What Should You Eat Right After Giving Birth?

Eat Right After Giving Birth

Giving birth is a process whereby you will burn a lot of calories. According to Baby Center, a woman wore her Fitbit during labour and found that she burned 1383 calories giving birth! Hence, it is natural for your body to feel completely exhausted after giving birth. 

Prior to the delivery, moms are always told to fast during labour because there is a risk of aspiration if the food or liquid is inhaled into the lungs. Therefore, you will need to refuel yourself with nutrient-rich food after giving birth.

Chicken Soup/Broth

Chicken soup or broth is one of the widely-loved foods made for comfort. Aside from mere craving, people usually seek chicken soup when they feel under the weather, and rightfully so! It has the power to soothe your body and keep you warm, especially if you insert various ingredients with heaty properties. 

Taking chicken soup after delivery can greatly help a new mother. For a start, chicken is a great source of protein which is crucial to help with your muscle reparation and strengthening. 

Having soup, of course, is one of the tastier ways to keep yourself hydrated. After giving birth, you are going to sweat a lot because your body is adjusting to the dramatic hormone fluctuations. On top of that, if you are planning to breastfeed your little one, you will need to drink a lot. It’s estimated that a lactating mom needs an additional litre per day of fluid compared to a non-lactating mom.

Chicken soup or broth is best for mom after giving birth. It is hydrating and replenishes your body with minerals and fluid, which helps in breastfeeding. At the same time,  it provides nutrients to your body for recovery.

Dates

Dates are nature’s original sweet candy which can be easily broken down by your body. It is also practical as a packet of dates can be easily packed into your hospital bag. It is also recommended to have dates during pregnancy as they make an excellent substitute for white sugar in cooking and drinks, so you can reduce your sugar intake.

Other than that, dates are also an amazing source of energy boost after giving birth. It is a source of energy and contains a lot of nutrients, including vitamins. Some may debate that consuming dates will help in increasing breast milk because dates will activate prolactin which is the hormone to tell your body to produce more breastmilk. More scientific research and evidence are still needed. 

You may also know the red dates (also known as the Chinese dates or jujubes), which are popular to be consumed in confinement. They are often made into tea along with other ingredients like longan and other herbs. Red dates tea for confinement is great because it increases your fluid intake and, at the same time, helps with keeping you warm as well as improving your blood circulation.

Oatmeal With Fruit

Due to the various body changes, fasting before giving birth, constipation can end up being a pretty common side effect after giving birth. After birth, your first bowel movement may be delayed to the third or fourth day after labour. In such a case, you need to make sure that you are having enough fibres and fluid intake in your daily postnatal diet.

Other than drinking enough water, you will need to increase the intake of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains in your meal to keep your bowel movements smooth. Oatmeal with fruits can be a convenient yet nutritious breakfast after giving birth. The oatmeal is rich in iron, calcium and also fibre which helps to prevent constipation. You can add some fruits on top to give sweetness to the bland taste.

Eggs

If you notice, after working out (especially post-leg days), people will eat protein snacks. It is the same as labour which your muscle will contract non-stop throughout the whole process of delivery. Therefore, eggs are an essential source of protein that soothe your sore muscle after giving birth. It helps with muscle repair and also allows you to stay full for a longer period. Other than that, eggs also contain Omega-3, which can help to reduce your risk of having postpartum depression.

Top Confinement Dishes To Try At Tian Wei Signature

At Tian Wei Signature, we keep your confinement diet interesting, refreshing, and just as nourishing with a mix of fusion and traditional Chinese confinement food. All dishes are dietitian-guided, MSG-free, and well-balanced, with a variety of nutrients to boost your recovery and lactation.

Let’s find out some of our top-rated fusion and traditional confinement dishes that will help you love your confinement period:

Seared Salmon with Cauliflower Cream

First on the list is a Mediterranean fusion confinement dish, Seared Salmon with Cauliflower Cream. Indulge in the juicy and tender texture of salmon, carefully seared to bring out the natural fragrance of the salmon’s healthy fat. Milk and butter are added to this dish to bring you a rich and creamy texture. To keep the dish refreshing, the creamy salmon is served with vegetables like broccoli, cherry tomatoes, baby corn and potatoes. Salmon is high in Vitamin D and contains vitamin B6, folate and vitamin E, which all aids in promoting your postpartum recovery and boosting the nutritional quality of your breast milk.

Tian Wei Signature Coq Au Vin

Coq au vin means “chicken with wine”. It is a French dish of chicken braised with wine and other vegetables like mushrooms, carrots, potatoes, garlic, and broccoli. Herbs like thyme, oregano, and parsley are also added to this dish to enhance the flavour. At Tian Wei Signature, you can enjoy this exquisite dish as part of your confinement diet! In particular, the broccoli and potato in this dish contain vitamin C, which improves collagen formation to promote wound healing around the genital and cesarean area after labour. The garlic in this dish also serves as a milk-boosting ingredient to improve your milk production.

Mediterranean Tomato Cumin Chicken Stew with Eggplant

This appetising stew is prepared with chicken, parmesan cheese, eggplant, capsicum, carrots, tomatoes and butter. Herbs like cumin powder, turmeric powder, and coriander powder are also added to give this dish a fragrant taste. In particular, cumin is a herb that helps with breastmilk production. What’s more, the capsicum and tomatoes in this dish contain vitamin C which translates into breastmilk. By consuming vitamin C from your breast milk, your little one will grow stronger and healthier to fight against the risk of allergies.

Lemongrass Fenugreek Braised Fish Fillet

If you are looking for a refreshing way to consume fish during your confinement, this lemongrass fenugreek braised fish fillet might be your new favourite confinement dish. With fresh fish fillet being the highlight, this dish is also paired with a variety of colourful vegetables to give you a well-balanced meal, including shimeji mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, carrots, and snow peas. Curated with your breastfeeding needs in mind, this dish is packed with lactogenic ingredients to help you with lactation, such as fennel powder, whole fenugreek and ginger. In particular, having lemongrass while breastfeeding is found to be enjoyable in meals. 

Steamed Wolf-berries Pork Ribs With Red Dates And Black Bean Sauce

This comforting traditional dish is prepared with pork ribs, fermented black beans, red dates, wolfberries, black fungus, carrots, ginger slices, and a drizzle of sesame oil. Pork ribs are high in vitamin B1 and contain vitamin B6. Vitamin B1 keeps you energized to support your nerve, muscle, and heart function.

Furthermore, it also helps you and your newborn to have a good immune system. Meanwhile, vitamin B6 also helps to boost you and your newborn’s immune system and helps your newborn’s brain to develop healthily. On the other hand, having ginger for confinement helps to improve your breast milk supply by promoting blood circulation.

The black bean sauce gives a savoury and appetizing taste to this dish. Black beans are rich in protein, fibre, and  folate. Nutrients like protein and folate helps to promote recovery and the making of new healthy red blood cells. On the other hand, fibre from beans helps to promote regular bowel movement. For other ways to enjoy black beans, give black bean soup breastfeeding moms love a try!

While welcoming a new life is exciting, things can get pretty overwhelming if you do not plan beforehand. In this case, whether you are still so early in the pregnancy or your due date is just around the corner, it is always a good time – never too early or too late – to figure out how your diet should go during the postpartum period. Whether you decide to breastfeed or not, you should still plan what food to eat after delivery to ensure you have a nutritious diet for your body’s recovery. See our menu for well-balanced and nutritious yet tasty food choices after giving birth.