Survival Tips for the New Momma
Baby has arrived! How do you thrive with the lack of sleep, constant feedings and other chores?
With Food! Glorious foooooood!
Parents, especially first timers, are thrown into a whole new routine once the babe arrives and the last thing I want is for them to crash and burn. So during the 3rd trimester, start planning simple, healthy ways to eat during those first few crazy months.
Breastfeeding women are looking to consume 600 more calories per day. Even if you’re not breastfeeding, you still want to consume 300 more calories per day like you did during pregnancy. Depending on your height, weight, age, and activity level, this could put your daily caloric intake at 2200-2600.
If you begin exercising while breastfeeding, your daily caloric intake will increase to 2800-3000 calories, or more depending on your activity type.
Do NOT cut calories while breastfeeding. Think about it, your body is:
- Keeping you alive and breathing
- Recovering from being pregnant for ~40 weeks
- Producing food for your baby
- If you start exercising, it has to repair damage and refuel muscles, ligaments, and bones.
It’s not recommended women cut calories until the baby starts weaning. Your body is doing A LOT of things and it needs fuel to run. Don’t sacrifice your energy, sanity or joy by cutting calories just yet.
The consequences of decreasing your calories too soon could range from energy crash to horrible mood swings, fatigue, over-training symptoms, injuries, mental fog, and more. Your beautiful bod needs sustenance, don’t deprive it!
Maximum efficiency is going to be your best friend when you have little time to prep, eat, and clean up. This means you want what you put in your mouth to have significantly high nutritional value. That’s why I suggest these 3 things:
Hydration
Your body is mostly comprised of water and your breast milk is liquid. If you don’t have enough water, your breast milk can decrease, your energy drops, your mood fluctuates, and other more serious issues can arise.
My tip: drink at least 8oz of coconut water per day in addition to .5-1 gallon of water. Coconut water contains vitally important electrolytes for all of us. Hydration can wash lot of your vitamins and minerals (micronutrients) out, so they need to get replaced. Coconut water, a multi-mineral supplement, sea salt, seaweed, and a great variety of fruits and vegetables will help keep you balanced.
Powdered Super Greens
It’s going to be difficult to get enough leafy greens in your diet, which gives you an excellent array of micronutrients. Smoothies are an ‘on the go’ meal option when they contain organic baby kale, spinach, fruit and other ingredients like protein powder, chia seeds, peanut butter, etc.
My tip: If smoothies are too much to take on, simplify with an organic green super food like Spirulina capsules. Consuming the components that plants and algae are made from are supremely beneficial to us. Chlorophyll encourages healing, promotes cleansing of toxins, protects DNA, and is a powerful anti-oxidant. Spirulina has anti-inflammatory properties, is another anti-oxidant, and has anti-cancer properties.
Fat
A refresher on what fat does for you; hormones, that make your body function properly, run on fat. Your brain runs on fat. Your breast milk includes fat. Calcium needs fat to properly absorb into your bones. Your skin needs fat to protect itself from sun damage. And the list goes on!
To consume more calories, especially 600+ more, you’re going to look to whole food sources of fat. Fat is higher in calories per gram than protein and carbohydrates meaning you don’t need as much. High fat foods to consume include:
– Bacon
– Eggs
– Avocadoes
– Grass-fed butter
– Animal lard
– Coconut milk (from a can)/coconut manna
– Nuts
– Nut butters
– Fatty proteins like chicken thighs, skin on, bone in
– Hollandaise sauce
– Full fat dairy like full fat greek yogurt, 4% cottage cheese, heavy cream, cheese
My tip: Eat when you’re hungry, stop when you’re full. Repeat. Stress can decrease hunger signals so make sure you’re eating at least 2 hours after you wake up and consistently ‘grazing’ through the day. Don’t go all day only drinking coffee woman!!
BONUS TIP! When you cook, prepare enough food, especially protein, for 4-6 people so you have left overs for the next couple days. This will save you when you’re rushing to eat but don’t have time to cook!