Healthy Eating After the Birth of your Baby

During your pregnancy you were very careful about what you ate for the health of your baby. After childbirth you need to be just as careful regardless of whether or not you are breastfeeding. You need to keep your energy levels up to cope with all the sleepless nights and the best way to get back to your pre-pregnancy weight is to eat lots of healthy food.

Foods that are high in iron will help you recover from blood loss. A healthy balance of carbohydrates and protein will boost those energy levels and eating lots of whole grains, legumes and leafy green vegetables will give the most nutritional value with the lowest levels of calories and fat.

Exercise combined with a healthy diet will help get your body back in shape and you will probably find that your baby loves being taken for a walk in their pram or baby pouch especially if they are a bit unsettled. If you have had a caesarean consult your doctor before starting any exercise.

If you are breastfeeding you will need lots of calcium in the form of milk or yoghurt, don't worry about the extra calories involved in these products as the baby will naturally burn these up as you breastfeed. The additional weight gained during pregnancy should come off naturally as you breastfeed and you should not go on any formal diet unless you consult your doctor.