Motherhood: Beyond the Fourth Trimester

Beyond The Fourth Trimester - A Sustainable Approach To Health

Once the first few months with your new baby have passed you might be feeling like the haze of those early weeks has passed. You also might not be there just yet, just as each baby is different so is each pregnancy and the subsequent postpartum period. This is why it is important to be mindful of not judging how well you are doing based on other mothers who might appear to be completely back to normal with a baby who sleeps all night.

 If you are still breastfeeding, many mothers report a drop in milk supply at this point often saying that they no longer feel like their breasts are as full. This is something I experienced with my first baby and thought it meant I was losing my milk supply. It is normal for the initial fullness and engorgement to diminish as your milk supply is more established at this point, and your body has adjusted to supplying what your baby needs. If you do ever feel concerned by this your Plunket nurse, local lactation consultant or the La Leche league are a wonderful source of support & encouragement. 

Once those exhausting early months have passed many of the mothers I work with are keen to start focusing on reclaiming their pre-pregnancy bodies and to start dieting and exercising. Focusing on good nutrition and consistent exercise is hugely beneficial and has many positive health impacts such as increased energy, better sleep, improved mood and changes in body composition. 

What is really important to be mindful of, is that changes in diet and physical activity are best to be done with an incremental approach to minimise the chances of under-fuelling yourself, drops in milk supply, injuries and adding too much pressure on yourself. It also allows you to build sustainable health habits that you are more likely to maintain long term. 

I always recommend an appointment with a postpartum trained physiotherapist. They can assess your posture for diastasis recti (tummy muscle separation) and guidance on pelvic floor exercises. Women who have had caesareans often think because they haven't had a natural birth they don't need to worry about pelvic floor exercises - this isn't the case, pregnancy still takes its toll on the body so re-strengthening the pelvic floor after carrying a baby is important for all mothers. 

Working with a personal trainer that specialises in postpartum exercise is a great idea. They can ensure your exercise technique is correct to avoid injury and set an exercise program that is suitable for your current fitness level that will be mindful of the changes that need to be made to a fitness program based on your requirements postpartum.

When looking at dieting I always encourage my Mum’s take a non-diet approach to focus on improving health not through restriction but with healthy nutritional choices that improve their health status not diminish it. To achieve this we focus on a nutritional approach that has a strong focus on nutrient repletion to help the body to replete nutrients that were preferentially supplied to their growing baby.  Focusing on a diet full of whole unprocessed foods is the foundation for this. Most women find that this approach is very empowering, it leads to better satiety and self-regulation of eating over restriction then binge eating. When it comes to improving your diet always aim for progress, not perfection, and most importantly enjoy your meals! 

Adequate protein intake is essential for tissue repair and rebuilding especially when exercising. Sources of protein include meat, chicken, seafood, eggs, legumes nuts and seeds. Protein also helps to keep you feeling full for longer. I use and recommend Clean Lean Protein powder for smoothies as it is perfectly safe for breastfeeding mums. You can use the discount code ‘mela’ to save 15% at nuzest.co.nz

Eating plenty of colourful vegetables and some fruits (eat the rainbow!) is important to supply essential vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, fibre and carbohydrate. I aim to have three fist-sized servings of vegetables with lunch and dinner. 

It is important to supply yourself with some complex carbohydrate for energy and to assist with glycogen repletion after exercising. Some good sources are pumpkin, yams, kumara, and whole grains such as brown rice and quinoa. 

 Don't forget to incorporate healthy fats with each meal. Fats have been demonised and avoided for so long that many people are not aware of how important adequate fat intake is for health. Dietary fat is essential for the absorption of many nutrients, production of certain hormones, the supply of energy and support of cell growth. Good sources of healthy fats include oily fish such as salmon, extra virgin olive oil, hemp seed oil, avocado, nuts and seeds. 

Lastly don't forget to drink your water! Aim for two glasses on rising then another 2 litres throughout the day and more when exercising. If you are a breastfeeding mum aiming to have a glass of water with each feed I find keeping a water bottle close by during the day and for those night feeds is a great idea - it’s thirsty work!

In my next blog, we will take a look at the importance of mindful eating for health for yourself and as a family. If you have any questions you can find me on Instagram @melawholefoods or my email is [email protected]

Kylie Stowe

@melawholefoods 



Postpartum Nourish Bowl 

Serves 1 

Ingredients 

  • 120-150 grams of cooked sliced meat (or vegetarian alternative)
  • 2 cups of salad greens 
  • 1 cup of an assortment of diced colourful vegetables 
  • 1 palm-sized serve of cooked complex carbohydrate (pumpkin, yams, brown rice, quinoa, kumara)
  • ¼ - ½ of an avocado or 40 grams of Feta
  • 1 tbsp of hummus
  • 1tbsp toasted pumpkin & sunflower seeds
  • 2 tbsp of dressing of your choice.

 

Method

Arrange all of the ingredients in a bowl, season, drizzle with dressing and enjoy!

My favourite dressing is made with extra virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar & wholegrain mustard. To change up the flavours you can coat your protein in different herbs and spices the one pictured is Moroccan chicken.