Introduction: The nutritional status of a new mum is very important not just for her sake but also for her baby. Breastfeeding makes it important for new mums to eat healthy and balanced diet so that they and their babies can be healthy. This does not mean ‘eating for two’ as most people assume; the extra food required to produce enough breast milk for the baby is just about one quarter extra compared to what a woman would normally eat without nursing a baby. Otherwise, the woman will gain too much weight and this could pose as a risk of chronic diseases later in life.
Weight control should not start until two months after delivery and it should be gradual in order to avoid delayed recovery of the woman’s body and undernourishment of the baby. The major steps involved in weight control for new mums include exclusive breastfeeding, eating a healthy and balanced diet, getting adequate physical activities and planned exercise and effective stress management.
Exclusive breastfeeding
A new mom who wishes to control her weight should breastfeed her baby any time she demands for it. The fat deposited in a woman’s body during pregnancy is converted to energy that is necessary for milk production; therefore active breastfeeding helps a new mom to lose part of the fat stored in pregnancy.
Healthful and balanced diet
Diet should consist of highly nutritious foods to keep energy high, milk production stable and control weight. There is no need to count calories, a woman’s appetite can be a guide as long as she doesn’t indulge in high calorie, high fat junks.
Don’t skip meals.
Skipping meal especially breakfast is a wrong method of losing weight. New moms should eat breakfast and eat small portions regularly. The body interprets skipping meals as an emergency and therefore holds on to any food consumed later, putting the body in a non-losing fat mode, in preparation for another emergency. Any method of losing weight that drastically reduces calorie intake or puts the body in a state of starving makes one lose weight initially but finds it difficult to sustain it since the loss is both fat and muscle. Muscle is needed to burn calories therefore one should not do anything that will make her lose muscle tissue. Moreover, when one consumes fewer calories, there’s a tendency to be less active, which probably stems from biological programming to preserve body weight for survival. The metabolism slows down to keep the person going on less food. This may result in little or no weight loss even if she is taking only fruit/vegetable and water.
Drinks
Fluids are very important and a new mon needs more than 3 liters of water per day. She should keep water close to her all the time so that she will not be tempted to drink carbonated sweetened drinks.
Carbonated sweetened drinks contain a lot of sugar and if the energy provided from the sugar exceeds the energy utilized, it’s deposited as fat in the body leading to weight gain. The diet drinks are also dangerous to one’s weight even though they don’t contain sugar. The chemical sweeteners which give them sweet flavour causes increased appetite with accompanying weight gain. Moreover, most carbonated soft drinks contain one or more of three common acids: citric acid, carbolic acid and phosphoric acid which are very dangerous to the body. They make the body acidic and therefore susceptible to excess weight gain and many diseases.
Anytime you feel like taking a drink, take water first. If you don’t like drinking ordinary water, mix a little lime or orange juice with it. Don’t store carbonated soft drinks in your fridge or room. If they are available close to you, it will be easy to reach out for them. Take fresh fruit juices and smoothies instead of soft drinks or packaged juice. Mix the drink with water if it’s difficult to desist from taking it.
Fruits and vegetables
The new mum should take at least five portions of fruits and vegetables per day. A serving size for fruit or vegetables is about one-half cup. Green vegetables like spinach and lettuce have a serving size equal to one full cup. One serving of sliced fruit is equal to one-half cup; however a single piece of fruit, such as an apple or orange counts as one serving.The fruits stimulate the five senses and make metabolism to kick off easily. They provide vitamins and minerals which prevent several diseases including obesity. They contain a lot of fibers which help in losing weight. Melon, watermelon, garden egg or egg plant facilitate the elimination of wastes and blood impurities such as uric acid from the body. When wastes are removed from the body, it becomes easier to lose weight. Pineapple, pawpaw, and okra aid digestion. When the digestive system is working smoothly, the body naturally adjusts itself to the ideal weight as long as one is not consuming excess calories.
It is wiser to eat fruits before a meal (at least 30 minutes, fruits like bananas will require at least forty minutes) rather than as a final complement to a full meal, unlike what most people practised in the past. This is because fruit usually digest and leave the system faster than other foods thereby increasing the transit time of the other foods. Increased transit time is not healthy.
Legumes, grains and nuts
Consuming legumes such as beans, soya beans, nuts and whole grains regularly is a good method of weight control. They supply proteins and many vitamins which can help the new mum recover faster. When legumes /nuts are combined with grains, the quality of protein produced by the two groups becomes complete. Legumes and whole grains also contain fiber which is important in weight control. The World Health Organization recommended that 50% of all grains eaten should be whole grains. Anyone who desires to control weight should desist from processed foods especially refine grains such as white bread, pastries, biscuits, packaged cereals etc.
Sugar, sweet and fat
Avoid or limit sugar, sweets and fat. Use little oil in cooking and avoid fried foods. Use Low-fat or fat-free milk and dairy products. Remove visible fat from meat and eat more fish than meat.
Physical activities and planned exercises
The World Health Organization recommends at least thirty (30) minutes of moderate exercise for at least 5 days a week for adults in order to live healthy. The thirty minutes can be divided into two or three sessions. What is important is to get at least 150 minutes in a week. New mums should try to do many things manually and get involved in planned exercises after three months. The exercise shouldn’t be vigorous, moderate types like brisk walking, swimming and cycling are good. I think exercises are more effective when done in the morning. It is also important to choose the type of exercise that you enjoy. Drink a lot of water before and after the exercise and don’t eat immediately before (at least 2 hours) and after (at least 30 mins) exercise.
Stress management tips
Most people in our generation always try to do too many things within a short time and therefore always in a hurry. The desire to accomplish several things produces a false sense of urgency making one to work harder and faster. The result of this fast spaced lifestyle is stress which leads to different problems. Stress is the body’s automatic natural response to any physical or mental demand placed on it. When the demand is not too much it is called ‘eustress’. Eustress can make one to be motivated and work harder hence become more productive. However when the demand is too much, the effect becomes ‘distress’ and it becomes counterproductive. If the distress persists for a long time, it can lead to different health problems including overweight and obesity.
Many people who have not learnt to control stress lose control over their weight; they either become very slim or very fat. Therefore there’s a need to manage stress and find a balance in life.
New mums should cultivate the right attitude, speak positively, avoid hurrying, be organized and these will help them to manage their weights while negative attitudes will cause increase stress hormones and make weight management difficult.
It is important for new mums to get adequate refreshing sleep. Sleep is very important in calming down the body and hence in controlling stress. Breastfeeding disrupts sleep therefore the new mums should ensure that they get as much sleep as possible when the baby is sleeping. They should arrange for assistance with regards to domestic chores so that they can afford to sleep whenever baby is asleep.
Conclusion
New moms should not start weight control until two months after pregnancy and it should gradual so that the mother will recover fast and the baby’s nutrition will not be compromised. Weight loss goals should also be realistic depending on the person’s weight before and during pregnancy.
For more information, please read Dr Folu Olatona’s three health books entitled’ Healthy Diet and Weight Control Tips, Rich or Poor, Your Child Can Be Malnourished and Stress Less, Enjoy Better Health’.