As with your pregnancy days, a new mother might also face a manifold increase in their hunger and appetite. This is actually the time that women can gain up to 20 pounds within a few months, the weight that you might have a hard time losing later. Lactating and breastfeeding mothers feel hungrier than any other women in this world, and cravings for unhealthy food can also increase at this time. 

While you can eat more than your regular calories during this time, it is also important that you choose the healthiest options available to you. Anything unhealthy will not only be harmful to you, but also uncomfortable for your breastfed baby. Even if you are not breastfeeding your bay, your meals need to be nutritious and filling to help you recover from your pregnancy and childbirth. 

Here is a complete list of everything a new mother needs the first few months after childbirth. 

  • Protein-enriched Foods 

Everything that’s rich in protein or has protein in it should constitute of half your individual servings. Beans, lean meats, seafood, eggs, poultry, soy – at least one of these ingredients should be present on your plate every time you eat something. Every new mother needs at least 5 servings of protein every day, seven if you are breastfeeding. 

Lean beef is a great source of protein and iron, and also helps in producing breastmilk to keep up with a newborn’s needs. 

  • Low-fat Dairy Products 

When you are a new mother, you need at least 3 servings of dairy every day. This includes low-fat dairy, Greek yogurt, cheese, and seafood. Dairy products will provide you with the Vitamins B and D, and protein that you need, besides calcium. 

If you are breastfeeding, your baby will draw their need for calcium from your own body, just like during pregnancy. Unless your daily meals consist of significant amounts of calcium, your own bones and limbs will suffer. Whether you are using butter to fry your vegetables or adding milk to your fruit smoothies, there should be at least 1000mg of calcium every day. 

  • Beans, Seeds, and Nuts 

Collectively, these are also known as legumes, i.e. the non-meat sources of protein. Just like meat, egg, and seafood, legumes should be a part of your everyday diet. Including main courses and snacks, a breastfeeding woman should eat at least seven servings of legumes daily. 

Kidney beans, red beans, black beans, lentils, alfalfa, peas, sweet peas, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, peanuts, almonds, cashew nuts, macadamia nuts – these are all excellent sources of protein that you should keep around the house and include in your meals every day. 

Not just for the baby, these legumes are also important for the new mother to regain your energy and strength after childbirth. 

  • Brown Rice and Brown Bread 

You need a minimal amount of brown bread and brown rice to keep your energy levels up while breastfeeding. Even when made from whole-wheat, these are carbohydrates that will add extra calories to your body and slow down losing weight. However, these first few months are not the right time to think about losing weight, as a little carbohydrate is needed for your body to function properly. 

Brown rice is a low GI food and will actually help your body to produce more milk for the baby. 

  • Oranges and other Vitamin-C Enriched Fruits 

Breastfeeding women need their daily doses of Vitamin C more than pregnant women, which oranges can provide perfectly. Besides oranges, Vitamin C can also be found in tangerines, lemons, kiwi, guava, papaya and strawberries, and a few vegetables like Brussel sprouts, capsicums, broccoli, cauliflower, and cantaloupes. 

A glass of freshly squeezed orange juice can meet all your Vitamin-C requirements of the day. 

  • Whole-grain Cereals 

Oatmeal, muesli and other whole-grain cereals won’t just fill your stomach, but give you the energy to face the day. Besides, most prominent bands of cereal are fortified with iron and calcium that will also give you energy. With skim milk and a handful of berries, you can have a very filling breakfast in the morning. 

  • Eggs 

More than one egg should be present in your meals every day. Boiled, scrambled or as an omelette, eggs that are enriched with Omega-3 fatty acids and Vitamin-D are even better to give you energy. A boiled egg for breakfast is the best way that you can start your day, full of enthusiasm you need. 

  • Mushrooms 

Some mushrooms, not all, are known to be lactogenic foods and a good source of polysaccharide beta-glucan. The same nutrition is also present in barley, oats, algae/seaweed, and yeast, and can increase breastmilk production. Shiitake, shimeji, reishi, maitake and oyster mushrooms are the ones that have this lactogenic nutrition in abundance.

  • Salmon

Salmon is a superfood when it comes to nutrition; it is loaded with a particular fatty acid known as DHA, which is crucial for the baby’s nervous system. While your breastmilk already contains DHA, it is enhanced when you add salmon to your diet. This particular fish is also very helpful if you are suffering from postpartum depression, as it plays a very important role in elevating your mood. 

However, like many other kinds of seafood, salmon contains mercury and should be limited to only two servings in a week. 

  • Root Vegetables 

Most root vegetables, namely beets, carrots, onions, yams, sweet potatoes, ginger, turnip, radishes, garlic, and fennel are considered to be lactogenic foods, perfect for breastfeeding mothers. It is especially the red and orange root vegetables (carrots, beets, and yams) that had been popular as a superfood for lactating and breastfeeding mothers for hundreds of years. 

  • Seeds 

All the edible seeds from fruits and vegetables – namely, pumpkin, sesame and sunflower seeds, flax seeds and hemp seeds, chia seeds, etc. – are a concentrated source of protein, zinc, calcium, and iron. Seeds have been consumed as snacks for centuries by lactating mothers to increase breastmilk production, and are great when you want to munch on something. 

  • Turmeric 

Turmeric isn’t actually food but mostly used as a spice in the Indian subcontinent, to add flavour and nutrition to food. Turmeric has excellent anti-inflammatory properties that can positively affect the production of breastmilk. This spice also helps if your newborn baby has a cold or cough, and to boost their immune system. 

Turmeric can be added to a glass of milk before drinking or added to stir-fried vegetables and curries. 

Both for a new mother and a breastfeeding mother, it is extremely important that you choose healthy ingredients and foods for yourself and your baby. This is a very vulnerable time for a woman when they are recovering from their pregnancy and childbirth, as well as for the new baby who is also vulnerable their first months in this world. The right foods can both fill you and keep you healthy, strong and energetic.