Being pregnant, having a baby, and then caring for that baby can all be very hard on your body. To be performing at your best, you have to know how to take care of yourself during each of these times in your life and in the life of your child.
To help you with this as you deal with being postpartum and nursing your newborn baby, here are three tips for caring for your body while you’re a breastfeeding mother.
Get Enough To Drink Each Day
When you were pregnant, you were likely told that it was important for you to keep yourself hydrated. Well, now that you’ve delivered your baby, hydration is still very important, especially when breastfeeding.
According to the Mayo Clinic, you should be drinking enough water each day that you don’t ever actually feel thirsty and that your urine never appears dark yellow. If either one of these things is happening, you’re not getting the water that your body and your baby needs to breastfeed effectively.
So to keep yourself, your baby, and your breasts as healthy as possible—even though you might find yourself wanting to get some help from a plastic surgeon once you’re done nursing—make sure you’re getting your recommended daily amount of water. Because if you’re not properly hydrated, you’re going to have a hard time producing the milk that your little one so desperately needs.
Be Wary Of Dieting
When you were pregnant, you likely put on a few pounds over the nine-month process. And while some women seem to drop their baby weight very quickly, especially if they breastfeed, others don’t have that same experience. But as much as you might like to buckle down and lose that baby weight fast, while you’re nursing isn’t the best time to be putting yourself on a strict diet.
According to Alina Petre, a contributor to Healthline.com, nursing mothers need to be eating at least 1,500 calories per day to keep up their milk supply. While this is the bare minimum, you should shoot to be eating more like 1,800 calories or more. So rather than trying to diet by cutting calories, just make sure you’re eating healthy foods in proper proportions if you’re worried about keeping your weight down.
Practice Proper Hygiene
Having a newborn means you’re going to be up close and personal with their spit up, urine, feces, snot, and much more. And if you’re nursing, you’re also going to be dealing with breast milk as well. So while it might seem like fighting a losing battle, Melissa Kotlen, a contributor to Very Well Family, shares that you need to practice proper hygiene both for your own health and for the health of your baby. This means that you shower often, cleanse your breasts regularly, and keep your breasts clean and dry.
If you’re unsure about the best ways to care for your body when you’re breastfeeding, consider implementing the tips mentioned above.
Leave a Reply