My Postpartum Diet (2nd pregnancy)

So a very common question that I get is, what should I eat post delivery. There is no right or wrong and every family has their own postpartum diet do’s and dont’s. Due to the pandemic, a lot of girls I know did not have the privilege of having their family over for help post their baby’s birth. I wanted to create this post for those who could use this as a resource for their postpartum recovery.

Prior to delivery, I had the liberty to eat anything and everything based on my craving. The day before my delivery, I had everything that I was craving for. Mom made my most favorite masala rice. I asked my mother in law to make me my favorite spicy Pomphret. I sort of knew that tomorrow is the day and soon I’ll be put on a restricted diet. According to the Indian culture, much prominence is given to the postpartum period. This period is considered a sensitive time for mothers, particularly for the digestive system. There is a strong emphasis on simple, digestible foods. Traditionally, mothers are given hot oil massages daily. They are given a number of herbal drinks to promote healing, boost their immunity and improve milk supply. It is very important to know which food items can be consumed, and should be consumed, primarily, as part of a postnatal diet. My mom says the postpartum care is as good as a rebirth. Your body has gone through labor and pushed a whole another human out of your body. Your pelvis, gut, uterus and mind needs a reset and a road to recovery.

More than giving birth to baby what intimidates the new moms are the confinement period rules. The Forty Days of the rest period of the mother after delivery to keep the mother and child away from infections is known as the ‘confinement period’ during postpartum. Few restrictions are also induced during this period to avoid future health problems for the mother and child. I have to take extra care as it’s winters here and the temperature drops below 20 degree F.

Postnatal massages are so important and very rarely talked about here. My mom and sister massaged me every single day. It helps with regaining your strength back. Oil massages are known to increase blood circulation, relieve tension in muscles and melt away stress. Postnatal oil massages will soothe your aching body and ease the process of recovery. It is also known to increase production of oxytocin that will result in better breast milk flow. Moreover, considering your body just went through a major transformation, oil massage is the right step forward towards regaining your old health and glow. We used “Kirkland organic coconut oil” for the massages.

There is a popular belief that food eaten by breastfeeding mums have effect on their newborn. While there are also some theories which suggests that mum’s food & breastfeeding have no connection, I do believe that the food we eat did have an effect on baby’s behavior & made them gassy, uncomfortable. I did follow a restricted diet regime for the first 30 days. It’s good to wait for a month at least for the baby’s gentle gut to strengthen a bit. I did get bored of the monotony but I would eat a bite or two of pizza or Thai food to fulfill my taste buds.

Eating light, easy to digest food is important. Lots of Green leafy vegetables, vegetables from the squash family (Bottle gourd, galka, toro, zucchini) moong beans (dal), and whole-wheat bread, Bajra, Jowar and nachni are all good choices. I avoided cabbage, broccoli, beans and Toor dal, chickpea, beans as these are considered harder to digest and create gas in the body. Also avoid anything sour, like tomatoes, tamarind, lemon, and oranges for the first few weeks as they may slow down the healing process.

Particular foods that speed up recovery and increase the production of breast milk are recommended in the Indian style of postpartum care. Foods that are consumed should be easily digestible and should keep the body warm. Here’s what I ate in a day for the first 30 days of my postpartum diet:

1. Ajwain water: I start my day a hot cup of this. My mom roasted ajwain, crushed them and stored them in a jar. Every morning she would boil it in 2 cups of water and reduce it to one, add 1 tsp of ghee. Benefit: helps with healthy gut, treats gas and digestion.
2. Sunth and ganthoda balls: My mom had prepared the sunth and ganthoda (also known as peepramul) balls in ghee and jaggery. I would consume 2 of these every morning.
3. Katlu: This is a traditional recipe for nursing mothers. It supplements the nutritional needs of women during the postnatal period and induce lactation. My aunt from India made this and sent for me. Typically it’s eaten in lad form but honestly I am not a fan of this taste. My mom would roast 2 spoons of this in ghee, add a cup of water and make me drink it every morning. Katlu is prepared with a ton of nutrient rich ingredients . Ghee, kopra (dry coconut), gond, almonds, Desi Gunder, khus khus and a mix called Batrisu (Batris means 32 in Gujarati) that includes 32 herbs and spices are used liberally in this body warming preparation.
4. Boiled Fenugreek water: My mother soaked a spoon of methi seeds in a cup of water and boiled that water in the morning. I drank that and also chewed the seeds the first thing in the morning.
5. Soaked Dry fruits: 2 Anjeers, 2 dates, 6 black raisins, 5 almonds, 1 walnut and 4 cashew nuts. I would eat these after I finished my methi water, ajwain water and Katlu.
6. Bajra Raab: My mom would prepare Bajra Raab for me every morning. It also included khas khas, ALIV SEEDS, almonds and coconut and milk. Bajra is considered to be one of the lactation boosting super food. Aliv or also known as garden cress seeds are again considered magical for lactating mothers and helps with postpartum hair loss.
7. Digestion powder: My mother prepared a mixture of ajwain. fennel and cumin. Consuming a spoon of this powder with hot water after each meal helps with gas and boosts metabolism.
8. Drinking Water: I would have boiled water with ajwain seeds and dill seeds. Take a huge pot of water and boil it with 1 spoon of ajwain and 1 spoon of dill seeds. Stay hydrated as it does affect your milk supply.
9. Milk with hot ghee: To avoid constipation, the best solution is before going to bed, have a hot a glass of milk; add half tsp of ghee, mix it well and chug it down. Trust me, you’d be super relieved the next morning.
10. Breakfast Ideas: For the first few weeks, I’d be super full with the Raab and I’d directly eat lunch. Upma (watery consistency) is again a good option.
11. Lunch: Bajra rotlas with green leafy vegetable, mung dal. 2 spoons of jaggery with hot ghee. I avoided wheat for the first few weeks postpartum and stuck to Bajra.
12. Snack: Vegetable soup.
13. Dinner: Light mung dal khichdi with ghee/ green cooked vegetable.
14. Dry fruits dates Nutri bar: My mom also made this amazing nutrition bar with lots of dry fruits, dates, khas khas (known as poppy seeds), jaggery and lots of ghee. It is definitely super high calorie but required for the initial days of recovery.

You do hit the monotony by consuming the same food on a daily basis but it’s super helpful to reset your gut with simple foods. I did have cheat days where I’d take a bite or two of Thai or Mexican food.

I hope this post helps. If you have any questions, please leave them below in the comments section.

1. 

   There is evidently a bunch to identify about this. I suppose you made various nice points in features also.