Mother Care - Postpartum - Safe Motherhood Day

Postpartum is the period from immediately after childbirth up to when the mother’s body has returned to the pre-

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pregnancy state. During this period, it is important to remember postnatal care for the mother. Inadequate care has several unfavorable outcomes such as low milk availability for the child, health problems soon after postpartum, and difficulty in losing pregnancy weight.

As a result, new mothers need to be aware of how they can take care, stay healthy, and look after their baby. The weight gained during pregnancy now helps the mother regain her energy to remain active and care for her newborn.

Additionally, activities such as nursing can also impact her health in a multitude of positive ways. Before we delve into what the mother can eat in the postpartum period, it is necessary to discuss a few other postnatal care tips.

Are you getting adequate rest?

While most mothers enjoy their visitors just after giving birth, it is important to also know that your body needs rest. Most babies wake up to be fed and comforted every 3 hours. Therefore, if you don’t rest in these intervals, exhaustion can overwhelm you. Keep these few pointers in mind,

Rest when the baby rests. Sometimes, it may be just a few minutes but definitely take the opportunity.
Make sure you are relieved off all work for a few weeks, you only need to care for the baby and for yourself.
Even if you have a few visitors and it is time to feed or rest, don’t feel shy to excuse yourself.
Be sure to go outside for some time every day. In this stage, you can talk to your doctor and begin postpartum exercises such as pelvic floor workouts or light walking.
Once you are a few weeks into the postnatal care period, start using a bottle for night feeds. This way you can get uninterrupted sleep while someone else does the feeding!

Now that you have rest covered, your next question must be, what can I eat?

Eating healthy postpartum i.e. food for postnatal care

Your body has undergone a lot of changes with pregnancy and childbirth. You are now in a phase of recovery and healing. While rest can give you the time off to heal, nutrition can help you replenish your body and your spirit.
There is a common misconception that the diet of nursing mothers should be different from that of mothers who bottle feed their child. This is not true. Either way, you need to get adequate and well-balanced nutrition.

Consider the five food groups.

Grains: These include oats, brown rice, wheat, corn, and barley.
Vegetables: Choose from a variety of vegetables that include dark, green, yellow, red, and orange vegetables, and don’t forget the starchy ones!
Fruits: Have at least one fruit in a day. You can also have 100% fruit juice, which is good for you.
Dairy: It is said that mothers usually need 200-300 calories more than what they would consume during a pre-pregnancy period. Low-fat dairy and dairy products are a good way to achieve that. It should also help you with your calcium needs.
Protein: Lean protein diet, which includes chicken, eggs, nuts, and seeds, during postpartum is considered to be most beneficial.

Here are some foods and what you can pair them with. Recipes that can help you :

Oats
Oats are a good source of fiber, iron, calcium, protein, and carbohydrate. Because they are high in fiber, they can help keep constipation at bay. Making an oats porridge with low-fat milk and some seeds or nuts is an easy way to go. You can also add bananas, apples, mangoes, and strawberries. You can also make an oats upma with veggies such as beans, carrots, and onions if you prefer a savory dish.
Pulses and lentils (dals)
They are an excellent source of protein and essential to achieve that balance in your diet. Lentils such as masoor or moong are easier to digest and can be had in the form of kichdi. They help to prevent fat collection in the body.
Finger millet (ragi)
Ragi is a good source of calcium and iron, which you need after birthing. You can use ragi if you are allergic or aversive to dairy. You can have it in the form of idli, dosa, rotis, and halwas.
Almonds (badam)
They are a rich source of carbohydrates, vitamins, vitamin B12, and minerals such as magnesium, potassium, calcium, and zinc. You can have them in the form of badam milk, sheera, or halwa. If that is too much to make, just have them as a snack!