Nutrition during postpartum
Nutrition during postpartum
In your first year postpartum, it’s easy for all your attention to go to taking care of your baby and making sure they’re healthy, but your health matters just as much. Good nutrition during the postpartum period can help your body heal from pregnancy and birth and help you feel your best during this sensitive time. When you take care of yourself, it helps you be able to take the best care of your baby, too.
If you’re breastfeeding, good nutrition can also help your baby grow healthy and strong.
Guidelines
Eat a variety of foods throughout your day that you enjoy and make you feel good. Aim to include foods from each of the food groups each day:
- Fruits
- This includes fruit or 100% fruit juice. Fruits can be raw, cooked, fresh, frozen, canned, or dried.
- Vegetables
- This includes vegetables or 100% vegetable juice. Vegetables can be raw, cooked, fresh, frozen, canned, or dried.
- Grains
- This includes foods made from wheat, rice, oats, cornmeal, barley, or other cereal grains. Try to make half of the grains you eat throughout the day whole grains.
- Protein
- This includes foods made from meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, and soy.
- Dairy
- This includes milk, yogurt, cheese, and fortified soy milk and yogurt.
Stay hydrated. You may notice that you’re more thirsty postpartum. Drink at least 8 to 12 cups (64 to 96 ounces) of water every day. Your urine will be light yellow or clear if you’re drinking enough water. Listen to your body and talk with your doctor or midwife about your specific needs.
Guidelines for breastfeeding moms
- Increase daily calories. Eat an extra 330 to 400 calories every day compared to what you ate before pregnancy. Learn about what calories are and how to know how many calories are in a food. Breastfeeding requires extra energy to produce milk, so make sure to fuel your body well throughout the day. You can have others help prepare and stock healthy grab-and-go snacks to help make this easier for you.
- Increase iodine and choline. These nutrients help you make milk and help your baby grow. You can eat more foods with iodine and choline, or talk to your doctor or midwife about taking a supplement with these nutrients.
- Some foods that include these nutrients are:
- Dairy products
- Eggs
- Meat
- Seafood
- Iodized table salt
- Beans, peas, and lentils
- Some foods that include these nutrients are:
Things to pay attention to while breastfeeding
- Seafood. Seafood can provide helpful nutrients, but you should be mindful of what types of seafood you eat. Some seafood has high amounts of mercury which can be harmful for your baby. View this chart for more information about eating seafood while you’re breastfeeding.
- Caffeine. Caffeine can pass to your baby in small amounts through your milk. Limit caffeine to 300 milligrams or less per day.
- Alcohol, drugs, and tobacco. When you’re breastfeeding, avoiding alcohol, drugs, and tobacco is most safe for you and your baby.