Food to Support Birth Recovery and Healing

As important as it is to be gentle, take life a little more slowly and optimise your overall health during your pregnancy, it’s equally as important to remember to do this after you’ve had your baby too. Here’s now to eat your way to recovery and healing from birth…

The fourth trimester is the three months following the birth of your precious new baby and whether you are breastfeeding or not, the way you choose to nourish and fuel your body is essential. It will play a key role in aiding recovering from the birth itself as well as encouraging milk production and helping with the effects sleep deprivation has on your body and mind. 

A good diet will help rebalance your hormones and replenish nutrient stores. Here are a few key tips to get started; 

STRENGTH BUILDING FOODS

Opt for healing foods high in fat-soluble nutrients and vitamins A and E, great examples are avocado, sunflower seeds and sweet potato. Its important to make sure you’re getting enough strength building minerals such as iron and calcium too. You’ll find these in leafy green vegetables, millet, oats and pulses. 

Anti-inflammatory root vegetables such as turmeric and ginger will support the immune system after birth and help with the healing of any scar tissue from birth. 

BONE BROTHS

Traditionally in many cultures, families would come together to nourish and feed the new mother for the first two weeks of the babies’ life with highly nutritious foods and bone broths were a key part in this post-birth recovery regime. 

Bone broths are packed full of proteins, electrolytes and collagen to support healing and repair as well as providing a good source of choline which helps to encourage the production of breast milk. 

IRON INTAKE

Your baby during the third trimester draws upon your iron stores in preparation for life outside the womb and if you have been following a balanced and nutrient dense diet throughout your pregnancy and taking a good pregnancy supplement your iron levels should be adequate. But having said this remember the process of birth itself can cause excessive blood loss so its important to try to incorporate iron rich ingredients in your meals where possible. This includes good quality grass fed red meat, spinach, kale and lentils – these are all great sources of Vitamin C too, which will increase the absorption of iron and aid wound healing post birth. 

WATER 

Staying properly hydrated is so important and should never be underestimated. If you’re not breastfeeding you will need around six glasses of filtered water each day (herbal teas count but make sure they don’t contain caffeine so check packaging as sometimes branding can be misleading!), if you are breastfeeding your baby you will need a lot more water than this and your thirst levels will indicate just how much your body requires to stay hydrated. Keep a refillable bottle beside you at all times and make sure you or your partner is constantly filling it up this way you wont forget to keep sipping it. Staying hydrated will help your body function properly, will help tiredness levels and will ensure you are replenishing lost hydration or magnesium by keeping your fluid intake up. 

Words by JESSICA SHAND, Naturopathic Nutrition Coach eatnourishandglow.com