Post-Miscarriage: What to Eat to Recover Properly

We are sorry such heartbreaking thing happened. If you are here, chances are you are looking it up for yourself or someone dear to you who has gone through a miscarriage. Sadly, while it may not look like a lot in statistics, miscarriage is fairly common among pregnant moms. In Singapore, a rough estimation shows that about 10 to 20 out of 100 pregnancies end in miscarriages. A lot of women who went through miscarriage go on with their pre-pregnancy lifestyle right away after the miscarriage happened. While they may feel fine, this should not be the way to go about it. Someone who has been pregnant, despite whatever the outcome of that pregnancy is, should be treated and looked after with great care and attention.

The reality is, your body is going through a huge transformation phase. A miscarriage affects one in more ways than meets the eye. Depending on how far along you were when the miscarriage happened, it may also take a toll on your body. The symptoms may be remarkably similar to that of postpartum ones. As a matter of fact, the physical effects may also take up to six weeks to be treated, just like the confinement period. This is highly expected as your body has previously adjusted and adapted itself to becoming a house for a growing baby. Hence, it is encouraged to plan your diet resemblant to one that is meant for recovering from childbirth. 

What should you eat to recover from a miscarriage?

• Food to replenish blood
• Food that can boost blood production
• Food to repair body tissues
• Food to give you energy
• Food to treat low blood pressure
• Food to decrease milk supply
• Food that lifts your mood

Food to replenish blood

In order to increase your red blood cell counts and boost the production of blood in your body, you need to increase your intake of iron and vitamin B12. The good thing is, there are a lot of delicious iron-rich foods ranging from red meat, fish, and leafy greens like spinach and kale. All of these are a prominent source of iron, which works in your red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout your body. Eating foods that are high in iron can substantially lower the risk of anaemia and prevent fatigue. Try to drink blood nourishing drink like red dates tea, the confinement beverage, daily.

Food that can boost blood production

In regards to the previous point, it can also help for you to top up on vitamin C or ascorbic acid as it is known to effectively help the body absorb more iron. If your hormones have caused breakouts during the pregnancy, vitamin C will help to improve your skin’s condition. In addition, blood loss can cause one to be dehydrated which can affect how your complexion looks. This is where vitamin C plays the biggest role as it can hasten the formation of collagen and heal wounds. Increase your intake of food rich in vitamin C like cauliflower, papaya, and broccoli. While citrus fruits like lemons and grapefruit are the ones most known to provide vitamin C, you may want to avoid them for a while if your stomach tends to be irritated by citrusy flavours.

Food to repair body tissues

When you go through pregnancy loss, your womb expels the tissues which may look like a fetus or fully-formed baby, depending on how far along you were. There will be the discharge of tissue, fluid, and other products that can look like typical menstrual blood. Your body will continue to work on repairing building more tissues and you would be able to help it in easing the process. One of the best ways to do it is by adding more protein into your daily meals. In fact, it would be good to have the portion of protein food as the biggest one covering your plate. Some of the greatest sources of protein are lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs, beans, and soy products like tofu. Make sure to trim off the fats and skin from the meat you are eating. This way, you can gain mostly protein from them and not the extra fats.

Food to give you energy

Say yes to more carbs! Why does your body need carbohydrates? The main functions of carbs are to provide energy to your body, which you truly need after what you have been through. When you deprive your body of its main source of fuel, you may become weaker to perform your daily routine. If you want to get a substitute for refined carbs like white flour, white bread, white rice, and sweets, you can opt for others like whole-wheat pasta. Some starchy vegetables like potatoes and corn also make great carbs, if you are looking to include more variety. 

Food to treat low blood pressure

The causes of low blood pressure vary from various reasons like dehydration and diabetes, to pregnancy itself. Low blood pressure can cause you to feel dizzy during your daily routine or worse, cause you to faint. To prevent it from getting that bad, make sure to consume more sugar. You can consume the healthier types of sugar like coconut sugar and raw cane sugar. Stevia is also a natural substitute for refined sugar, despite the minor aftertaste. Of course, honey also makes a great ingredient to increase your blood sugar level. Plus, good news! Experts also recommend chocolate so you can munch on your favourite chocolates – just be mindful of the sugar content. It can not only help you by raising your blood sugar, but also greatly boost your mood.

Food to decrease milk supply

If you were already far along when it happened, you may still lactate after the loss. To reduce the aches in your breasts from blocked milk ducts and prevent engorgement, you can consume more of lactation-boosting food like salmon and oatmeal. If it gets to the stage where inflammation occurs, treat it with anti-inflammatory foods like fatty fish. On the other hand, if you have an overabundance of milk and you would like to decrease supply, food like parsley and peppermint are known to help a lot.

Food that lifts your mood

We have briefly touched over this in one of the previous points, but it is so important that we need to add a separate point for it. Miscarriages are always emotionally harder to cope with even long after your physicals have completely healed. Therefore, you should consume food that can boost the production of feel-good hormones. Chocolate is one of such foods. There are also others like oats, bananas, and salmon that are claimed to be susceptible to low mood, according to research. 

Aside from planning your diet carefully, you should also treat yourself with the utmost care. Do not lift or carry heavy items. Even during early pregnancy, big changes take place in your body from morning sickness to overwhelming fatigue. No matter where and how your pregnancy ends, it is important that you prioritise your recovery above anything else. Knowing what to eat after miscarriage Singapore moms like you sometimes go through would be a great first step to your recovery. If you need more ideas on what to eat, you can go through our menu or talk to us at Tian Wei Signature!