what I could find or what's on the table after I gave birth to my son.
I knew some of these already, but I had no idea it was so important to make sure to get enough B vitamins. Thanks for this great info!
I think drinking a lot of water is the key for any recovery. I have slacked off on this. I need to pick it up again.
Good tips as most of the women at these times forget to concentrate on their health, however they r still "connected" to their babies through breast feeding…
What you eat after you have your baby is just as important as what you ate while you were pregnant. Your body is trying to recover and heal itself. You need to have the proper fuel to heal and produce quality milk if you are breastfeeding.
It's so important to make sure you eat right when you are breastfeeding! I think sometimes I don't get enough water and I really feel it when I don't. Thanks for sharing these important tips!
My girlfriends tell me how breastfeeding is sooo draining. Not planning for kids yet, but will have to keep this all in mind for the future.
These are great tips! What I've heard others talk about beside nutrition is stress, stress can negatively impact production.
Glad to come across this and see blog posts about eating right after having a baby. So important to take care of your body once you pop that baby out! Good post by you!
This is so important, I hope all moms out there read this.
I was nursing so I made sure to keep up the healthy diet pretty good post-pregnancy. Your tips are good ones!
What a great post! I wish I had this after my pregnancies!!
Wonderful post! However, I must note that B12 is actually found in many vegan foods and beverages. In fact, I use an organic and vegan B12 vitamin spray by Garden of Life. 🙂
These are some great nutrition tips. I'll be passing this post over to my sister, for after she has her baby. 🙂
This is great advice for anyone, not just new mothers. We all need a healthy balance of protein, carbohydrates and fat.
Wow! This blog post is very helpful to first time moms.
This is such a great list of things we should watch to eat almost on a regular, to be honest, I remember when I was breastfeeding I had to really be sure to keep up my healthy food options! Thanks for this.
This is a great post indeed. It is so important for a new mom to eat right even if she is not breast feeding. Thanks for sharing.
That is common, but it was great tips, hope to see more tips on your blog thank you for sharing about food after pregnancy.
Great tips. My cousin just had her first 9 weeks ago so will have to share with her.
I'm pregnant right now and this is really something I need to think about after I give birth — the proper food I should be taking.