Post-Miscarriage: What to Eat to Recover Properly

We are sorry that something so heartbreaking happened. If you’re here, chances are you are looking it up for yourself or someone dear to you who has gone through a miscarriage.

Did you know that, while it may not look like a lot in statistics, miscarriage is unfortunately quite common among pregnant women? In Singapore, a rough estimate suggests that 10 to 20 out of every 100 pregnancies end in a miscarriage.

Many women resume their pre-pregnancy lifestyle immediately following a miscarriage. While they may feel fine doing so, there are better ways to go through it

Someone who has been pregnant, regardless of the outcome of the pregnancy, should be treated and looked after with similar care and attention as someone who practices confinement.

The reality is that your body is undergoing a huge transformation. A miscarriage may affect one in more ways than meets the eye. It may also take a toll on your body, depending on how far along you were when it occurred.

Post-miscarriage symptoms may be remarkably similar to postpartum symptoms. In fact, just like the confinement period, the physical effects of a miscarriage may take up to six weeks to be treated. 

This is to be expected as your body has already adjusted and adapted itself to becoming a home for a growing baby. Hence, it is encouraged that you plan a healthy diet similar to one intended for recovering from childbirth, such as that of a Chinese confinement diet.

So, the main question is: what to eat after a miscarriage for fast recovery? Let’s dive right in with the list of confinement food for miscarriage recovery:

To increase your red blood cell count and blood production in your body, you will need to increase your intake of iron, folate and Vitamin B12.

The best part is that there are many delicious iron-rich foods available, including red meat, fish, and leafy greens like spinach and kale. All of these are prominent sources of iron, which work in your red blood cells to transport oxygen throughout your body.

Eating nutritious foods that are high in iron can also substantially reduce your risk of anaemia and prevent fatigue. Additionally, try to drink traditional blood-nourishing drinks like red dates tea on a daily basis.

Food to boost blood production

Incorporating foods high in Vitamin C levels would aid the body’s absorption of iron for better blood production. Foods that are rich in folate would also play a part in replenishing the blood.

Additionally, Vitamin C can hasten the formation of collagen and heal your wounds.

So, increase your intake of foods rich in Vitamin C like cauliflower, papaya, and broccoli. Foods that are rich in folate are Spinach, Amaranth, Broccoli and Kailan.

Food to repair body tissues

Miscarriage confinement food includes food to repair body tissues. Here’s why.

After a pregnancy loss, your womb expels tissues that may resemble a foetus or a fully formed baby – depending on how far along you were. As this occurs, your body will continue to work on repairing and building more tissues, which you could assist with the right foods. Foods that are a good source of Protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Copper and Zinc just to name a few. These are foods that help to rebuild collagen and promote wound healing.

Protein is among the best. In fact, it is good if your protein portion is at least 1 fourth of your plate. Lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs, beans, and soy products are excellent sources of protein and zinc. Just make sure to remove the fats and skin from the meat you’re eating so that you’re getting mostly protein and not the extra fats. It is important to include fruits and vegetables in your diet too as these are foods that would also be able to provide you vitamins A and C. 

Food to give you energy

Even if you have plenty of time to rest, it will not be enough to recharge your batteries. That is why carbohydrates are also on your list of foods to eat.

The main function of carbs is to provide energy to your body, which you truly need after what you’ve been through. If you deprive your body of its main source of fuel, you may be too weak to carry out your daily routine.

Carbohydrates’ primary role is to supply energy to your body, which you desperately require after everything you’ve been through. Regular carbohydrate intake also helps to regulate energy levels and insulin levels in the body. Insulin regulation is not only beneficial for regulating energy levels, it also regulates oestrogen levels too.

However, if you want to limit refined carbs like white flour, white bread, white rice, and sweets, you can substitute them with whole-wheat pasta, brown rice and whole-wheat bread. If you want to add more variety, some starchy vegetables, such as potatoes and corn, also make good sources of carbs.

If you’re unable to cut refined cold turkey, it’s always a good idea to start minimising it. One good tip is to try mixing your white rice with some wholegrains and gradually increasing your wholegrains from there as you tolerate more. Other complex carbohydrates you can also consider mixing with your white rice are starchy vegetables, such as pumpkin and maize as an extra variety.

Food to decrease milk supply

If you were already far along when it occurred, you might still lactate after the loss.

So, to alleviate the aches in your breasts caused by blocked milk ducts and to prevent engorgement, you can place cold cabbage over your breast to help ease the engorgement and reduce your milk supply. 

On the other hand, if you have an overabundance of breast milk supply and you would like to reduce it, foods like parsley and peppermint are known to help a lot.

Food to lift your mood

Food to lift your mood, also known as “comfort food.”

Miscarriages are always more difficult to cope with emotionally. That is exactly why you should eat foods that can boost the production of feel-good hormones. One such food is dark chocolate as it contains magnesium which has been found to potentially reduce depressive symptoms, especially in women who had an increased intake of magnesium.

According to research, there are also other foods, salmon that are claimed to be helpful in providing antioxidants and neuroprotective effects from depression in the brain.

Besides, omega 3-DHA-rich fish is one of these foods. Omega 3-DHA has anti-inflammatory properties. Researchers find that mothers with adequate intake of Omega 3-DHA are associated with a lower prevalence of postpartum depression or anxiety. This is probably due to how adequate intake of Omega 3-DHA helps to reduce inflammation caused by depression. 

Food to decrease fatigue

If you’re the queasy sort, now might be a good time to stop reading.

No? You’re still reading? Alright, we tried warning you.

There is a lot of bleeding following a miscarriage.

Ladies should eat iron-rich foods during this time. Bleeding depletes the body’s iron stores, which can lead to anaemia. It is also very natural to feel fatigued and weak following a miscarriage. It also helps your body to build new red blood cells to transport oxygen throughout your body.

Iron-rich foods include beans, green leafy vegetables like spinach and kale, pulses, pumpkin seeds, brown rice, innards, pork, chicken, eggs and beef.

If you’re looking at our Tian Wei menu, then there’s the Braised White Vermicelli with Pork Liver, Stir Fried Snow Peas and Pork Liver with D.O.M, and our Fortune Herbal Chicken (G), just to name a few dishes that are high in Iron.

Additionally, according to Traditional Chinese Medicine, blood-nourishing beverages such as red dates tea on a regular basis may be helpful too.

Also, to cover all bases, if you are still consulting with your doctor, be sure to also check your iron levels. You wouldn’t want iron deficiency, after all. What your doctor might advise is to take some iron supplements as well. Note that that’s what we logically think that your doctor might advise. Don’t just take our word for it. Actually, consult your doctor to be sure that there are no underlying health issues that need attending to.

Get adequate hydration

Next up, we have the need to keep ourselves properly hydrated.

It is said that the human body is mostly made up of water (mostly, not wholly). So, it should be no surprise then that blood loss also counts as fluid loss. Then there’s a possibility that your body will start lactating on its own which contributes as well to more fluid leaving your body…not to mention all those tears you’ve been leaking lately.

Now, while Iron and Vitamin C can help with rebuilding your body and healing wounds, all of that is for nought if you are severely dehydrated. Just a little side note here, dehydration can cause constipation and headaches. So, feel free to keep a bottle of water nearby to sip on at regular intervals.

Say that water is too bland and you’d like something more nourishing, like Chicken Soup for the soul. Well, we might not have plain old chicken soup, but we do have King Oyster Mushroom Chicken Soup, Fish Maw Nourishing Soup, and Pork Ribs Soup With Shimeji Mushroom, just to name a few soupy dishes that also happen to be a tasty way to rehydrate yourself.

Have a Mediterranean diet

Now, if you’ve ever been to the Mediterranean, then you’ll know their diet has a lot of seafood. A whole lot of seafood. In fact, there’s more seafood there than in, say, a Middle Eastern Diet. However, don’t be taken in. It’s not all seafood. There are also fruits, vegetables, herbs, pulses, plant-based protein, nuts and olive oil that abound in a Mediterranean Diet!

A typical Mediterranean diet like that would see you having more fish or seafood (at least twice a week) with plenty of assorted fruits and vegetables every day. Naturally, such a diet would be rich in antioxidants and contain sufficient Omega 3-DHA which helps to reduce the risk of depression. 

Similarly, taking the principles of the Mediterranean diet, Tian Wei Signature menu provides fish dishes at least twice a week! Some of our fishy dishes (a fun way for us to classify our Tian Wei dishes that contain seafood) include the aforementioned Fish Maw Nourishing Soup, the Thai Lemongrass Fish, Fish Fillet with Lemon Beurre Blanc, and the ever-popular Fenugreek Green Papaya Milky Fish Soup.

But wait, that’s not all! We even provide our awesome Mediterranean fusion-inspired dishes like:

• Seared Salmon with Cauliflower cream
• Tian Wei Signature’s Coq Au Vin
• Moroccan Braised Chicken

In your own time, when you feel up for it, seek help from a counsellor to recover emotionally. As for physical recovery, you might want to speak to a dietitian to obtain some personalised nutrition advice in order to prepare yourself for your next pregnancy.

Final thoughts

One thing to keep in mind is that, aside from carefully planning your diet of what to eat after miscarriage, you should also treat yourself with the utmost care. This includes not lifting heavy items. Even in the early stages of pregnancy, your body undergoes big changes, from morning sickness to overwhelming fatigue.

So, no matter where or how your pregnancy ended, it is important that you prioritise your recovery above all else. And that starts with knowing what to eat after a miscarriage.

If you need more ideas on what to eat, you could always look through our menu or talk to us at Tian Wei Signature!