A Faster Postpartum Recovery
If you’ve taken the Pregnancy course, you know that creating a postpartum coping and sleep plan with help both you and baby. But if you’re in the middle of postpartum, focused on your new bundle of joy, don’t forget that your body has endured a very physical and emotional experience. It took nine months to conceive, grow and birth your baby. So “bouncing back” doesn’t happen instantly. It’s called “postpartum recovery” and it just takes time.
*If you’re a new mom and feeling overwhelmed, this course addresses that too. You can learn more about the Early Motherhood course HERE.
Postpartum Healing
Essential ingredients to postpartum healing and breastfeeding for every mom are sleep, nutrition, mindful movement and self-love.
Postpartum Nutrition Tips
Once your baby arrives, most foods that were on the “avoid” list are now safe for consumption. Plus, the painful heartburn you’ve been experiencing will miraculously disappear. But before you indulge in all those favorite foods you sacrificed during pregnancy, during your postpartum recovery, view nutritious food as medicine that will help you heal and feel your best.
If you breastfeed, you actually need to consume more calories than during pregnancy.
Extra 500 calories a day (For the entire duration of breastfeeding and this is basically an extra meal each day)
Extra 25 grams of protein a day (50-75 grams per day)
Calcium (found in dairy – milk and yogurt; supplement if needed to meet 1000 mg daily)
Iron – 18 mg/day
Postpartum Healing Food List
Our recommendations include food sources to aid in tissue healing and hormone balancing after delivery.
Carbohydrates help promote healing while sustaining energy.
Whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat crackers, fresh fruit, dried fruit, yogurt, kefir and fresh veggies.
Protein helps rebuild and repair tissues and muscles.
Poultry, lean beef, fatty fish, eggs, cheese, nuts and seeds.
Healthy fats help to absorb key nutrients.
Olive oil, avocados, walnuts, flax and chia seeds.
Iron helps to manage fatigue and plays a vital role in immune system function. (Following birth, most moms need to focus on iron).
Lean red meat, beans, lentils, oatmeal and fortified cereals.
Fiber helps to prevent and relieve constipation, keeps you fuller longer and aids in blood sugar control.
Beans, lentils, pears, avocadoes, apples, chia seeds, raspberries, potato with skin, almonds and peas.
Hormone Balancing foods can help support your progesterone and estrogen hormone levels. (Following birth, progesterone levels tank and estrogen dominates).
Progesterone boosting foods will help combat low postpartum progesterone levels. Walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, black beans, pumpkin, broccoli, leafy greens, spinach, brussels sprouts, kale, cabbage, avocados, bananas, citrus fruits, seafood, dark chocolate and coconut oil.
Estrogen balancing foods will help regulate postpartum estrogen levels. Eat fiber-rich foods because the excess fiber in your diet binds with the estrogen, thereby eliminating the excess estrogen from the body. Beans, lentils, pears, avocadoes, apples, chia seeds, raspberries, potato with skin, almonds and peas.
Water consumption helps prevent headaches, constipation and urinary tract infections. Plus, it plays a huge role in breastmilk production.
Caffeine is safe. The American Academy of Pediatrics deems 300 mg per day is safe for breastfeeding moms. What is challenging is every cup of joe is different. Starbucks tends to be higher in caffeine than a store brand.
Postpartum Healing Physical Tips
Postpartum healing is a balance of protecting tissues and rehabbing at the same time. The way you take care of yourself postpartum either sets you up for success or can set you back. As a new mom, you might be eager to get back into your routine but be careful not to risk doing too many things too quickly without a proper focus on healing and strengthening the core.
Protecting Your Pelvic Floor
In one study, about 1 in 3 women suffer from a pelvic floor disorder and roughly 80% of those women were mothers.
Proper positioning can help protect your pelvic floor and decrease your discomforts. To help promote postpartum healing don’t strain with bowel movements but instead exhale as you gently bare down. You can use a gentle “ha” exhale to put gentle pressure on your perineum to help evacuate the stool. You can also try perineal splinting, a technique designed to reduce discomfort and strain with bowel movements. For perineal splinting, you can wrap your hand in toilet paper and gently hold the perineum up to your anus to splint the tissues as you have a bowel movement. To do this you would hold the perineum, place the heal of your hand by your pubic bone and middle finger would end at the perineal body before your anus. Use a squatty potty (or something to get your knees higher than your hips). We typically sit upright or bent forward, this produces an incorrect angle in your bowel muscle, slowing or even stopping the rectal emptying. With proper positioning, the pelvic floor muscles relax and the bowel angle decreases, allowing easier elimination which can help manage hemorrhoids.
Mindful Movement
Postpartum healing for the first two weeks can be gentle bed exercises to improve blood flow and reduce swelling.
Use the log roll method to get out of bed. You can also try ankle pumps and tension release exercises (i.e., quad sets, glute sets, toe curls), these exercises help get the brain prepared for pelvic floor muscle contraction.
By two to four weeks postpartum, you can start light walking. Try starting with 10 minutes and see how you do. Your posture will be key here. When standing, improve your posture by looking ahead at the horizon, glutes untucked, and feet facing forward with a gentle bend in your knees. When sitting, do your best to sit on your sit bones instead of tucking your bottom and tailbone under. This will improve the position of your bladder and help reduce low back pain. Any symptoms of abdominal, pelvic pressure or heaviness after walking indicates you did too much.
Gentle Abdominal Stretches
The cat/cow yoga pose is a great way to induce body awareness, regulate your breathing and produce a relaxed state by calming the central nervous system. It’s great for strengthening the spine and neck muscles and can improve your posture and balance.
March while laying on your back with pelvic/abdominal contraction is a great way to activate your core muscles in a gentle but effective way.
Ball squeeze with abdominal contraction (laying on your back with knees bent). Remember to breath, inhaling as you release and exhaling as you contract your abdomen gently (down and in) and squeeze the ball.
Baby Spacing
You will need time to heal and adjust to life with your baby. There’s no rush to have your next child. Even if you’re advanced maternal age, please consider your health when choosing when to start trying for another baby. The closer the birth, the increased risk for both you and your unborn child.
Here are the facts, the recommendation for the minimum interval between a live birth and attempting next pregnancy should be at least 24 months. This can help improve maternal, perinatal, neonatal, and infant health outcomes. It’s important to let postpartum healing take place and allow your body to fully heal.
Postpartum Healing Emotional Tips
Having a baby is a huge transition for the family and on top of that, after birth your body is recovering, hormones are changing and when I say changing I mean you instantly go into a menopause like state, all while trying to figure out how to care for a newborn. Let’s be honest, it’s downright overwhelming. Some new moms heal quickly and adjust to motherhood while others have a harder time adjusting. And that’s OKAY.
Get Outside (daily)
Boost your mood by getting outside, breathing in fresh air and soaking up some vitamin D on your skin. Did you know that vitamin D helps with tissue repair and low levels are linked to postpartum depression? It’s a bid deal.
Baby steps
You can start by simply stepping outside onto your porch.
Playing in your backyard.
Practice wearing baby or going for a stroller ride around your block.
Enjoying time at a local park or botanical garden.
Deep Breathing to Calm the Central Nervous System
If you ever find yourself in the midst of a stressful moment, try placing your hand on your heart and taking a deep breath. A really deep breath comes from the diaphragm, the muscle just below your lungs. When you fully expand your lungs with your breath, this helps pull down on your diaphragm and you’ll feel the expansion in either your chest or abdomen. Try to feel your ribs and abdomen expand. When you look at any baby, you'll notice they breathe into their belly. In contrast, look at adults and you'll notice most are predominantly chest breathers, not belly breathers. You can work on becoming a belly breather again, one position to try is draped over a yoga ball. You can safety do this by hanging over a yoga ball with your abdomen and chest supported. As you take a deep breath, feel your back body expand.
Practice breathing from your diaphragm as this encourages full oxygen exchange, that is, the beneficial trade of incoming oxygen for outgoing carbon dioxide. This type of breathing slows the heartbeat and can lower or stabilize your blood pressure.
Ask for Help
As a new mom, you can’t be expected to do it all, no new mom can and remember you’re healing from birth and learning how to care for your baby. Recommended helpers: Spouse, family, friends, doula or postpartum nurse, nanny, babysitter, sleep coach, house cleaner, etc. Remember, at Unique Footprints as a member you’d have a direct line to pregnancy and parenting experts from moms who understand.
Face-to-Face Socializing Reduces Depression Risks
With COVID this can be challenging but do your best to enjoy face-to-face interactions with your family and friends, in a safe way (best if support team can quarantine with you). The happiest people in the world, recently reported that they spend most of their days interacting with people (face-to-face). And in a study, researchers found that having limited face-to-face social contact nearly doubles someone’s risk of having depression. Study participants who met in person regularly with family and friends were less likely to report symptoms of depression, compared with participants who emailed or spoke on the phone.
Ask Yourself Daily, “How am I feeling?”
It’s so important to know that you’re not alone. Talk with your family, friends and doctor about how you’re adjusting to life as a mom. It’s not easy and it’s overwhelming, and it will make you feel so much better to be honest and talk about how you’re doing both physically and emotionally. If you or your spouse feel like something isn’t right, I urge you to be honest and talk with your spouse, healthcare provider and a mental health expert (i.e., Licensed Professional Counselor, Perinatal Therapist, etc.).
Here are some helpful numbers:
National Postpartum Depression Hotline: 1-800-PPD-MOMS
Text Message Crisis Line: Text CONNECT to 741741 in the United States
Having a mental health expert available, if needed, is important because most moms do not realize that Postpartum Depression, known as Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders, are the most frequent medical complication of childbirth. Mood disorders are not something you can “snap out of.” Depression and anxiety develop when chemical changes in the way your brain works begin to affect how you feel. It’s a medical problem and it requires help from a doctor. Good news is that perinatal mood and anxiety disorders are treatable through a combination of treatments and supportive therapy (i.e. counseling, medication, supplements, exercise, support groups, etc.). For all our breastfeeding moms, if prescribed medication, there are options that are compatible with breastfeeding.
Common Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Symptoms you may not know about:
Crying a lot
Feelings of sadness
Insomnia or not being able to sleep even when baby sleeps
Cognitive problems like memory fog
Extreme anger with the urge to yell
Can’t control emotions
Scary, repetitive thoughts about things happening to baby
Feeling of being sick and weak
No longer interested in the things you once enjoyed
Feeling so out of place
Not what you expected, and you feel like something isn’t right
New Mom Story: Jaclyn, age 37
A note from a new mom about her perinatal anxiety and depression, “The thing that stuck out the most to me was how irritated I was with everything. I’d snap at my husband for breathing wrong. I had no motivation to do things that I previously loved and would make excuses not to see family or friends. I would stress over how messy the house was but not have the energy to do anything about it. And I hated the late nights being up by myself. I would cry and cry every time my son woke up in the middle of the night because I didn’t want to be awake. I think that was the tipping point for me. I absolutely adore him, and WANTED to enjoy time with him, even if it meant no sleep. But the reality was that I resented him for making me be awake and resented my husband even more for not being able to nurse. The sleeplessness contributed a LOT and even though I’d heard about the lack of sleep, I didn’t know the depth of it. My son slept through the night until about 3 months and then was up every hour. I had no idea what to do. I wish someone had prepared me for the 4 month sleep regression and how to handle it. I think I would have been more prepared to face the postpartum anxiety and depression that came with the sleeplessness. My biggest supporter was my husband, having him on my side reassuring me I was a great mom and that I was going to be okay was what helped me pull through it. Also having a good therapist, and ultimately going on medication. I took Zoloft (while breastfeeding, which I didn’t know was okay until meeting with several doctors) for 6 months and I’m so glad I did. I’m a different person and better mom because of it.”
Just please remember to talk about your feelings. Talk about your fears and anxieties and continue these discussions. Discuss how you feel with your support system, your doctor, counselor, the Unique Footprints Early Motherhood support groups because this can all help to reduce the symptoms of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders. If you experience symptoms, you don’t have to suffer in silence, praying it will pass. With help, you will feel better and you’ll have a chance to enjoy this special time in your life.
Pro Tip: Lean on your support team and ask for help. Get fresh air every day and most importantly, be gentle with yourself and talk about how you are feeling. There is always a huge learning curve, but it will get easier. We recommend prepping meals and snacks ahead of time. That way, you always have something on hand. You should spread high fiber foods throughout your day, incorporating them at meals! Try and eat every three hours, even if it’s a small snack to help balance blood sugar, fight off headaches and give you the energy you need to take care of your newborn. Hydration is KEY. Be sure your urine is clear. Have water in every room as water consumption helps decrease pelvic floor discomfort, migraine symptoms and aids with breast milk production. Engage in mindful movement and focus on healing (access over 50 postnatal yoga with mommy & me video-based classes you can watch anywhere, anytime).
*If you’re a new mom and feeling overwhelmed, this course addresses that too. You can learn more about the Early Motherhood course HERE.
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Unique Footprints Authors:
Jenny Morrow, RN, IBCLC, LCCE, RYT
Jenny is a mom, neonatal nurse, lactation consultant and founder of Unique Footprints (online pregnancy and early motherhood courses). Jenny has taught over 10,000 expecting families how to prepare for this time in their lives. Read more about Jenny here or you can watch her story.
Caroline Susie, RD/LD
Caroline Susie is a Registered Dietitian, wife, mother of a 3 month old and two Jack Russel Terriers. She currently specializes in prenatal and postnatal nutrition and believes that taking a personalized nutrition approach is best. Learn more about Caroline, here.
Chelsea Harkins, PT, DPT
Chelsea is the Unique Footprints Advisor, Doctor of Physical Therapy and founder of Dallas Pelvic Health, specializing in treating prenatal and postnatal women. She believes in a holistic approach to pelvic floor therapy and integrates her orthopedic experience into her practice to help mothers achieve complete restoration and healing of their postpartum body.
From the Unique Footprints editorial team and Jenny Morrow, founder of Unique Footprints. Unique Footprints follows strict reporting guidelines and uses only credible sources from ACOG, the American Academy of Pediatrics, CDC, the U.S. Surgeon Guidelines and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The UF TEAM also thoroughly researches peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions and highly respected health organizations. Unique Footprints is endorsed by the American Pregnancy Association.