What to eat after childbirth. Mom's diet during breastfeeding in the first month after birth. Introducing your baby to new products

Nutrition after childbirth for a nursing woman has many peculiarities and prohibitions. After all, the composition and quantity of breast milk directly depends on this. The baby's whims due to poor health, short sleep, constipation - all these are consequences of non-compliance with the diet by a nursing mother. So what should you eat to keep your child healthy and calm?
Meals in the first months after birth should be light but frequent; new foods should be introduced carefully, observing the baby's reaction. Don't forget about restrictions on junk food. Let's consider the basic principles of creating a menu for a young mother.

Proper nutrition of the mother after childbirth will ensure successful lactation, good health and health of the newborn baby.

Everything that the mother eats enters the baby’s body through breast milk and can cause negative consequences:

  1. Bloating and severe colic.
  2. or vice versa, diarrhea.
  3. Some foods may cause allergic reactions in the form of a rash.
  4. Food that has a strong taste and aroma worsens the taste of milk, and the baby may refuse to breastfeed.
  5. Improper nutrition of a nursing mother after childbirth can have a stimulating effect on nervous system baby.

By adhering to a diet, a woman will also provide herself and her family with proper rest. After all, a baby who does not suffer from colic or constipation sleeps better, eats well and gains weight.

Such a child grows and develops calmly, without suffering from allergic itching or constant pain in the tummy, and the mother does not get nervous, trying to calm the baby. In addition, a balanced and regular diet, excluding fried and fatty foods, will help a woman get rid of extra pounds gained while bearing a child.

Much depends on the mother's eating habits during pregnancy. If a woman previously constantly consumed persimmons, apples, plums, then after childbirth you can also add these products to the diet. However, if the mother did not eat these fruits before, and after giving birth she became interested in consuming them, then it is quite possible that the child will develop an allergy.

The menu must be compiled so that the daily diet includes:

  • proteins – 20%;
  • fats – 15-20%;
  • carbohydrates – 60%.

Nutrition in the first three days after birth

The question of following a certain diet should be considered by a woman not only after the birth of a child, but also during pregnancy. If the tests are bad, the doctor may advise her to limit the consumption of certain foods so as not to provoke a worsening of the condition.

A few days before giving birth, it is better to give up such excesses as:

  • chocolate;
  • nuts;
  • coffee, strong tea, cocoa;
  • strawberries, tomatoes, red fish;
  • smoked or salty foods;
  • citrus fruits and various exotic foods.

It is also better to reduce the consumption of dairy products. This way, you will protect your newborn baby from appearing immediately after birth.

Meals on the first day after birth should consist of freshly prepared and light dishes, without spicy or aromatic seasonings. Indeed, during this period, the woman’s lactation process and the baby’s weaning to the breast are improving.

It is better to limit yourself to porridge with water, a boiled egg or a piece of lean meat; you can eat lean soup without frying. Sweets allowed include baked apple, banana and simple biscuits.

There is an opinion that in order to increase milk supply, a woman needs to drink plenty of fluids. This is not true, since drinking large amounts of liquid can lead to hot flashes and stagnation of milk in the breast. After all, a newborn baby eats very little.

Those who gave birth by birth should not eat foods rich in fiber: raw vegetables and fruits, black bread, bran. On the first day after surgery, it is better to limit yourself to water without gas.

End of the first week after birth

A breastfeeding woman should not starve. Meals after childbirth in the first days should be frequent and divided; ideally, after each feeding you should eat some light food and drink warm tea or compote.

At the end of the first week after the birth of the baby, the mother can:

  1. Warm sweetened tea, cranberry juice, dried fruit compote, herbal infusions.
  2. Stewed vegetables: beets, zucchini or eggplant, carrots, pumpkin with the addition of a couple of drops of vegetable oil.
  3. You can make crackers for tea or soup from black or rye bread.
  4. Introduce a few pieces of low-fat milk into your diet sea ​​fish, observing the baby’s well-being.
  5. Some mashed potatoes or good quality pasta.
  6. Lean boiled beef.
  7. Fermented milk products (no more than 300 g per day).
  8. Once a day, be sure to eat low-fat soup or borscht without cabbage.
  9. Be careful when introducing nuts and hard cheese into your menu.
  10. Eat one banana and two baked apples a day.

Introduce new foods into your diet carefully, in small portions, carefully observing the baby’s body’s reaction to them.

Portions should be small so that mom does not gain extra pounds.

Nutrition in the first 4 weeks after birth

Several weeks have passed since the birth of the child, the baby has grown a little, and it would seem that the mother can return to her usual diet, but no. Nutrition in the first month after childbirth is as important as in the first days.

During this period, a nursing mother is allowed to:

  • all cereals with water, except rice, corn and wheat;
  • You can put a little butter in the porridge;
  • lean pieces of boiled beef or poultry;
  • milk, yogurt;
  • baked fruits, raw green vegetables.

You can make cheesecakes and casseroles from cottage cheese by adding dried fruits or berries. You are allowed to add a little sour cream to your dishes.

When introducing new products into your diet, you should follow a number of rules:

  1. Eat a new dish in the first half of the day, but it is better in the morning, and carefully observe the child’s reaction.
  2. Add only one new product per day.
  3. If a child develops rashes or becomes nervous and capricious, then it is better to avoid eating the new dish. For ease of observation and systematization of information, you should keep a food diary.
  4. Introduce new products into your menu in small pieces. If the baby reacts well, the portion can be increased at the next meal.

Breastfeeding period

Of course, nutrition in the first month after birth is very limited, but after 8-12 weeks it can be significantly expanded.

At this stage, it is allowed to add to the mother’s diet after childbirth:

  1. Some sweets (marshmallows, marmalade, natural marshmallows). Choose a product with a minimum amount of dyes, no foreign chemical odors, and a short shelf life.
  2. Dried fruits (raisins, prunes, dried apricots, dates). They can be eaten in their natural form or added to various dishes. Don’t forget to wash dried fruits well before eating, or even better, pour boiling water over them.
  3. Diversify the menu with other types of fish.
  4. A little boiled corn and young peas, not forgetting to note the child’s condition after introducing new products.
  5. Fresh fruits in season (peaches, apricots, plums, non-red apples). Berries include honeysuckle, blueberries, white currants and gooseberries.
  6. Four months after giving birth, you can introduce freshly squeezed juices into your menu, but it is better to dilute them with boiled water and drink no more than one glass a day.

Dietary restrictions for nursing mothers

We've figured out what you can eat after giving birth. But these products should absolutely not be consumed by a woman while breastfeeding her baby:

  1. Alcoholic drinks and food from fast food restaurants. It is better to exclude them at the stage of pregnancy in order to avoid health problems.
  2. Citrus fruits are strong allergens, they also need to be removed from the diet of a nursing mother. In the autumn-winter period, it is better to give preference to rosehip decoction or sauerkraut, they also contain a lot of vitamin C.
  3. Store-bought cakes, pastries with cream and sweets with alcohol should be replaced with simple cookies. If you really want, you can bake the cake yourself by making custard from low-fat milk.
  4. Many women drink tea with added milk, considering this drink beneficial for lactation. But that's not true. Whole cow's milk is also considered an allergen and should be consumed with extreme caution, in small quantities. Better yet, replace it with goat's.
  5. Fatty, fried, smoked and salty foods are prohibited not only for a nursing mother, but also for a pregnant woman.

In the first days after childbirth, a woman’s nutrition is severely limited; this is necessary for wellness mother and baby. Healthy food will help improve the functioning of the newborn’s gastrointestinal tract and avoid such unpleasant problems as colic, bloating and constipation. Later, the mother’s diet will expand, returning to what it was before pregnancy.

Sample menu for the week

A nursing mother can eat many foods; the number of meals should be at least 4 per day. If a woman wants to lose weight, then food should be divided into small portions, but she should eat 6-7 times a day. You should remember the rules for heat treatment of food: raw fruits and greens should be eaten in small quantities, and care must be taken that the child does not have problems with the digestibility of milk.

Sample menu for the week:

Day of the weekBreakfastDinnerAfternoon snackDinner
MondayOatmeal porridge with water, stewed vegetables, fermented baked milkVegetable soup, boiled potatoes, boiled chicken breastChamomile tea, biscuits, bananaPasta, stewed mushrooms, dried fruits
TuesdayBoiled egg, stewed broccoli, bread and butter, teaBoiled fish, rice porridge, cottage cheese with pear, compoteKefir, charlotte with apple, cookiesVegetable casserole, steamed meatballs, yogurt
WednesdayBarley porridge, boiled zucchini, dried fruits, kefirPasta, stewed veal, salad with vegetables, sweet teaBaked apple, drying, fermented baked milkFish soup, boiled egg, bread and butter, compote
ThursdayCottage cheese with sour cream, cookies, teaCorn porridge, boiled vegetables, poultry, fermented baked milkBiscuits, dried fruits, kefirSoup with meatballs, rice with vegetables, compote
FridayBuckwheat porridge with beef goulash, cheese sandwich, kefirVegetable stew, baked rabbit meat, tea with cookiesRice casserole, drying, compoteDumplings with cottage cheese, fruit puree, milk
SaturdayMashed potatoes with baked fish, natural yogurt, bananaOatmeal with butter, poultry meatballs, baked apple, compoteHomemade casserole with fruit, juice or compoteCheesecakes with sour cream, salad with vegetables, tea
SundayRice porridge with apple, sandwich with ryazhenka cheeseFish soup, beetroot salad (small amount), steamed cutlets, teaCookies, cottage cheese, green teaCasserole with meat and potatoes, boiled egg, dried fruit compote

If you look at the various variations of the menu, you will notice that they do not contain sweets, coffee, or chocolate. Products that contain large amounts of sugar are harmful in this case; sweets can be replaced with marshmallows, homemade jam, marshmallows, pastries, etc.

The nutrition of a nursing mother should be as balanced as during pregnancy. Both the child’s health and her own well-being depend on this. Wrong foods can cause allergies, stomach problems for the baby and other consequences.

The importance of nutrition during lactation

Diet during breastfeeding is necessary for a number of reasons:

  1. It promotes milk production and allows you to breastfeed for as long as possible.
  2. A woman’s diet affects the quantity and quality of nutrients entering the newborn’s body. Vitamins and various microelements are transmitted through milk.
  3. The occurrence of colic in a child, the frequency of its occurrence and pain directly depend on whether the mother has proper nutrition or not.
  4. The list of permitted products allows you to protect your child from developing diathesis.
  5. Diet affects the taste of milk.

At the same time, a woman should not overeat. An excess of foods consumed indiscriminately will not only affect the figure of a young mother, but will also affect the child in the form of colic and diathesis. Malnutrition is also harmful because milk is not saturated with all the necessary components and changes its taste.

Why is the first month so important?

In the first month, the mother’s body adjusts to a new regime - milk production occurs. Lactation directly depends on what a woman eats. You can’t eat indiscriminately, but you shouldn’t stick to a strict diet either. It is necessary to create a menu in such a way that it includes all the necessary substances for a newborn.

The diet should contain proteins, fats and even carbohydrates. Sweets are allowed during breastfeeding, but you need to watch how the child’s body reacts to them. Attention should be paid to products that support the lactation process. If the child does not have any digestive problems, the nursing mother can eat her usual foods, avoiding only prohibited foods.

General principles of diet after childbirth

The body of every nursing woman and every newborn is individual. Therefore, there is no single menu for all mothers. The main thing is variety in diet, nutritional value and routine. We must not forget that a newborn eats the same foods that his mother eats. Therefore, you will have to forget about pickles and marinades for a while.

Features of nutrition after cesarean section

It is advisable not to eat on the first day after surgery. Liquid should be supplied to the body, but not more than 1.5 liters. It is advisable to drink boiled water or still mineral water.

On days 2 and 3, you should eat low-calorie foods in small portions, since the body is not yet ready to fully process food. The menu can include chicken broth, low-fat cottage cheese, yogurt, steamed cutlets, and mashed potatoes.

Starting from day 4, you can return to your usual foods, but avoid sweet, spicy, salty and fried foods.


What foods are allowed

Principles of nutrition after childbirth:

  1. Fermented milk and dairy products, vegetables and fruits must be present.
  2. Cow's milk should not be drunk during the first months.
  3. Coarse bread is allowed.
  4. Oversalted foods should be excluded from the diet.
  5. Before eating a purchased product, you should read the ingredients.
  6. Drink plenty of fluids.
  7. Calcium is necessary for both the child and the mother. To do this, you should eat fish, cottage cheese, natural yogurt, and cheese.

Each product is administered separately, otherwise it is difficult to track what caused the child to develop colic or an allergy.

Prohibited drinks while breastfeeding

Children react differently to the same products. But there is a list of drinks that are contraindicated for a nursing woman:

  • juice from citrus fruits or red fruits and berries;
  • cocoa and coffee;
  • alcohol;
  • kvass and carbonated drinks.

In some cases, milk is excluded. It is replaced with fermented milk products.


The postpartum diet for nursing includes some fruits, without which the diet will be unbalanced. Rules for choosing these products:

  1. Dim fruit color. As an exception, red and orange fruits are allowed, the peel of which is easy to peel.
  2. It is advisable to exclude citrus fruits.
  3. Before taking a new fruit, you need to clarify its effect on children's microflora.
  4. Eat seasonal fruits, not greenhouse ones.

You can eat apples immediately after giving birth. It is recommended to peel green fruits. They contain iron, which helps maintain hemoglobin at the desired level. Constantly eating apples will relieve your child of constipation.

Pears can also be eaten after childbirth. They improve heart function and digestive system. They have less sugar than apples. The only rule is not to eat pears on an empty stomach and peel them.

Bananas are also on the list of allowed fruits. They can be consumed between main meals or as breakfast. Bananas are considered a remedy for insomnia; they lift your spirits and improve your immunity.

Peaches and nectarines can be eaten 3 months after birth. They should be introduced into the diet with caution, as they can cause an allergic reaction. Peaches are among the foods that protect against stress and reduce swelling.

It is better to eat plums not fresh, but as a compote. This fruit helps increase lactation, strengthens bone tissue and improves blood circulation.

When a child has colic

Nutrition during breastfeeding in the first month must be correct, otherwise the baby will suffer from gas. Therefore, it is better to pre-cook plant foods. When choosing fruits and vegetables, you need to pay attention to the color of the fruit. Best for child's body White and green vegetables are suitable.

If there is colic, a nursing mother should stop drinking milk, but kefir should not be excluded from the diet. During this period, carbonated drinks and juices, both store-bought and freshly squeezed, should be prohibited. Homemade pickles, sweets and fatty foods negatively affect a child’s digestion. Beans, chocolate, cabbage and cucumbers are completely excluded from the menu.

What you can and cannot eat in the first month of lactation

Each subsequent product can be added to the menu at intervals of 3 days. This period allows you to evaluate the effect of new food on the baby’s body. It is necessary to take into account the fact that an allergic reaction can appear a week after consuming the product. Many people wonder what a nursing mother can eat in the first month after giving birth.

Meals in the first week

For the first couple of days, the mother should limit the amount she eats, as her body has just begun to adjust to milk production. A crowded intestine will make it difficult to release prolactin and oxytocin. These days it is necessary to cleanse the intestines of toxins. To do this you need to consume large amounts of liquid. For example, you can drink dried fruit compotes or rosehip decoction.

In the first days, a nursing mother’s diet includes porridge cooked in water, vegetable soup and casserole. For vegetables, it is better to take potatoes, onions and zucchini. Cauliflower should be eaten frequently after leaving the hospital. Pasta should be selected only from hard varieties.

Women who have given birth suffer from constipation, since most of the fluid goes to milk production. Beetroot and prunes help solve this problem. Plant foods must be cooked.

Nutrition for a nursing mother 2-4 weeks after birth

After 2 weeks from the birth of the baby, the menu can be expanded. But you should watch how the newborn’s body reacts to each food product consumed. You should eat high-calorie foods to ensure your baby has the nutrients he needs to grow.

You can add eggs, butter and vegetable oil, lean pork, and fish to your diet. Portion sizes can be increased. Dishes should be different so that the child receives the necessary vitamins.


Daily menu for a nursing mother

An approximate menu for a nursing mother looks like this:

  1. Cottage cheese. It is advisable to use it in the form of casseroles.
  2. Eggs.
  3. Yogurt without fillers.
  4. Vegetable stew.
  5. Apples, gooseberries, pears, currants.
  6. Cereals.
  7. Yeast-free black bread.
  8. Dried apricots and prunes.

You can add onions and garlic to dishes if the child does not refuse breastfeeding. These products give milk its characteristic smell.

The juice contains fiber and organic acids, which is very important for a newborn. They are best consumed freshly squeezed. For this purpose, fruits that do not cause allergies are used. Apples can be used together with their seeds, which are a source of iron. A healthy diet for mom also includes fish fat for the purpose of preventing certain diseases.

When a woman becomes a mother, especially for the first time, she is sensitive and attentive to everything related to the baby’s health. And in the first place is your own nutrition. Why does he need to pay such close attention during lactation? What do breastfeeding specialists strictly forbid to consume? We will answer important questions.

About the importance of proper nutrition

Why should a lactating woman pay special attention to her own nutrition? First of all, because childbirth is a serious burden, a test for female body. In the postpartum period, he needs to replenish the substances used to bear the child. The baby, once born, continues to depend on the mother’s body, that is, on breast milk. Its components are produced by the cells of the mammary glands and at the same time those nutrients that are in the woman’s blood are used. They come there from the intestines. Accordingly, the products that make up the mother’s diet are present in modified form in breast milk. This means they must be of high quality, safe and nutritious. These are the ones that ensure the healthy development of the baby.

Another reason that forces nursing mothers to be attentive to their diet is the trend towards an increase in the number of allergic diseases and disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. They also arise in connection with gestosis of pregnancy, leading to a change in the barrier function of the intestine and the penetration of allergens into breast milk.

What should be excluded from the diet of a nursing mother?

Taking into account the above, it is necessary to draw up a menu for a lactating woman. Regardless of her age, health status and allergies, nursing mothers are strictly not recommended to:

  1. Alcohol. Any type of beer, even non-alcoholic beer, can negatively affect the baby, causing intestinal colic, drowsiness, and depression of the nervous system.
  2. Products with a reputation for allergens. These include eggs, seafood, chocolate, nuts, bee products, vegetables, berries and red fruits. Citrus fruits, which are considered the most powerful allergens, are especially prohibited. And it is better not to consume tropical fruits (mango, papaya, avocado) temporarily.
  3. Strong coffee and tea. They stimulate the child's nervous system.
  4. Garlic and onion. These vegetables give breast milk a specific taste that the baby may not like.
  5. Legumes. All of them lead to increased gas formation and provoke colic.
  6. White cabbage. It, like legumes, also provokes bloating, but to a lesser extent.
  7. Products saturated with a significant amount of flavorings, preservatives, and dyes. These include store-bought confectionery and carbonated drinks.
  8. Smoked meats. The method of their preparation forces the digestive organs to work with double load.
  9. Fatty meats and lard. They contain a lot of saturated fatty acids, which are poorly digested in the gastrointestinal tract.

Diet restrictions are not as severe as it seems at first glance. Lactating women are allowed to consume:

  1. Dairy products(yogurt, bifidokefir, fermented baked milk, yoghurts without additives), low-fat cottage cheese (5-9%), mild cheese.
  2. Meat and fish. Beef, lean pork, poultry, rabbit, river fish, and hake are suitable.
  3. Fats. All types of vegetable oil and butter.
  4. Cereals: buckwheat, millet, oatmeal, rice.
  5. Confectionery: crackers, biscuits, dry cookies, marshmallows, marshmallows, marmalade.
  6. Fruits and vegetables, except for those prohibited.
  7. Beverages. Weak green tea, still mineral water, compotes, fruit drinks, teas with thyme, oregano, mint. These medicinal plants stimulate milk production. There are also special pharmacy teas for lactating women.

In addition to drinks, instant porridges, dry protein-vitamin-mineral complexes and simply vitamins are produced for nursing mothers. All of them replenish the deficiency of nutrients in the body of women, help to recover faster after childbirth and increase the production of breast milk.

What is the best thing to bring to the maternity hospital so as not to harm the health of the mother and baby? The menu offered in the maternity hospital may not suit the young mother, because the hospital kitchen has never been famous for its delights. Therefore, close people try to surround the woman in labor with attention and give her something tasty in order to speed up the recovery of the body.

Often in maternity hospitals they check deliveries, allowing only approved delicacies through. If such control is absent, it is better for a woman to know which products are safe and which ones should be avoided.

How to eat after childbirth?

At this time, the body needs nutrients and vitamins to provide the baby with quality nutrition and to compensate for the loss of everything that the body used during pregnancy. But not all common foods are good for a woman in labor.

The need for a product can be determined taking into account the following criteria:

  • Easy to digest;
  • Utility;
  • No risk of causing allergies;
  • Food should be low-fat.

When entering the maternity ward, you need to have a chocolate bar with you to eat immediately after giving birth. It is believed that this will help the woman regain her strength.

Lists of permitted products hang in every maternity hospital.

Allowed products can be consumed without fear, as long as there are no stitches. If the birth was complicated, the food should be gentle - the woman can only have low-fat broths.

In the future, this list is expanded depending on the doctor’s recommendations.

The menu of a woman in labor differs from the usual one, but it should be assumed that the woman is responsible for the child, and some products may negatively affect his well-being.

To minimize unpleasant consequences, you need to avoid foods that contain flavorings and vinegar.

What is useful and what is harmful for a woman in labor?

You can bring to the maternity hospital:

  • Porridge cooked in water
  • Boiled beef
  • Low fat cheese
  • Kefir
  • Galette cookies
  • Steam cutlets
  • Crackers
  • Bananas
  • Apples (green only!)
  • Dried fruits (raisins and prunes, BUT not dried apricots!)
  • Mineral water
  • Cream
  • Butter
  • Marshmallows and marshmallows
  • Vegetable stew

Forbidden:

  • Juices of questionable quality
  • Sweet sodas
  • Flavored yoghurts
  • Crackers with additives
  • Smoked products
  • Canned food
  • Candies
  • Cakes
  • Citrus fruits and other fruits that may cause allergies
  • White cabbage
  • Mushrooms
  • cucumbers
  • Seafood
  • White bread
  • Whole milk
  • Raw vegetables and berries

A strict diet is required only in the first week after childbirth. In the future, the mother can gradually include familiar foods in the diet, observing how this affects the baby.

Normally, you can introduce one product per day and observe the child’s reaction for the next 24 hours.

Only after this the next product is introduced.

Such lists can be much longer. Mothers should be careful when choosing a menu, because a negative reaction can also occur to permitted products.

These simple rules will help you avoid childhood allergies.

The ban on certain foods harmful to the baby will remain for the entire period of breastfeeding.

Childbirth is a big joint effort between mother and baby. They spend almost all their strength and energy on its implementation. And then their bodies require the restoration of expended resources.

Some women want to eat immediately after giving birth, others need to sleep first. But in any case this question will arise. If, in search of an answer to this, you go to a forum or start asking among your friends what you can bring to a mother in labor at the maternity hospital, you may hear polar opinions on this matter: from “almost everything” to “almost nothing.”

And what’s most interesting is that each of these answers has its own truth. Some women don’t bother at all with what they can eat in the first days after giving birth. They eat whatever they want without experiencing any negative consequences. However, many have to maintain some kind of diet, since nutrition after childbirth greatly affects the well-being of the mother and, if she is breastfeeding, the health of the baby.

There is an opinion that you just need to listen to your body and eat what you want. This can be done if the birth went well, without complications, in particular without ruptures followed by stitches, and also if for some reason the woman does not breastfeed her newborn. Otherwise, obstetricians believe, nutrition in the first days after childbirth must be approached responsibly.

It is interesting that in each individual maternity hospital there are recommendations for postpartum nutrition that differ from each other. Therefore, it is impossible to give an exact universal list of foods that can and cannot be eaten after childbirth. It would be best to ask the medical staff what you can bring to the mother in labor at the maternity hospital.

Typically, the diet of a woman who has just given birth is dominated by liquid, nutritious, but not very fatty foods. These are slightly rich broths, thin porridge or mashed potatoes with water, fresh kefir, some drinks (birch sap, rose hip tea, chamomile).

The woman's stomach and intestines are now empty, and they should not be immediately burdened with work. In addition, the menu must contain products with a laxative effect in order to facilitate bowel movements after childbirth and prevent constipation. A good option is boiled beet salad. The issue of bowel movement is especially exciting for a woman in labor. The stitches not only hurt, but have the risk of coming apart, and therefore some new mothers are even afraid to go to the toilet after giving birth. Moreover, you can’t sit down now, which means bowel movements should happen easily, quickly and painlessly. Both liquid and laxative foods are perfect for this. 2-3 days after birth, you can add lean fish and boiled meat to the menu.

At the same time, immediately after childbirth, milk begins to flow into the breast. It should be nutritious and “safe” for the baby. This means that already in the first days after childbirth you need to eat energy-dense foods rich in nutrients. Dried apricots, raisins, nuts in very limited quantities, hard cheeses without a strong odor and spicy additives are suitable for this.

If the mother’s stool is normal and the first postpartum days have passed safely, then the question will soon arise of what you can eat after childbirth while breastfeeding, because now everything you eat will directly affect the health and well-being of the baby.

Try to exclude from the diet foods that can cause undesirable reactions from the child’s body, in particular allergies, hives, bloating and colic.

But at the same time, you need to ensure that the diet of a nursing mother is not only useful and healthy, but also varied as much as possible. That is, it is advisable to include all of the permitted products in the menu, alternating them with each other.

Doctors advise focusing on the following foods that can and should be eaten during breastfeeding:

  • Boiled and stewed vegetables: potatoes, carrots, celery, zucchini, pumpkin, beets, greens.
  • Light soups made from permitted vegetables.
  • Porridge from cereals: buckwheat, oatmeal, later add barley, millet, corn, and rarely rice.
  • Bran, yeast-free, later white bread.
  • Boiled lean meat.
  • Boiled fish (hake, pollock, cod, pike perch, carp, haddock, flounder, saury), starting with a small amount.
  • Boiled eggs - if the child does not have an allergic reaction.
  • Fresh kefir, fermented baked milk and natural yogurt.
  • Hard cheeses - without herbs and spices, in small quantities.
  • Butter and vegetable oil - without heat treatment (add them to ready-made dishes).
  • Baked apples.
  • Dried fruits (in limited quantities).
  • Seeds - only dried.
  • Nuts - carefully and little by little.
  • Galette cookies - do not overuse them.
  • Marshmallows, marmalade, marshmallows - natural and a little.
  • Dried fruit compotes.
  • Tea made from chamomile, rosehip, mint.
  • Birch juice.
  • Natural green tea without additives is not strong.

Meanwhile, a child may have an allergy or intolerance to any of the products on this list. While he will tolerate other, forbidden foods quite normally. All nutritional recommendations for nursing mothers are only indicative; you must determine what suits you and your baby best. A food diary can be a good help with this.

Mothers in labor often want something tasty after giving birth: chocolate, tangerines, buns, cookies or yogurt. You need to understand that it is better to exclude any potential allergenic foods from the menu or introduce them into the diet in extremely small quantities, monitoring the newborn’s reaction.

Thus, the list of undesirable and prohibited foods during breastfeeding includes the following:

  • Berries, vegetables and fruits are red.
  • Any raw vegetables and fruits (except bananas).
  • Citrus.
  • Imported fruits grown abroad (they are treated with chemicals during cultivation, during transportation, and during storage).
  • Onion and garlic.
  • Seafood due to its high degree of allergenicity, especially caviar, mussels, and shrimp. But certain types of fish (hake, pollock, salmon) are not only possible, but also necessary, for nursing mothers to eat boiled, as long as they do not abuse them.
  • Chocolate and anything else that contains cocoa.
  • Coffee, strong tea and other drinks with a high caffeine content.
  • Sausages.
  • Hot, spicy, salty, smoked dishes.
  • Ketchup, mayonnaise and other sauces.
  • Semi-finished and industrial products containing harmful additives.
  • Fatty and fried meat.
  • Products that cause gas formation: pearl barley, mushrooms, white cabbage, legumes, cucumbers, grapes, melon, carbonated drinks, as well as sweet baked goods, including cookies and brown bread.

As for other types of cabbage - broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi - you can try introducing them into your diet, but not in the first days after childbirth and not in raw form.

It is better to give up sugar, as it causes fermentation processes in the intestines. If drinking unsweetened tea is unbearable, then it should be sweetened with sugar syrup specially brewed for this purpose.

So, the answer to the question whether it is possible to eat borscht, watermelon, citrus fruits, chocolate, etc. after childbirth will be rather negative. Some mothers in labor use such products without consequences, but still, there are disproportionately more cases of negative reactions from the child’s body. Are you ready to experiment with your baby’s health? The decision is yours alone. But as the child grows up, prohibited foods can, of course, gradually be introduced into the diet. You should be guided by the rule: the fewer days have passed after childbirth, the stricter the diet should be when breastfeeding.

A product such as, say, honey is very healthy and nutritious, but it has a high degree of allergenicity. At the same time, not all babies “dislike” honey, and some mothers can afford to enjoy a spoonful of natural sweetness. The same can be said about pomegranate, persimmon, feijoa and other products - they are very healthy and rich in vitamins, but you can try introducing them into the diet in minimal quantities a few weeks after birth.

If you are wondering whether it is possible to eat bananas, yogurt, kefir after childbirth, then doctors say that it is possible. Just keep in mind that:

  • Fresh one-day kefir weakens the intestines, and “old” kefir strengthens it.
  • Yogurts can be consumed if they do not contain flavoring and aromatic additives, that is, only classic ones.
  • It is better to eat baked apples, and only green and yellow ones!
  • Bananas have a binding effect. If there is no constipation, then it is still better to eat no more than 2 bananas per day.
  • Cow's milk is a very strong allergen for a newborn and is difficult to digest, and therefore it is recommended to exclude it from the diet in the first months of breastfeeding or minimize its consumption.
  • The same goes for cottage cheese, if you notice that it makes your child swell. If everything is fine, choose low-fat cottage cheese for your menu.

And, of course, a good natural vitamin complex won’t hurt. It is better not to take synthetic drugs now.

Don't worry about developing a voracious appetite while breastfeeding - this is completely normal and even necessary. Firstly, breastfeeding requires a lot of energy (a significant amount of calories is burned in the process of the baby suckling at the breast). Secondly, now is not the time to think about your figure. But this does not mean at all that you can eat at random. A healthy, properly organized, balanced diet, even with an increase in calorie intake during breastfeeding, will not lead to gaining extra pounds if you consume healthy calories. On the contrary: you will notice that gradually the weight will begin to go away, the belly after childbirth will decrease.

Also drink plenty of water. On the Internet you can find recommendations that in the first day after childbirth it is better to limit fluid intake to a minimum so that the breasts do not become too full. This is true. But if you start breastfeeding, you will notice that you will become very dry. Breast-feeding really dehydrates, and fluid reserves definitely need to be replenished.

Trust your intuition, but do not ignore medical recommendations. Each mother still gets her own personal, unique experience. May it be successful for you!

Especially for - Margarita SOLOVIOVA