All nine months you tried to eat right, so that the baby received all the necessary vitamins and minerals. Pregnancy has come to an end, childbirth is approaching. Soon you will have to re-build your diet. While in the womb, the baby received all the nutrients in their finished form. Now his body needs to get used to breast milk, which changes its composition depending on what mother ate today. Colic and nightly anxiety, constipation and other problems with the tummy are associated with a woman’s diet. Today we’ll talk about what you can eat after childbirth.
Drinking mode
In the first few days it is very important to prepare the body for breastfeeding. Doctors say that on the day the baby is born, you need to drink at least 2-3 liters of pure water or herbal tea. Only by the third day do you need to reduce fluid intake to 1-1.5 liters, since its excess affects the fat content of milk. Speaking with a young mother about what to eat after childbirth, it is necessary to recall the importance of soups and broths, liquid cereals, jelly and stewed fruit. The more natural the ingredients, the better.
Entering the hospital
Soon the first meeting with the crumb awaits you, which means hard work. Before discussing what you can eat after childbirth, it would be nice to pay attention to the immediate birth of the baby. During fights, you need to provide the body with energy. To do this, stock up on snacks in the form of nutritious and high-calorie foods. These are protein and cereal bars. Do not forget about a bottle of still mineral water - you will also need it. Of course, in the process of childbirth there will be no time for food. But fights take a lot of time and have breaks during which you can eat and quench your thirst.
What can be eaten after childbirth is given to women at the courses of young mothers. If for some reason you missed such classes, do not hesitate to ask the doctor for a suggested menu. Today we will consider the general rules, but the supervisor can give more specific recommendations based on your condition and individual parameters.
If the birth was successful
If everything went without ruptures, hemorrhoids and complications, in this case, cereals and low-fat boiled meat, whole grain bread and natural cheese are usually allowed. While in the diet should not be anything greasy, heavy and fried. Everything that can be eaten after childbirth is steamed or boiled. Rich soups, spicy and sour, canned - while all this is banned. The most sparing nutrition will allow the body to recover faster.
Main principle
Each neonatologist has an opinion on what mother can eat after childbirth. However, there is a general principle: “do no harm”. Therefore, eating at once everything that relatives brought from home is not recommended. It is better to do what is cooked in the dining room of the hospital. This is a diet table that is now better than ever. Simple soups and cereals with a minimum of salt and sugar will positively affect the state of mother and baby.
Prohibited Products List
Before proceeding to consider the issue of what you can eat after giving birth to a nursing mother, let's determine the limitations. For now, you have to give up coffee and cocoa. Canned juices are also banned, not to mention alcohol. We exclude all spicy foods, onions and garlic, ketchups and any spices, pickles and marinades. For now, you have to give up fruits and berries. Soon we will gradually introduce them into the diet, with the exception of citrus fruits, grapes, pineapples.
Focus on the features of your body. If you are allergic to certain products, then most likely it will be in the baby. Under the ban, while nuts and legumes, mushrooms and honey, sweets and fresh pastries, especially yeast. Of vegetables, it is worth temporarily abandoning radish and cabbage.
All these products can affect the quality of breast milk negatively, so in the first month we exclude them from the diet. Then gradually you can start trying, paying attention to the reaction of the baby.
First day
Most mothers are interested in how much after childbirth you can eat. After you have been transferred from the birth block to the ward, you can eat. It is necessary to replenish the strength, since right now the body is preparing for the production of milk. The simpler the food, the better. Now is not the time for a heavy meal. The best choice would be porridge on the water or a boiled egg, a piece of lean meat. You can lean soup without frying. A baked apple is suitable as a dessert. Such food is observed during the first 3-5 days.
Childbirth with complications
In this case, check with your doctor how much you can eat after delivery. If stitches have been applied, the doctor may suggest a pause. That is, on the first day you have to starve. It is permissible to drink water without gas. From the second day, you can introduce into the diet broths, boiled meat, and preferably steam cutlets, baked apples and cereals on the water. If home birth was not practiced, then the young mother is at this time in the hospital, where the norms and rules of dietary nutrition are observed. Ask relatives not to bring anything forbidden from your home, and there will be no problem.
If there are seams on the perineum, you must also be careful with the choice of products. Avoid sources of coarse fiber. The main diet is cereals and soups, a small amount of dairy products. The goal is to minimize the burden on the intestines to avoid constipation. This is important at the recovery stage, because excessive straining can lead to seams diverging.
Number and Serving Size
After 3-5 days, the mother and the newborn baby are already released home. What we can on the first day after childbirth, we have already discussed above, now it becomes the basis of the diet, to which new products are gradually added. Below we will focus on the general rule, which will avoid problems with the baby’s tummy.
It is difficult to say how much you can eat after childbirth at a time. We are all different in terms of metabolism and complexion. Try to adhere to the rule of one palm. That is, the plate should have as much food as fit in a handful. The number of meals can reach 10-12 times a day. That is, we reiterate the principles of healthy eating. You need to eat in small portions, but often. It is especially important at first to eat crumbs after each feeding.
End of the first week
When the baby is seven days old, mom can gradually introduce sweetened tea and jelly, compote into the diet. Vegetable stew will be very useful. Together, you can stew beets and zucchini, as well as other vegetables, with the exception of cabbage. Important and healthy are low-fat marine fish and boiled beef. A little mashed potato is acceptable. Sour-milk products (up to 300 g), low-fat soup or borsch can be added to the diet. Every day it is recommended to eat one banana. You can replace it with baked apple in the oven. But cookies and sweets to a minimum. The composition of these products is usually a lot of flavorings and colors, preservatives, which certainly will not bring benefits.
Introducing the kid with new products
No wonder in the first days the diet consists of the simplest dishes. The intestines of the crumbs are just starting to work on their own, do not overload it. Therefore, try to withstand these days without harmful goodies. After returning home it will become a little more difficult. Now you need to cook for the whole family and separately for yourself, as well as resist temptations. But not everything is so scary. By the end of the first week of a baby’s life, you can begin to make your menu more diverse. The only condition: every day there is only one new product. We try a small piece in the morning, and eat as usual throughout the day. We skip the second day, on the third we repeat the same portion and again observe the reaction of the crumbs. If everything is in order, then this product can be introduced into the diet already calmly and taken for the next.
First four weeks
The kid is gradually growing up. Above, we examined what you can eat after childbirth in the early days. But when the baby’s age approaches a month, it already seems that you can return to the previous diet. But no, it’s necessary to adhere to restrictions now. During this period, all cereals on the water are allowed. But now you can already add a little butter to them. Boiled beef or poultry should be on the table every day. But it is better to refuse rich broths. Feel free to eat milk and yogurt, baked fruits, cottage cheese casseroles with berries.
Breastfeeding period
Already in 8-12 weeks after the birth it will be possible to significantly expand your diet. And remember that all restrictions are introduced solely in order not to overload the baby’s immature intestines. This is not a diet for weight loss. Everything that can be eaten after childbirth by a nursing mother should fit the definition of a healthy diet.
- Now you can gradually eat marmalade and marshmallows, marshmallows. Try to choose the most natural product, with a minimum content of dyes and flavors.
- Dried fruits (except raisins) can begin to eat from the fourth month of life.
- Fish of different varieties.
- Boiled corn and young peas.
- Fresh fruits and berries for the season.
Once again about the main thing
So, the time has come to change our lives after childbirth. What you can eat mom, we have already examined in sufficient detail. Do not despair and transfer the family to a strict diet regime. This is only a temporary measure, and you can plan the menu in such a way as to be able to choose something for yourself. A steam cooker and an oven are very convenient in this regard, as they allow you to cook tasty and healthy dishes without unnecessary oil.
Let's list the allowed products again:
- Dairy and sour milk. If the baby does not have an allergic reaction, fresh milk can also be used. Otherwise, only low-fat sour milk is allowed. Homemade sour cream and cream are still banned.
- Meat and fish. Only lean varieties. You can cook chicken or rabbit. Take any fish except for mackerel.
- Fats. Butter should be present in the diet every day. But vegetable and margarine need to be limited.
- Vegetables and fruits should be on the table constantly. Start with baked, gradually moving to raw.
Instead of a conclusion
Pregnancy is a wonderful period in a woman’s life, full of joy and hope. But this is only a bud, which, after childbirth, reveals a beautiful flower. Now you have become a mom. How many joys this moment gives! In order for happiness not to be overshadowed by pains in the tummy, mother must eat right. But, despite all the restrictions, the diet should be complete and varied.
It happens that a child reacts to virtually all products, leaving her mother a rather meager choice - buckwheat or rice on a weak chicken stock. In this case, it is necessary to introduce an additional course of vitamins and minerals, as well as amino acids. Consult a doctor, because today there are a lot of drugs, but not all of them are ideal for a nursing woman.
But such cases are more an exception than a rule. Most babies tolerate a healthy diet of a mother, especially if she adhered to this principle during pregnancy. Therefore, the first month has to withstand severe restrictions, and then the diet is gradually approaching the usual. And most importantly, all products in it should be natural and healthy.