ARTICLE SUMMARY:
- Why pay attention to my diet after giving birth?
- Eating varied, balanced and hot: the key to success?
- Postpartum nutrition and breastfeeding: what are we changing?
The postpartum period is now fully considered by women as the fourth trimester of pregnancy . Physical and mental exhaustion, mourning a sometimes idealized childbirth, lack of sleep, hormonal variations, discovering life with a baby or adapting to an additional child and an implicit return to work... Nothing is easy, everything is demanding . Between fatigue, post-birth taboos and emotional upheavals, now is the time to take care of yourself! Did you know ? To her only, postpartum nutrition allows you to regain your full powers : energy, health and good humor, it plays on all fronts!
Why pay attention to my diet after giving birth?
Giving birth is an intense ordeal for the body. If you give birth vaginally, the physical effort is violent and long. If your baby is born by cesarean section, you undergo major surgery. In both cases, the emotional shock is profound. In both cases, you draw heavily on your reserves .
During your pregnancy, you took care to eat well to provide your child with all the vitamins and nutrients essential for his growth. You will now have to take care of your diet to give the same attention to your body.
Perhaps deficient, undoubtedly overwhelmed, with, in any case, a great desire to be pampered, Eating well will do the greatest good for your body, your heart and your mind .
Eating varied, balanced and hot: the key to success?
From a physiological point of view, eating hot facilitates digestion . Many cultures also associate heat with the postpartum period for its comforting and restorative power . So, even if you give birth in the middle of summer, cook, have prepared or have delicious stews delivered, soups and broths, stews and dahls made from vegetables, tender meats and legumes that will do you good.
Like your pregnancy meals, your postpartum diet should be as varied and balanced as possible . To stock up on essential vitamins and micronutrients and regain energy, we think about eating:
- proteins to recover good muscle tone,
- carbohydrates for a good energy level,
- of good fat and omega 3 (with, among them, DHA or docosahexaeonic acid) to revitalize tissues,
- of iron, calcium, vitamins A, B, C and D as well as zinc for the proper functioning of the body,
- fibers to better digest and promote satiety.
Think ahead with frozen meals to reheat
Because once you return home with baby in your arms, you will probably have neither the time nor the desire to spend 30 minutes in the kitchen, anticipate your meals as much as possible, particularly in view of the end of the paternity leave for your spouse.
You are equipped with a large freezer ? Halfway through your pregnancy, make room and consume what it contains regularly. You can then fill it with dishes you love, enhanced with probiotics and carefully chosen spices to gently wake up your body: turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom or black pepper… Don’t hesitate! They also have the good taste of being anti-inflammatory. Once postpartum time comes, all you have to do is defrost and reheat your meals.
Also think about broth or bone broth , which can be stored in a jar or vacuum-packed pot, but also in the freezer, well tied up in suitable bags. Rich in minerals and collagen , it is your ally for your post-partum recovery. And that's so much time saved to cuddle your baby
Focus on snacks and superfoods
Between meals, you may want to snack. To avoid giving in to the lure of sugar, chips or soda, there's nothing like organic snack . Already ready-made, it fills the little hunger pangs and even occasionally replaces the meal that you don't have time to eat or cook.
Are you going for a family outing? Do you use a roller stroller? Hop, slide one pre & post natal cereal bar rich in DHA, or a raw cocoa cube rich in magnesium, in your pocket! Both guarantee you the little boost of energy you need as soon as you feel the need.
Superfoods also include goji berries, blueberries and blackcurrants, kale and sprouts , without forgetting seaweed, such as spirulina and chlorella
Avoid excesses and rest your body
To do this well, avoid inflammatory, exciting or difficult-to-digest foods, while remembering that Postpartum food should remain delicious and satisfying .
THE soda like the refined sugars that they contain should therefore be forgotten, as should industrial and processed products, or even red or fatty meats . THE coffee and black tea can be replaced by infusions , while alcohol remains prohibited, especially if you are breastfeeding. Finally, the raw vegetables and cold or moist products (dairy products, cheese, cold drinks, etc.) may be restricted during the first weeks postpartum, also called the “golden months”.
The golden month stretches over the forty days following childbirth and symbolizes a period of transition. It is a delicate moment of fatigue and upheaval, where everyone takes care of the new mother, where she becomes aware of her new state, where the mother-child meeting takes place, where the body gradually recovers. having given life. The watchword is therefore rest. Fundamental rest for you, for your baby and for your breastfeeding, if you wish to implement it.
Postpartum nutrition and breastfeeding: what are we changing?
In the majority of cases, what is good for you postpartum is good for your breastfed baby. Simple, right?
Note, however, that in some babies, the milk proteins cause an intolerance which results in GERD or intense colic . You can also slow down your fish consumption and choose the smallest ones. Rich in omega 3 and DHA, fish also contain mercury which can pass into your milk. Add to your list of foods to watch sage, parsley, sorrel and mint which slow down lactation, and you know everything.
One last thing to keep in mind: hydration . During the postpartum period and whether you are breastfeeding or not, drinking water and fresh fruit juices is essential for tissue reconstitution, hydration, and good digestion.
