Body After Baby: What to Expect & Care Tips
As you tread further into motherhood, you will notice that you have undergone a lot of changes, be it physically or mentally during pregnancy. But here you are! Still standing strong and tall after your delivery.
With the recent conclusion of your pregnancy stage, you might have noticed that your body is slowly adjusting and adapting itself to suit your needs. Now that we have mentioned it, what are the body changes you should expect post-delivery? This article will enlighten you on your postpartum body changes and how to take care of your body during confinement!
Postpartum Body Changes
Perhaps one of the biggest things that you will look forward to after pregnancy is weight loss. Well, we have good news for you! Once you have given birth to your child, your body will gradually start working on losing those pregnancy pounds and your womb will start to shrink back to its pre-pregnancy state.
A healthy lifestyle would help to speed up this process. On the other hand, other body changes you might experience during your confinement includes breast engorgement, constipation, pelvic floor changes, night time sweating, and vaginal discharge.
How To Deal With Postpartum Body Changes?
Now that we have addressed postpartum body changes you’ll be going through, what are the ways to care for your postpartum body? These methods below might give you an idea of what to do!
Practice a Balanced Diet
To have a smoother postpartum recovery while you produce milk for your little one, you are encouraged to have a well-balanced and nutritious breastfeeding diet. Having a healthy and wholesome diet is essential to keep you nourished, energised and fulfil your lactational capabilities as well.
But how do you know whether your diet is truly well-balanced? An easy way is to imagine a lactating mother diet chart in the form of a plate, called “My Healthy Plate” by Health Hub SG. To create your “Healthy Plate”, start by filling half your plate with fruit and vegetables.
Then, fill a quarter with whole-grains, and the last quarter with meat, or other protein-rich products like tofu, beans. Remember to stay hydrated along the way too. As 88% of breast milk is water, staying hydrated is important to help you produce enough breast milk.
Exercise Based on Your Doctor’s Advice
As your body recovers from the strenuous process of pregnancy and labour, you should also bear in mind to keep things simple and manageable when it comes to exercises. Avoid going gung-ho on the treadmill or weight-lifting.
Always consult your doctor or health experts on which exercise routine to practice and what kind of exercises would suit your body needs according to the time lapsed after your childbirth. This is important so that they would be able to help you formulate a proper exercise plan that is suitable for you.
Remember, keeping fit and losing weight after labour is important, but it is more important that your health and wellbeing are not compromised because of it. Always be sure to do it in moderation.
Rest Well
Getting enough rest and sleep is key to a better postpartum recovery. This is probably the most commonly neglected step for postpartum recovery. Your body has just undergone a major surgery during childbirth and it will need all the rest it can get to recover and recuperate.
Furthermore, not getting enough rest is likely to worsen baby blues. Having a good quality sleep is important for boosting your immune system and brain functions. Getting enough rest will also allow you to regulate your hormone and help you focus on your baby better!
We understand how overwhelming it can be to juggle between your baby, chores, family and work but you will need to prioritize your own wellbeing as well. Have your partner or family to look after your baby, hire a confinement nanny if the need arises. Getting enough sleep and rest can be a major game-changer to your postpartum journey.
If you are looking for nursery or household related items, you might want to give MumChecked a look! They have a plethora of options for nursery and household-related products for your convenience.
Get Professional Help
Sometimes, all you need for a better postpartum recovery is a reliable figure to depend on and a wise mind to consult. Do not shy away from getting professional help if you are feeling lost or clueless during your confinement period. Your doctor’s advice and suggestion would be useful in helping you plan your postpartum recovery and take better care of your body! The added benefit of consulting a professional is that it will also make you feel more reassured and confident with your recovery routine.
Getting professional help to ease your postpartum recovery and milk production can go beyond medical advice. Consider engaging with a local caterer that serves breastfeeding mom food. With your needs as a breastfeeding mother in mind, ReLacto is the first-of-its-kind lactation meal catering and delivery service in Singapore.
All lactation meals on our menu are professionally curated by our in-house dietitian and award-winning chef. Other than serving you foods that boost breast milk, your daily meals with ReLacto are also prepared with various healing ingredients to speed up your postpartum recovery. Not to mention every meal comes with a lactation drink too!
In a nutshell, these are the changes you will go through during your confinement period and the care tips you can utilise to manage it. We hope that our tips could be of great use to you. All the best in your postpartum recovery!
