What is the best food for a new mother?

Proper nutrition for mothers during the postpartum period

There are several basic principles on which the nutrition of nursing mothers is based. The first is individuality. According to experts, there is no one standard postpartum diet, since it is important to take into account the individual characteristics of each female body: body structure, the state of the immune system, the presence of allergic reactions. And if one mother can afford to organize fasting days on apples, then for another, apples may be completely prohibited and you need to choose a different product for these purposes. The second is the selection of an individual nutrition schedule. This period depends on the characteristics of the new mother’s body and the baby’s reaction. Each new product should be introduced into the diet gradually so as not to provoke a negative reaction in the newborn.

Content:

• Proper nutrition for mothers during the postpartum period
• Say stop to orange and chocolate
• Postpartum nutrition
• Postpartum diet after cesarean section
• Diets for weight loss during the postpartum period
• Breastfeeding - diet

The postpartum diet is important and there is a list of food groups that must be completely removed from a woman’s diet during the postpartum period, these include: fruits, namely citrus fruits and everything with a red color (red apples, peaches, etc.); potential allergens - exotic foods, caviar, honey, etc.; out-of-season vegetables, such as tomatoes and cucumbers (in winter); sparkling sweet water; grape; cabbage; sausages; smoked meats

Peasant diet for nursing. Nutrition for a nursing mother in the first month after childbirth

Basically, dietary restrictions depend on the child’s allergic reactions. A lack of vitamins in the diet of a nursing mother, a lack of microelements, minerals, proteins, fats, carbohydrates will have a bad effect on the child, and alcohol, nicotine and harmful food additives will also cause great harm.

Basic nutritional rules that every mother should follow in the first month after childbirth:

1. Keep a food diary. Write down what you ate today there. It is better that in the first days each product is introduced into the diet separately, so you can track the child’s reaction. By the way, the reaction may appear not the first time, but the second time;
2. Remember clearly, no alcohol during this period;
3. If a nursing mother needs to take any medications, she should definitely consult a pediatrician. If medications are taken during pregnancy, then the placenta can at least somehow protect the child, but now there is no barrier;
4. Doctors recommend not consuming allergenic foods and those that cause intestinal problems. They are smoked meats, mayonnaise, ketchup, soda, grapes, cabbage, caviar, chocolate, semolina, pumpkin, tomatoes, strawberries, bananas, oranges and kiwi;
5. Fresh fruits and vegetables simply must be present in the diet of a nursing mother in the first month after childbirth. Their quantity per day will be about 1 kg;
6. Buy rye bread made from wholemeal flour, not wheat. Limit yourself to sweets, cakes and buns.

Say stop to orange and chocolate

There are situations when a nursing mother eats a small piece of chocolate, and after feeding the child develops a rash on his cheeks. And when a mother allows herself to eat a cabbage salad, a sleepless night is guaranteed, as the child experiences bloating and colic.

Yes, there are children who react normally to any product eaten by their mother, but this is the exception rather than the rule. Therefore, a mother needs to carefully monitor her diet and plan it with the utmost care. Women during lactation should completely avoid: strawberries, red fish, peas, coffee, tea, nuts, chocolate, mayonnaise, canned food, alcohol, oranges.

Postpartum nutrition

The first weeks after childbirth are quite strict in terms of nutrition, as it is necessary to adhere to generally accepted recommendations of specialists. The main goal in selecting nutrition is to restore a woman as quickly as possible after pregnancy and childbirth, and to help the baby adapt to the new world.

The postpartum diet in the first days may include:

In addition to food, it is important to drink at least two liters of clean water a day.

Three days after birth, the diet can be slightly supplemented with the following products:

• baked fruits;
• boiled, baked or steamed vegetables (with a minimum amount of salt);
• fermented milk products with a minimum percentage of fat content;
• dried fruit compotes;
• vegetable liquid soups;
• whole grain porridge.

Seven days after birth you can start consuming:

• fresh green apples;
• meat broths, not concentrated;
• boiled or baked sea fish;
• do not forget about the drinking regime - 2 liters of water per day.

The third week for those who have given birth allows you to further diversify your diet by adding:

• boiled cereals in the form of porridge and in soups;
• fresh chicken eggs (in limited quantities);
• dry biscuits;
• vegetables: boiled cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, beets;
• freshly squeezed fruit drinks.

What is the best food for a new mother?

During lactation, the recommended daily intake of vitamins and minerals increases to 188%1, so you will need more nutrients to achieve adequate breast milk quality. Increasing the amount of vegetables and grains in your diet will support your own health and help provide adequate nutrition for your growing baby.

Recommendations for the diet of lactating women are presented in the table below:

We also recommend:

• Reduce your consumption of processed foods and fast food. Takeaways and prepared foods such as biscuits, cakes, processed meats, chips, sweets and carbonated drinks should be consumed only occasionally or avoided altogether. If you want to snack, choose healthy foods such as yogurt, a piece of cheese or fruit.

If you want to snack, choose healthy foods such as yogurt, a piece of cheese or dried fruit

• To maintain normal fluid levels in your body, drink at least 2 liters of water per day.

Postpartum diet after cesarean section

A caesarean section is a serious operation, after which the body spends an incredible amount of effort to recover. After surgical delivery, it is important to monitor not only the woman’s reproductive system, but also the functioning of the urinary and nutritional systems. In order to help the body recover, specialists create a special diet and fluid intake regimen. In this case, the mother's standard diet is simply necessary.

On the first day after surgery, you can only drink non-carbonated mineral water. All other nutrients enter the body intravenously. Only from the second or even the third day, vegetable broths, chicken breast and whole grain porridge with water are added to the menu. Further, the diet of a woman after a cesarean section is no different from the diet of a woman who gave birth naturally.

To maintain lactation or to stimulate it, the following products must be included in the diet:

• fermented milk products: yoghurts, fermented baked milk, kefir (low-fat) approximately 0.5 liters per day;
• lean types of meat, boiled or baked;
• low-fat cottage cheese;
• fruits and vegetables - except those that can cause gas;
• vegetable oil and butter.

Diet after childbirth for a nursing mother to lose weight. Protein

In honor of its creator, it is also called the Dukan diet. The essence of the technique is limited consumption of carbohydrates and the predominance of proteins in the diet. The latter are very satiating, so people who adhere to this food system are not overcome by painful attacks of hunger. Breakdowns and overeating are also kept to a minimum. Proteins spend about a third of their calorie content to burn themselves. The diet also has other advantages:

1. Eating only natural food.
2. Gentle effect on the body.
3. No need to count calories.
4. No restrictions on portion sizes.
5. There is no need to eat food at a strictly designated time.
6. Rule out depression.
7. Fast and lasting results.

An effective diet requires adherence to the following principles:

• regardless of weather conditions, take walks for half an hour (necessary to improve metabolism);
• drink at least 2 liters of still water per day;
• consume oat bran in the amount of three spoons every day (this helps prevent constipation).

During breastfeeding, Dukan recommends losing weight according to his program, regardless of excess weight. The power system is based on several stages, following one after another:

1. Attack (squirrels only).
2. Cruise (proteins and vegetables).
3. Consolidation (other products are added).

Pierre Dukan encourages mothers to skip the first two stages, starting with Consolidation (lasts 35 days). The weight loss effect will not be so immediate, but nothing will harm the baby’s health.

Diets for weight loss during the postpartum period

During breastfeeding, women are strictly prohibited from following strict diets. Since strict diets after childbirth do not provide adequate nutrition, therefore, milk may disappear. During lactation, it is better not to engage in any experiments with weight and nutrition. Give your body time to recover and rest after major stressors such as pregnancy and childbirth. You can go on traditional weight loss diets only when you have completely stopped breastfeeding your baby (or in the third month after giving birth if the baby is bottle-fed).

What should a nursing mother not eat?

Sometimes nursing mothers fall short of a healthy and well-thought-out diet, but they still absolutely must not eat:

• products containing preservatives and dyes;
• mayonnaise and other hot sauces;
• fast food, semi-finished products, sausages;
• canned food, pickles, smoked meats;
• carbonated drinks. [4]

Restrictions on food are not a whim during the period of breastfeeding, but are prerequisites for the child’s good health, strong immunity, and good mental abilities.

For some, sticking to a diet while breastfeeding seems very difficult, but it is only difficult for the first time after childbirth, when the nursing mother has to get used to the new regime, monitor the baby’s reaction, his state of health, in order to understand which foods are acceptable and which are not. there is in the first month. Following a diet is necessary to maintain lactation for as long as possible. In addition to proper, balanced nutrition, it is equally important to drink plenty of fluids. It is worth taking into account the advice from the maternity hospital, adding personal experience and observations of the response of your baby’s body, and then the young mother will be able to easily raise her child healthy and instill in him the right eating habits.

Recommendations for nursing mothers do not differ significantly from the rules of healthy eating for an ordinary person.