Should New Mothers Diet After Childbirth?

New mothers are often monitored for several weeks after giving birth to ensure they are maintaining their health after the relatively traumatic experience of childbirth. No matter the particulars of the birth itself, there is a chance that new mothers will experience changes to their physiology that requires monitoring to ensure they are staying on a path of health. A major factor in determining the health of a new mother is the level of nutrition the mother maintains as her body deals with a new stage in her life. Not only is the health of the mother dependent upon proper nutrition, a mother who chooses to breastfeed is particularly worthy of a proper diet and rapid response to changes in her body that may be solved through better nutrition.

The conundrum of proper nutrition is sometimes made more complex when the mother chooses to diet after childbirth to lose the weight she has gained during pregnancy. Mothers gain varying amounts of weight when carrying a child and the distribution of that weight is seldom uniform. While the schedule of  a new mother often contributes mightily toward her goals of losing weight, a concentration on properly nourishing her body can often seem counterintuitive to her plans at reducing caloric intake to drop the pounds.

Another key part of a new mother’s nutrition is the effect that a new diet regimen will play on her mental health. It is common for the emotional state of a new mother to become unpredictable as she deals with the inner changes as well as changes that come with a new stage of life. In this realm, making sure the mother is sufficiently fuelled for her duties goes a long way toward helping her feel better and mitigate the onset of postpartum depression.

Healthcare professionals often advise that a balanced diet is preferable to a scaled-down eating plan. Cutting fat from your diet – a staple of those seeking to lose weight – will reduce the level of fuel from which a busy new mom can draw upon. In the case when cutting fat and carbohydrates are chosen as a path toward losing weight, other substitutes must be consumed to make up the difference in fuel.

Eating fewer meals is seen as a recipe for trouble for a new mother. Fewer meals mean that the body must adjust to the less frequent fueling. The way the body adjusts is to go into somewhat of a survival mode, meaning; the mother’s body holds onto more of the food to compensate for the decrease in calories. When this adjustment occurs, the body’s metabolism slows down, the mother’s energy level is depleted, and emotional and energy levels suffer.

Eating more meals, of quality ingredients including protein, carbohydrates, fat, and a variety of vitamins are the best bet to keep energy high, speed up the metabolism to burn fat, and keep the new mother in as stable of a mental state as possible.