• 5 fruit and/or vegetable servings.

• 2 meat, fish or nut and pulse servings

• 5 servings of dairy or calcium rich foods.

• 4 servings of bread, cereals and potatoes.

When baby starts to take solids the amount of milk she drinks will gradually reduce. Be guided once again by your appetite and adjust your diet accordingly making sure to include a variety of different foods.

Iron is important for the manufacturing of red blood cells- they carry oxygen around your body. It is found in red meat, green leafy vegetables, dried fruits, nuts, lentils, pulses, eggs, fortified breakfasts and seeds. Iron needs vitamin C to be absorbed by the gut. So, eat a portion of fruit after your meal or a drink of fruit juice. Tea and coffee prevent your body from absorbing iron properly. (Hurrell et al, 1999. Zijp et al, 2000). Avoid drinking them with your meal or soon after especially if you are anaemic (that’s when your blood has a reduced number of red blood cells which means that oxygen isn’t transported around your body as it should be, making you feel tired and low). (Zijp et al, 2000).

Calcium is essential for healthy bones. Your bones reach their full density at around 30 years of age and after that there is a lot of maintenance to do! It is therefore vital that your diet includes the correct amount of calcium whilst you are breastfeeding as babies bones grow rapidly. Baby will take what calcium it needs at the expense of your own bone density if your diet is deficient in calcium. Calcium is found in milk, cheeses (especially hard cheeses), yoghurt, sardines with bones, ice cream, milky puddings, bread (especially white bread), spring greens, broccoli, baked beans, peanuts, almonds, brazil nuts, dried apricots, figs, dates, oranges and prawns.

Eating 5 servings of calcium rich foods daily will make sure that your baby’s bones are healthy, and yours too! When baby has stopped breastfeeding eating at least 3 servings of foods containing calcium every day will help protect you from osteoporosis (brittle bones) later in life. This generally affects menopausal women but by putting in the work now you will be protecting the future health of your bones.

Activity is also important for bone strength, and a little sunlight. Vitamin D is made by the action of sunlight on the skin and is needed for the absorption of calcium. But don’t sun bathe, being outside is enough.

This information has been checked over by our dieticians-so it should be kosher!

Eating sensibly will benefit both you and baby. Your body needs time to recuperate and adjust to being back to normal (if there is such a thing after having a baby!) Take care not to drink too much tea, coffee and cola as they have stimulants in them- alcohol also comes out in the breast milk, so only an occasional glass of wine! Your fluid intake will automatically increase, let your thirst guide you and drink plenty of water.

EXERCISE

You will probably come home with an exercise booklet from the hospital physiotherapists. These exercises are very important, as they will help you to target and exercise specific muscle groups, and are aimed at getting you back into shape. The exercises to tone up your pelvic floor (the set of muscles that baby barges through during the birth) are particularly important as they support your bladder and womb (or uterus) and will need to for the rest of your life. Along with these (when you feel up to it) include a walk into your daily routine. You may feel too tired some days. Don’t worry. 20 minutes of fairly brisk buggy pushing (so that you are a little breathless, not on your knees!) 3 times a week will do very nicely and you will probably enjoy it!

Hurrell RF. Reddy M. and Cook JD. (1999). Inhibition of non-haem iron absorption in man by polyphenolic-containing beverages. British Journal of Nutrition. 81, 289-295.

Zijp IM. Korver O. Tijburg LB. (2000). Effect of tea and other dietary factors on iron absorption. Critical Rev Food Sci Nutrition. Sept: 40(5): 371-98.