Recently I reconnected with a good friend who recently had a baby that is now six months old. She was excited to get out of the house and spend time with our circle of gal pals. Out of the group, we are the only two moms. It had been long time since she was able to join us for an outing.
Recalling life with a newborn, I asked how she was doing and she said she was extremely tried and was having a hard time remembering to feed herself throughout the day.
Mmmm.....Sounds familiar.
She was tall and slim so it not appear that weight reduction was a concern.
I have met a good many new moms in a similar situation whose role seems so demanding that self nourishment typically was last on their priority list.
My suggestion to her was to try to prepare food for herself when her daughter was sleeping like cutting a variety of vegetables and storing them in zip lock bags; making a sandwich when warming a baby bottle or organizing simple nutritious meals the night before that she can warm up in the microwave.
For those of you who remember to eat and looking to get back to your pre-pregnancy weight, here are some simple suggestions:
- Eat breakfast daily, it may help to control hunger later in the day
- Choose skim, 1% or 2% milk and water over sugary juice / pop drinks
- Eat veggies and fruit at all meals and also for snacks
Of course, it is always a good idea to talk to your doctor about your individual nutritional needs so you stay healthy.
It's only natural to want to give a lion's share of time and attention to baby. New moms often need to be reminded that one needs adequate nourishment to be in top form for the time-consuming 24/7 role. Practicing such self-love is good for baby too.
My daughter was born, unbeknownst to us, with a Transposition of the Great Arteries (TGA), a Ventrical Septal Defect (VSD) and Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) and a PatentDuctus Arteriosus PDA); all types of congential heart conditions. In simpler terms, her aorta and pulmonary arteries were on backwards which, by itself, would be lethal if not immediately, then within hours after birth. With the arteries in opposite positions, her body was not receiving oxygenated blood. The additional defects she was born with meant she had several holes within her heart which allowed the oxygen to mix sufficiently enough to keep her alive until her surgery.
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