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Postpartum nutrition is having a balanced and healthy diet that will help the body to heal and certain types of foods that are high in protein and rich in iron are encouraged as they are believed to help provide replenishment to the mother to accelerate her recovery. Most importantly, ensuring you get adequate nourishment is key to regaining strength in the post-pregnancy state and breastfeeding your newborn baby.
Why is Postpartum Nutrition Important?
Postpartum nutrition is essential to your postpartum recovery, however, you gave birth, and it's necessary if you're breastfeeding since the nutrients you consume nourish your little one too. Eating well can help you get better sleep at a time when restful slumber may be hard to come by. Good nutrition also impacts your mental health, which can be key when your hormones are everywhere. Finally, if and when you become focused on post-baby weight loss, it can help with that.
Up to 1 in 8 moms experience postpartum depression, and studies have linked poor nutrition with symptoms of PPD and depression during pregnancy. Other research has shown that women suffering from depression tend to have lower vegetable intake and a lack of variety in their food choices. Though you won’t always avoid mental health conditions through nutrition, it can help with general mood stabilization, by keeping your blood sugar and energy levels more consistent.
What is Postpartum?
Postpartum is the period that starts from the birth of the newborn baby. It lasts about 40 days. It is in this period that maternal lactation starts and the recovery of the body to its situation before the pregnancy. It is a time of great physical changes, both psychological and social.
During the post-partum or post-natal period, there are vaginal discharges or lochia that for the first few days are a red color, and it is normal to expulse some small clots. Subsequently, around the 3rd or 4th day, they turn a reddish-brown color, and around the 8th to 10th day, a whitish or yellowish color. The amount of lochia decreases as the days pass. They usually last between 3 and 4 weeks, although small discharges are normal until the return of menstruation.
How Does Postpartum Nutrition Link to Depression?
Research shows that depleted nutrients can significantly increase depression from the time a parent is expecting to one year postpartum. During this timeframe, specific nutrients are needed in greater quantities to improve gut health, hormonal regulations, immunity, and neuroendocrine functioning. Nutrient deficiencies related to postpartum depression:
- B-Vitamins
- Essential fatty acids
- Folate and Trace Minerals
- Vitamin D
If these nutrients are depleted throughout pregnancy and not adequately replenished during the postpartum period, it can trigger poor functioning of many systems in the body that can increase the risk of mood disorders, like postpartum depression.
What is the Importance of Postpartum Nutrition When Breastfeeding?
Breastfeeding is hard work! Your body needs more calories and nutrients to keep you and your baby nourished and healthy. Eating too few calories or too few nutrient-rich foods can negatively affect the quality of your breast milk and be detrimental to your health. While you’re breastfeeding, it’s more important than ever to eat a variety of healthy, nutritious foods and limit your intake of highly processed foods. Avoid excess caffeine and alcohol consumption and stick to the recommended intakes to keep your baby healthy.
Goals of Postpartum Nutrition
It’s time we change the mainstream narrative of postpartum and make big changes in our modern society to allow and provide for a new mom’s full healing, recovery, and replenishment after having a baby. One powerful way we can do this is by making correct nutrition information more widely available and accepted. Here are the goals of postpartum nutrition:
1. Providing the foods and nutrients necessary to support healing and recovery post-birth
2. Replenishing nutrients lost during pregnancy, birth, and even postpartum
3. Supporting balanced hormones, adrenals, and thyroid health, and digestion (which are all directly impacted postpartum)
4. Providing sufficient fuel for good energy (especially in the face of new stress and sleep deprivation), and breastfeeding (if mom chooses to breastfeed)
5. Fortifying breast milk with nutrients for baby (if mom chooses to breastfeed)
6. Deeply nourishing the new mother on both a physical and emotional level so that she can feel her best in her body and her new role
7. Helping mom be her healthiest self, regardless of her weight and how fast hers changes (or doesn’t).
8. Meeting each unique mom’s needs and goals and taking into account many factors like her pregnancy, labor, birth, initial recovery, stress load, physiology, potential insufficiencies, and dysfunction within her body, amount of help at home, return to work, and more.
Five Pillars of Postpartum Nutrition
To create a well-rounded and nourishing postpartum diet, it is essential to focus on five key pillars: warm, digestible foods; nutrient density; anti-inflammatory foods; collagen-rich foods; and appropriate supplementation. Let’s delve into each pillar and discover how it contributes to your postpartum well-being.
1. Warm, Digestible Foods
In many traditional medical systems, such as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Ayurveda, warm foods are recommended during the postpartum period. These foods are believed to support the body’s healing process and replenish lost energy. Soups, stews, and cooked vegetables are excellent options for warm, digestible foods.
2. Nutrient Density
During the postpartum period, it is crucial to prioritize nutrient-dense foods that provide a wide range of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. These foods support your body’s healing process, replenish nutrient stores, and promote overall well-being. Colorful fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, healthy fats, and whole grains should be staples in your postpartum diet.
3. Anti-inflammatory Foods
Inflammation plays a significant role in postpartum recovery and mental health. Including anti-inflammatory foods in your diet can help reduce inflammation, support tissue repair, and lower the risk of postpartum depression. Fresh, colorful vegetables; fruits; lean proteins; healthy fats; and probiotic-rich foods are excellent choices for an anti-inflammatory postpartum diet.
4. Collagen-Rich Foods
Collagen is a protein that plays a crucial role in tissue repair and can support postpartum recovery. Including collagen-rich foods in your diet can promote healing, strengthen connective tissues, and even help with postpartum hair loss. Bone broth, gelatin, and meat cooked with bones are excellent sources of collagen.
5. Appropriate Supplementation
While a well-balanced diet should provide most of the necessary nutrients, certain supplements can support your postpartum journey. Continuing with high-quality prenatal vitamins while breastfeeding is essential to meet increased nutritional needs. Additionally, specific supplements like omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, and probiotics may be beneficial. Consult with your healthcare provider to determine the appropriate supplements for your individual needs.
1. Iron, vitamin B12 and folate are “blood-building” nutrients important during the first few weeks of recovery to help build healthy blood cells and replenish blood loss.
2. Vitamin C, vitamin A, and zinc help support skin health and may help the body recover from tears, rips, and other delivery-related injuries.
3. Choline, vitamin D, iodine, selenium, and thiamin are needed in higher amounts if you're lactating to ensure your breast milk contains enough of these nutrients for your baby.
4. Calcium is especially important during the postpartum stage as lactation creates a greater demand for calcium and low levels of estrogen (which naturally occur during the postpartum stage) can affect calcium absorption and temporarily impact bone health.
5. Protein is also important, especially among those who have had a C-section, as it can help build, repair, and maintain muscle.
6. Fiber may help facilitate bowel movements, which can be challenging due to the natural shift in hormones after delivery or a C-section.
Sample Postpartum Nutrition Plan
If you’ve been paying attention to your diet during pregnancy, your fridge and pantry are likely stocked with many of the best postpartum foods. Here’s what a day of meals might look like:
1. Breakfast. Oatmeal (1/2 to 3/4 cup) with low-fat milk. Add 1/2 cup of melon for extra vitamins, potassium, and fiber.
2. Lunch. Light tuna (3 to 4 ounces) made with celery and hard-cooked egg (for choline) on whole grain bread. Top with crispy romaine lettuce, a good source of vitamin A, and tomato slices for vitamin C. Note: Canned light tuna makes the Food and Drug Administration’s list of “Best Choices” of healthy and safe fish options.
3. Dinner. Chicken or beef stir-fry. Combine 2 ounces of meat with 1 cup of veggies, such as broccoli, cabbage, red bell pepper, and carrots, along with 1/2 to 3/4 cup of cooked brown rice.
4. Snacks. Keep snacks in the 200 to 300-calorie range for an energy boost between meals. Try low-fat Greek yogurt with frozen berries and almonds; apple slices and popcorn; or a smoothie with yogurt, fruit and spinach, or kale.
Don’t forget to keep drinking fluids throughout the day, if not with meals then in between them.
Myths about Postpartum Nutrition
The mainstream postpartum nutrition information we receive- from friends, family, social media, and the internet- has been curated based on this problematic narrative that goes against what our bodies truly need and want. Therefore, what we learn about nutrition in the postpartum period is just a bunch of very misguided myths perpetuated by our society’s skewed views of postpartum. Here are some of the myths about postpartum nutrition:
Myth 1:
Nutrition doesn’t matter after pregnancy (the baby is out now, right?).
Truth: Nutrition always matters, even when you’re not growing (and nourishing) a baby. Period. But especially postpartum, your nutrition is key for your recovery and replenishment. Your nutrition will impact your immediate healing, as well as your energy, hormones, mood, and more. It’s also extremely important if you breastfeed, as the nutrients in your milk ultimately come from the food you eat (and if not, will be taken from your nutrient stores).
Myth 2:
Postpartum nutrition is only important to support initial healing.
Truth: Postpartum nutrition does impact initial healing post-birth- you need to replenish and fuel your body on a deep level. However, it’s also crucial for longer-term postpartum recovery and ultimately, restoring and supporting your vitality. The postpartum period extends far beyond the first 6 weeks, far beyond the first trimester, and well into the first 1-2 years after birth. And throughout this time, nutrition needs will shift a bit but remain a top priority.
Myth 3:
Keep taking your prenatal vitamins to cover all your nutritional bases.
Truth: Having a baby demands a lot of nutrients and many are depleted from your body to provide them to your baby. (Each pregnancy takes about 10% of a mom’s mineral stores from her body!) While it’s ideal to replenish with food- which has the most bioavailable nutrients, some supplements can be really helpful- especially at a time when your nutrient needs are high. However, prenatal vitamins or other multivitamin supplements are not the best places to get them. Food-based supplements will be your best bet- things like desiccated grass-fed liver and whole-food-sourced vitamin C. You can also boost your intake of nutrient-dense “superfoods” like organ meats, grass-fed and raw dairy, oysters, bone broth, and more.
Myth 4:
The focus of postpartum nutrition is dieting to help you lose the baby's weight.
Truth: Postpartum is not the time for restricting your body's fuel and nourishment. Also “bouncing back” after having a baby is a myth perpetuated by diet culture, putting so much pressure on new moms to push themselves past their limits and only prioritize how their bodies look after pregnancy, which in reality, is maybe the least important thing! It’s not wrong to want to change how your body looks after having a baby, but dieting truly isn’t the best way to do it.
Myth 5:
There are certain foods you should eat/not eat if you breastfeed.
Truth: While what you eat affects the nutrition in your breastmilk (so choosing a variety of nutrient-dense foods is important), that doesn’t necessarily mean there’s a specific list of foods you need to eat or a special diet you need to follow. And there aren’t foods you need to avoid when breastfeeding- even caffeine and alcohol can be enjoyed (of course, with limitations and certain precautions when necessary).
Myth 6:
You don’t need to prioritize nutrition if you don’t breastfeed.
Truth: Again, nutrition is always important and even if you don’t breastfeed, your nutrient needs are still super high postpartum. What you eat is a key foundation of your overall health at any stage of life, and will directly impact how you feel daily. And as a new mom, you want to feel the best possible.
Myth 7:
There’s a specific postpartum diet you need to follow and if not, you’ve failed.
Truth: There’s no one-size-fits-all way of eating and nutrition, especially postpartum, should prioritize nourishment and fuel, and be personalized to your needs and goals. And while it’s important to provide your body with the nutrients it needs, postpartum is also a challenging and overwhelming time, too, so if you struggle, that’s okay. What you eat (and while we’re at it- how your body looks) after you have a baby doesn’t define you and doesn’t determine your worth. Seek help from a qualified nutrition professional if you’re experiencing challenges, especially if you’re confused about how to eat for your body or are having trouble making it happen.
Postpartum Nutrition Tips
Recovering from pregnancy and childbirth largely depends on maintaining a healthy diet and optimal nutrition after giving birth. Here are some postpartum nutrition tips to follow.
1. Eat a variety of nutrient-dense foods
Make sure to include a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats in your meals. This will help you get all the nutrients your body needs to recover and produce milk for your baby.
2. Stay hydrated
Drink plenty of water, herbal tea, or other fluids to stay hydrated. Breastfeeding can be dehydrating, so make sure to drink fluids throughout the day.
3. Eat frequent, small meals
Eating smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day can help keep your blood sugar levels stable and prevent hunger.
4. Include foods rich in iron
Iron is important for replenishing your blood supply after childbirth. Foods rich in iron include leafy greens, lean red meat, eggs, and fortified cereals.
5. Consume foods high in Omega-3s
Omega-3 fatty acids are important for brain development in infants and can also help reduce inflammation in your body. Foods rich in omega-3s include fatty fish, flaxseeds, chia seeds, and walnuts.
6. Limit caffeine and alcohol
Caffeine and alcohol can pass into breast milk and affect your baby. It's best to limit your intake of these substances or avoid them altogether.
7. Don't skip meals
Skipping meals can leave you feeling tired and irritable. Make sure to eat regularly to keep your energy levels up.
8. Get support
Don't be afraid to ask for help with meal preparation and grocery shopping. Friends, family, or a postpartum doula can be a great resource to help you get the nutrition you need during this busy time.
9. Include probiotics in your diet
Probiotics can help promote healthy digestion and boost your immune system. Foods that are rich in probiotics include yogurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, and miso.
10. Prioritize healthy snacks
Having healthy snacks on hand can help you avoid reaching for unhealthy options when hunger strikes. Some good snack options include fresh fruit, cut-up veggies with hummus or guacamole, hard-boiled eggs, nuts and seeds, and whole-grain crackers with cheese.
Benefits of Hiring a Postpartum Nutrition Dietitian Near You
Mothers deserve good care after delivering a baby, and taking good care of their physical health may help them take better care of the baby. A postpartum dietitian can help provide:
1. Personalized nutrition recommendations for recovery from childbirth from a nutrition expert. During a nutrition visit, the focus is on your nutrition and wellness. Nutrition concerns are not included only as a brief side note, as sometimes happens in conversations with other medical providers.
2. Support during a vulnerable time. You can share your nutrition concerns with a knowledgeable expert to make sure you’re getting accurate information and support that you don’t have to second guess.
3. Reassurance that your baby is receiving enough nutrition from you if you’re breastfeeding. A postpartum dietitian can also help you find strategies to help support an adequate milk supply.
4. Overall energy needs are higher while breastfeeding and it can be difficult to meet your energy needs, especially if your baby has allergies or intolerances that require you to eliminate some food groups.
5. Information on eating a balanced and supportive diet to help you feel better and recover. During this time, women are often low on energy due to fatigue from delivery and lack of sleep, and a registered dietitian can help you think through meal plans and/or snacks for postpartum and breastfeeding that will be easy, balanced, and satisfying when you’re short on time and energy.
6. Reassurance that you’re meeting your micronutrient needs while you’re recovering, based on your health status before and after delivery. Not all women need a supplement or multivitamin, and dietary supplements for women vary in the nutrients they provide.
7. Strategies for limiting or excluding caffeine and alcohol. For women who are lactating, alcohol and caffeine guidelines are more strict than for the general population.
8. Guidance on timing and choosing baby’s first complementary foods in the future, is especially important if you’re breastfeeding exclusively.
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