
What Should You Eat During Early Postpartum? 3 Reasons Your Nutrition Matters
Feb 02, 2025After months of carefully watching your diet during pregnancy or not being able to enjoy the foods you once loved because of indigestion or reflux, the first meal after giving birth might be something you're dreaming about. Whether it's a juicy burger with all the fixings, a side of crispy fries, sushi, a huge slice of chocolate cake, or maybe a spicy dish from your favorite restaurant... let me explain a few things first.
Early postpartum, a.k.a. the fourth trimester, will be a time of significant physical and emotional transitions for you. Your nutrition can play a big role in influencing both your physical recovery and mental health. Focusing on foods that are rich in essential nutrients, protein, fat and are easily digestible will significantly aid in healing your body, replenishing lost energy or nutrients during pregnancy and childbirth, and support breastfeeding, if chosen.
Read on to learn 3 reasons your (overall) nutrition will matter
1. Digestion
Did you know...your digestion is impacted during the initial postpartum period?
Factors that influence digestion after childbirth include:
- reduced digestive enzymes and gastric juices
- hormonal shifts
- overall health and gut health before delivery
- length of labor
- how you experienced labor and delivery (mentally, physically, vaginal vs c-section)
- the quality of your postpartum care (nutrition and rest)
During the early postpartum period, your ability to optimally absorb nutrients can be temporarily altered due to physiological changes in the gut including a lack of digestive enzymes and gastric acids. A lack of enzymes like proteases, peptidases, lipases, amylases and lactase will impact how well your body is able to digest proteins, fats, carbs, and dairy as well as absorb nutrients. But don't worry, there are simple things you can adjust to accommodate for these temporary digestive changes.
Hormonal changes also play a significant role. After childbirth, the body undergoes rapid hormonal adjustments as it shifts back from pregnancy to its non-pregnant state. These hormonal fluctuations can affect gastrointestinal motility, leading to issues such as constipation or diarrhea.
Symptoms like gas, bloating, indigestion, constipation, irritability, headaches, excessive hair loss and experiencing larger than typical hormone shifts have become all too common, but shouldn't be normalized.
When your body, nervous system and hormones are supported through proper nutrition and rest it takes your body from a state of stress (a sympathetic state which alters gut function) to a state of more calm (parasympathetic state which supports digestion).
Being in a parasympathetic state increases the secretion of digestive enzymes and gastric juices, which improves your body's ability to digest and absorb nutrients, which then reduces nutrient deficiencies, and improves your physical and mental health and well-being. Your nutrition can truly lay a supportive foundation for your physical and mental health.
On average, new moms can expect to experience a change in their digestion for the first 4-6 weeks of postpartum. Again, this period of time may be shorter or longer depending on several factors mentioned above. This means it will be important for you to tune into how you're feeling.
Do you feel nourished and full after the meals you eat? Are you experiencing gas, bloating, or constipation? Are certain foods leaving you feeling nauseous or with indigestion or stomach cramps? Are you suddenly experiencing dry itchy skin or noticing any eczema?
These are some questions you'll want to frequently ask yourself to help you determine how quickly or slowly you'll transition back to your pre-pregnancy diet.
2. Mental Health
Postpartum nutrition also plays a role in supporting your mental health and overall well-being as a newly postpartum mom. Let's go over some key reasons why prioritizing your nutrition can help you mitigate unfavorable mental health symptoms:
1. Nutrient Replenishment: Pregnancy and childbirth can deplete your nutrient stores (particularly iron, omega-3 fatty acids, and B vitamins) depending on what your nutrition was like pre-pregnancy and while pregnant. Early postpartum is time to focus on replenishing these nutrients to help support your energy levels, recovery, healing and overall health, including your mental health.
2. Mood Regulation: Did you know studies have found a correlation between specific nutrient deficiencies and development of postpartum anxiety and depression? These nutrients include iron, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids (DHA) and B vitamins.
3. Blood Sugar Stability: Consuming balanced meals and snacks that include a mix of complex carbohydrates, proteins, and healthy fats and fiber will help stabilize your blood sugar levels. Skipping meals or eating meals that aren't balanced leads to more extreme fluctuations in your blood sugar which results in not so fun symptoms like mood swings, irritability, stress and anxiety.
4. Healing and Recovery: Adequate nutrition supports physical healing after childbirth, including recovery from childbirth injuries, cesarean section wounds, and replenishment after blood loss. When the body heals well, it can positively affect mental health, reducing stress and anxiety related to physical discomfort or complications.
5. Energy and Sleep: While having a newborn baby will inevitably involve disruptions in your sleep, understanding how to nourish your body will help maximize the quality of sleep that you do get. Certain nutrients, such as magnesium and calcium, are known to support sleep and getting better quality sleep, even if it is less, will still support better cognitive function, patience, and overall mood.
3. Breastmilk
Breastmilk is an amazing way to nourish your baby and provides them with so many beneficial nutrients to grow and thrive! But, you should know that the amount of certain nutrients passed onto your baby via your breastmilk can vary based on your own nutrition and health.
- DHA- The amount of DHA in mom's diet directly influences the amount of DHA passed on to her baby through her breastmilk. DHA is essential for baby's brain and eye development. It contributes to the development of the nervous system and is linked to better vision and cognitive outcomes in infants. If your diet is insufficient in DHA your body will pull from your own nutrient stores to support your breastmilk composition for baby.
- VItamin D- Most pediatricians recommend giving babies 400 IU of vitamin D, daily. If this is something you choose to do you should know that you also have the option to supplement yourself and provide your baby with vitamin D via your breastmilk. This would be done INSTEAD of supplementing your baby. Maternal supplementation of 4000-6400 IU vitamin D per day has been shown to provide baby with the 400 IU they need. It is recommended to consult your primary care physician first to have your levels checked and ensure an appropriate supplement dose.
- B vitamins- B vitamins are water soluble vitamins which means your body doesn't store them and you need a continuous supply in you diet for your body to function optimally. Ensuring daily intake of B vitamins via a prenatal vitamin or nutrition will support energy levels, immune function, mood regulation, red blood cell production and baby's brain development.
4. BONUS REASON! Preventing *excessive* postpartum hair loss! There's a difference between normal postpartum hair loss and excessive postpartum hair loss.
Postpartum hair loss is a normal and expected stage of postpartum that many women experience. It typically begins 3-4 months after having your baby and can last up to 12 months postpartum. This takes place because of hormonal changes that happen during pregnancy and after delivery.
During pregnancy, increased levels of estrogen prolong the growing stage of hair, resulting in less shedding and thicker hair. After delivery, as hormone levels normalize, the hair that was in the growing phase starts to shed. It's a temporary phase, and the hair growth cycle usually returns to normal within a year.
While some hair loss is normal, if you notice bald patches, significant thinning, or if your hair loss that lasts longer than a year, it may be considered excessive. This could be a sign of an underlying thyroid imbalance or nutritional deficiencies.
This means when you eat in a way that supports your digestion it helps your body absorb nutrients more efficiently and you get a variety of essential vitamins and minerals through food and/or supplements, which will inevitably help you avoid experiencing excessive hair loss.
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