Best Way to Eat Well during Your Postpartum Period

The number of times your newborn wakes to be fed or changed is likely to cause fatigue, so catching up on sleep may feel more impor­tant than eating and drinking. For the same reason, you might not pay attention to what, or even if, you are eating, and you may have lost your appetite. To counter this, get something to eat and drink every time you feed your baby, this means you may be snacking every 3-4 hours. Make sure the selection of food you choose is good for you and your baby’s health.

Your diet is very important to your recovery, and it’s critical if you’re breast-feeding your baby, since it means you’ll need more calories than you needed during pregnancy. These extra calories should come from nutritious food, not from fats and sugars. It’s also a good idea to stay away from fried, spicy, greasy, or gas-producing foods, since these can upset both your and your baby’s systems. Ask your partner or support person to tempt you with delicious and, more important, nutritious meals and snacks.

You should also keep yourself well hydrated. Have a bottle or glass of water nearby every time you nurse. This will help you produce more breast milk if you are nursing and help prevent constipation. Your diet and fluid intake play an important role in giving you the strength and vitality to recover from the delivery and take care of yourself and your baby in these first few weeks.

Sometimes even if you are getting plenty of sleep, good food, and water, you may become constipated. Try increasing your intake of fiber by eating at least two servings of bran per day. Bran comes in cereals, muffins, and waffles. There is also a powdered form you can add to casseroles or soups. Prunes or other dried fruits may also help with your regularity, but they can cause uncomfortable gas. If you feel you need a laxative, get approval from your doctor or midwife first.