Breastfeeding fatigue is real. Breastfeeding can be a demanding time for new mothers, both physically and emotionally. Did you know your body exerts up to 1000 calories per day from breastfeeding alone? Thus, maintaining high energy levels is crucial for caring for your baby and yourself. Here are five tips from a dietitian to help improve your energy levels while breastfeeding.

1. Eat a Balanced Diet

Firstly, it is imperative that you practice a balanced diet. The body uses up nutritional stores and nutrients from dietary sources to produce breast milk for your little one. Thus, skipping meals is not an option, neither is having a glass of coffee in the morning is considered as having breakfast. Even if you’re rushing in the morning, a decent breakfast should include at least two food groups. Preferably, a mix of carbohydrate and protein in the morning will not only fuel you well, it will provide satiety and reduce cravings.

Ensuring all your meals include a variety of fruits, vegetables, wholegrains, lean protein and healthy fats are important to avoid malnutrition. For instance, apart from inadequate energy intake, people with iron deficiency anemia or vitamin B deficiencies are often easily tired too. Even if you find yourself feeling full easily, you can consider having small and frequent meals so that you can maintain steady energy levels throughout the day.

2. Stay Hydrated

Breastfeeding mothers do not realize that they are more prone to dehydration as breastmilk is literally made of fluids. Dehydration is one of the causes of lethargy. Thus, aim to drink at least 2L of fluids per day, which is equivalent to 8 to 10 glasses. One of the easiest ways to keep track of your hydration levels is to have a glass of water after every feed. Other ways to keep yourself hydrated is to pair soups or unsweetened lactation drinks with your meals

3. Incorporate Nutrient-Dense Snacks

There is energy output every time you breastfeed. Your body uses energy stores available to produce breast milk for your little one. Thus, it is completely normal to feel hungrier more often as your little one grows bigger. Do not dismiss your hunger. What is important to take note of is what foods you’re including into your snacks. Foods like nuts, seeds, fruits and yogurt are great choices for nutritious and quick energy boosts!
During this time, it is important to avoid having highly processed foods too often as oftentimes, these types of foods are high in calories, high in sugar and unhealthy fats. They do not carry any other beneficial nutrients. This may contribute to excessive calorie intake and eventually excessive weight gain. Foods high in sugars can lead to sugar crashes and aggravate afternoon slumps too. Thus, not the best recipe to boost energy levels.

4. Prioritize Sleep and Rest

This is easier said than done. However it cannot be left unsaid. Adequate sleep and rest is essential for better energy levels throughout the day. Thus, working out what the best way is for the two of you to have better sleep is important. One major tip many healthcare providers would recommend is if you feel sleepy after breastfeeding, take those short naps when your baby is napping during the day to compensate for nights where your sleep is interrupted. Try it out and see if it works for you.

Besides that, similar to how important setting up the room environment and routine is for your baby to sleep, it is important that you create a restful environment for yourself too! Sleep hygiene is important. If you’re still looking at your phone 1 hour before bedtime, see if you can swap that to reading a book, meditating, journaling or stretching. If the room is too warm, turn on the air conditioning. If you’re more of a morning person, let your partner be the one that soothes the baby during the first half of the night, vice versa. Look at how you can reduce distractions and improve the quality of your rest from where you are.

5. Incorporate Physical Activity

As ridiculous and contradictory as it sounds, physical activity is important. It helps to regulate our body clock and energy levels. Many mothers have found doing some exercises in the morning particularly, helped to boost their energy levels significantly throughout the day. Simple exercises like brisk walking, aerobics or jogging help to improve stamina. When you have better stamina, you feel less tired easily.

Activities like yoga, pilates and resistance exercise helps to improve strength which can boost energy levels and improve overall mood and well being. Listen to your body and gradually increase intensity as you feel stronger and fitter.

Summary

Many of these tips do require us to be more intentional, plan a suitable and flexible routine around the baby. However, it is not impossible when with adequate support from your partner and family. All in all, mummies deserve to feel more like themselves and have more energy.It is not normal for one to constantly feel tired to the point it affects their daily activities. If you still do feel constantly tired and dizzy to the point of fainting, it is best to check with your doctor to rule out any other possible underlying conditions.

Author

ReLacto

We are a team behind the leading lactation meal provider and we believe proper nutrition during breastfeeding is not just something to be experienced, but also worth learning about. On top of preparing nutritious meals for mothers, we’re passionate about researching and sharing useful information on nutrition for lactation and recovery, and occasionally tips on baby weaning through our blogs.

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