A Nutritional Guide for New Mothers

A Nutritional Guide for New Mothers Being a new mother can be an exhausting and energy-sapping experience. Providing your body with the right nutrients can help to and provide the energy needed to take on the challengesof parenthood. Most women gain around between 17.5lb to 30lb during pregnancy. Most of this weight is from the baby, though the body stores some of this as fat to provide energy for breastfeeding after birth. As a result, weight loss is a common goal amongst new mothers. What does my body need? Healthy Diet Try to make eating well a priority. It will make you feel better, and healthy eating is important for the whole family. Eat a healthy, well- balanced diet that includes at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day. This can help with any weight loss goals, as well as providing an excellent source of energy. What if I'm breastfeeding? Around 80% of new mothers start their babies on breast milk. There is no special diet that should be followed when breastfeeding; just ensure that you eat healthily. An ideal diet should consist of: • Starchy foods, including bread and rice. • Wholegrain varieties provide extra fibre. • 5 portions of fruit and vegetables per day. • Some protein, such as lean meat, eggs & pulses. • Some low-fat dairy food, such as yoghurt or milk. 2 portions of fish a week, preferably including oily fish. What should I avoid? Unhealthy foods Try to avoid eating too many sugary and fatty foods. Although these can provide an energy boost, this is only temporary and will soon be followed by an energy crash. Eating unhealthily can also be detrimental to any weight loss goals you may have. Alcohol Drinking a small amount of alcohol is unlikely to have a negative effect on your baby, although fluids are passed onto your baby when breastfeeding. If your child is breastfed, it is advised that you restrict alcohol intake to 1-2 units per week. What else can help me? Exercise Taking regular physical activity after childbirth can help to get the body back in shape. Exercise can be incorporated into everyday parenting activities; try walking briskly with the pram rather than driving. Aim for 30 minutes of exercise every other day. Rest Looking after Newborns sleep for around 16-18 hours per day, so while your baby is resting, try to catch up on some much-needed rest yourself. your baby is a tiring experience. Supplements Vitamin D is vital for forming bones in babies. Breastfeeding mothers should take a vitamin D supplement to provide enough for their baby to receive through the breast milk. During pregnancy, calcium is lost from the bones. Taking a calcium supplement can help to restore the necessary levels in the bones. A multivitamin can provide all the necessary nutrients required for a healthy lifestyle, and to make up for any deficiencies that are not provided through diet. Sources: http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/Pages/lifestyle-breastfeeding.aspx | http://www.nhs.uk/Conditio ns/pregnancy-and-baby/Pages/keeping-fit-and-healthy.aspx | http://www.babycentre.co.uk/a3565/diet-for-a-healthy-breastfee ding-mum | http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/2311.aspx?CategorylD=54&SubCategorylD=128 | http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health /article-2236014/Breastfeeding-boom-UK-older-mothers-lead-way.html | http://www.livestrong.com/article/499995-calcium-sup plements-for-breastfeeding-moms/ | http://www.livestrong.com/article/113575-diet-breastfeeding-mothers/ | SimplySupplements www.simplysupplements.co.uk Healthy living made simpler! A Nutritional Guide for New Mothers Being a new mother can be an exhausting and energy-sapping experience. Providing your body with the right nutrients can help to and provide the energy needed to take on the challengesof parenthood. Most women gain around between 17.5lb to 30lb during pregnancy. Most of this weight is from the baby, though the body stores some of this as fat to provide energy for breastfeeding after birth. As a result, weight loss is a common goal amongst new mothers. What does my body need? Healthy Diet Try to make eating well a priority. It will make you feel better, and healthy eating is important for the whole family. Eat a healthy, well- balanced diet that includes at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day. This can help with any weight loss goals, as well as providing an excellent source of energy. What if I'm breastfeeding? Around 80% of new mothers start their babies on breast milk. There is no special diet that should be followed when breastfeeding; just ensure that you eat healthily. An ideal diet should consist of: • Starchy foods, including bread and rice. • Wholegrain varieties provide extra fibre. • 5 portions of fruit and vegetables per day. • Some protein, such as lean meat, eggs & pulses. • Some low-fat dairy food, such as yoghurt or milk. 2 portions of fish a week, preferably including oily fish. What should I avoid? Unhealthy foods Try to avoid eating too many sugary and fatty foods. Although these can provide an energy boost, this is only temporary and will soon be followed by an energy crash. Eating unhealthily can also be detrimental to any weight loss goals you may have. Alcohol Drinking a small amount of alcohol is unlikely to have a negative effect on your baby, although fluids are passed onto your baby when breastfeeding. If your child is breastfed, it is advised that you restrict alcohol intake to 1-2 units per week. What else can help me? Exercise Taking regular physical activity after childbirth can help to get the body back in shape. Exercise can be incorporated into everyday parenting activities; try walking briskly with the pram rather than driving. Aim for 30 minutes of exercise every other day. Rest Looking after Newborns sleep for around 16-18 hours per day, so while your baby is resting, try to catch up on some much-needed rest yourself. your baby is a tiring experience. Supplements Vitamin D is vital for forming bones in babies. Breastfeeding mothers should take a vitamin D supplement to provide enough for their baby to receive through the breast milk. During pregnancy, calcium is lost from the bones. Taking a calcium supplement can help to restore the necessary levels in the bones. A multivitamin can provide all the necessary nutrients required for a healthy lifestyle, and to make up for any deficiencies that are not provided through diet. Sources: http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/Pages/lifestyle-breastfeeding.aspx | http://www.nhs.uk/Conditio ns/pregnancy-and-baby/Pages/keeping-fit-and-healthy.aspx | http://www.babycentre.co.uk/a3565/diet-for-a-healthy-breastfee ding-mum | http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/2311.aspx?CategorylD=54&SubCategorylD=128 | http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health /article-2236014/Breastfeeding-boom-UK-older-mothers-lead-way.html | http://www.livestrong.com/article/499995-calcium-sup plements-for-breastfeeding-moms/ | http://www.livestrong.com/article/113575-diet-breastfeeding-mothers/ | SimplySupplements www.simplysupplements.co.uk Healthy living made simpler!