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After a C-section, a mother's body is weakened and requires nutritious meals for speedy recovery. Not all foods are suitable for postpartum mothers. Let me unveil a variety of foods, dishes, and beverages beneficial for mothers after a C-section, ensuring a well-balanced and health-boosting diet for rapid recovery and quick return of milk supply. So, what should a mom who had a C-section eat?
How is a mother's health after a C-section?
When opting for a cesarean section, women anticipate that the surgery may last around 30 minutes to 1 hour. Subsequently, the mother's health may encounter several issues:
Extended recovery time: The abdominal incision takes longer to heal compared to vaginal birth. Approximately 7-10 days are needed for the wound to fully close, and it takes about 3 months to form a scar. Moreover, pain sensations at the incision sites persist for around 1 year postpartum. Physicians recommend mothers to undergo C-sections consecutively with at least a 2-year gap. This timeframe allows the previous incision to fully recover.
Delayed Milk Production: Due to the impact of antibiotics and anesthesia during surgery, breastfeeding mothers often experience a delayed onset of milk compared to those who have a natural delivery. Some mothers, post-cesarean, may even face a decline in milk supply due to medication allergies or intense pain.
Constipation Risk: Mothers undergoing a cesarean section are more prone to constipation compared to those with a natural birth. The cause can be attributed to the influence of antibiotics administered during the surgical process.
The Role of Nutrition for Post-Cesarean Mothers
Post-cesarean mothers need to establish a proper and scientific nutritional regimen to ensure the following roles:
Promotes Swift Healing of Incisions and Quick Recovery: Vitamins and minerals aid in reducing the risk of infection during the healing process of surgical wounds. Protein assists in the regeneration of non-scarred skin at incision sites. Trace elements like iron, zinc, and calcium play vital roles in clotting blood, ensuring a smoother recovery.
Enhances a Rich and Rapid Milk Supply for Breastfeeding: Adequate nutritional intake accelerates the return of milk and enriches its nutritional content. Maintaining proper hydration, coupled with lactogenic foods, ensures your little one receives a supply of fresh and nourishing milk.
Post-Cesarean Weight Management: A proper and scientific nutritional regimen not only aids quick recovery and abundant milk supply for the baby but also helps mothers effectively manage their weight.
Nutritious Diet for Postpartum Moms
What should moms who have had a C-section eat? As the mother's digestive system is still recovering, it's advisable to avoid overeating and focus on consuming fresh, well-cooked, and balanced varieties of foods.
Protein-Rich Food Group
Protein is the most crucial nutrient for healing wounds. The human body requires amino acids from protein-rich foods to regenerate cells and tissues damaged due to trauma.
Animal-based proteins such as beef, pork, chicken, eggs, milk, yogurt, and cheese fulfill the body's protein needs. Opt for lean meat without skin and low-fat content for the best protein sources. Plant-based foods like nuts, tofu, and plant-based milk also contain essential amino acids.
Food Group Rich in Vitamins and Minerals
Vitamin C accelerates wound healing and strengthens tissues. Vitamin C-rich foods include bell peppers, citrus fruits, broccoli, strawberries, tomatoes, watermelon, cabbage, spinach, potatoes, bok choy, and green beans.
Vitamin A acts as an antioxidant, preventing inflammation from injuries. To increase vitamin A in your diet, consume yellow and orange fruits and vegetables such as sweet potatoes, pumpkins, carrots, mangoes, red watermelon, and apricots. Dark green leafy vegetables like curly kale, turnip greens, and bok choy, as well as eggs, beans, salmon, and tuna, also contain vitamin A.
Vitamin E, obtained through daily dietary intake, supports wound healing and reduces scar formation. To incorporate more vitamin E, consume foods like wheat germ, sunflower seeds, almonds, avocados, peanuts, plant-based oils such as sunflower oil and soybean oil, spinach, and broccoli.
Zinc plays a crucial role in collagen formation and protein synthesis. Zinc is commonly found in protein-rich foods such as meat, seafood, various seeds, beans, cheese, and milk.
Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
After abdominal surgery, new mothers experience limited mobility. Therefore, it's essential to provide them with nutrient-rich foods from fruits and vegetables.
Incorporating these foods into the diet of post-cesarean mothers prevents constipation. Hence, the post-cesarean menu should include green and cooling vegetables that promote both lactation and faster wound healing.
Some Beneficial Beverages for Post-Cesarean Moms
Especially for post-cesarean mothers, staying hydrated with 2-3.5 liters of water per day is crucial. Additionally, including breastfeeding-friendly beverages like warm milk, buckwheat tea, barley water, lactation-promoting cereal drinks, and herbal teas is essential.
Warm Milk: A cup of warm milk provides essential minerals for rapid health recovery and stimulates the mammary glands for quick milk production. Moms can opt for fresh milk or heat up longevity milk. It's a simple yet effective method shared among experienced mothers to boost milk supply.
Buckwheat Tea: One of the drinks aiding weight loss and supporting lactation is buckwheat tea. This beverage aids digestion and boosts immunity. With just 2 to 3 cups of water infused with buckwheat leaves, milk supply increases rapidly, ensuring nourishing and immune-boosting breast milk for the baby.
Brown Rice Water: Known for its detoxifying properties, brown rice provides maximum starch and essential nutrients. For post-cesarean mothers, vital nutrients like vitamin A, D, group E, iron, zinc, sodium present in brown rice aid weight loss and promote lactation.
Lactation Cereal: Made from 6 types of beans, combined with black sesame, rice, barley, oats, lotus seeds, and lily bulbs, lactation cereals have become a familiar companion for postpartum women. The cereal's diverse grains stimulate milk glands, enhancing the quality of breast milk. Omega-3 from black sesame supports intelligent development for the baby.
Dang Shen Leaf Water: According to tradition, stir-fried Dang Shen leaves create a detoxifying, immune-boosting, and fatigue-fighting drink. Dang Shen leaves can be used to make a beverage that increases milk secretion, improves milk quality, and prevents breast engorgement for postpartum mothers. Additionally, Dang Shen leaves are used in various nutrient-rich dishes, aiding quick recovery after cesarean delivery.
Post-Cesarean Moms Should Avoid What?
What should post-cesarean moms avoid? After a cesarean surgery, the mother's intestines are irritated, digestion is compromised due to reduced bowel and stomach activity. Therefore, consuming excessive and hard-to-digest foods can cause bloating, constipation, and hinder the recovery process for the mother.
To expedite post-cesarean recovery, mothers should limit the following foods:
- Cold-natured foods such as crab, snails, and amaranth leaves. Post-cesarean mothers are prone to feeling cold.
- Cold-natured foods inhibit blood clotting, delaying the healing of surgical wounds.
- Foods detrimental to scar healing, promoting pus formation, and causing inflammation, like glutinous rice, water spinach, and egg whites.
- Foods causing dark pigmentation, making scars more prominent.
- Fatty foods: pork knuckles, chicken skin, duck skin, fatty meats, deep-fried and oily dishes.
- Spicy and hot foods such as chili, pepper, and mustard.
- Stimulating foods and beverages like coffee, alcohol, beer.
- Raw and living foods like salads and raw vegetables.
- Allergenic foods for the body.
- Some mothers with high blood pressure issues should limit salt intake.
Some Nutritional Considerations for Post-Cesarean Moms
Within 6 Hours After Giving Birth
Within the first 6 hours after a cesarean delivery, women should abstain from eating. This is because post-cesarean, the intestines are stimulated, limiting bowel function, and causing gas accumulation in the intestine cavity.
As a result, women often feel bloated and uncomfortable due to the excessive gas in the intestines. Therefore, for at least 6 hours postpartum, mothers should avoid eating to allow gradual recovery of intestinal function.
Two Days After Cesarean Delivery
On the second day after the cesarean delivery, women continue to experience pain due to uterine contractions and increased discharge of lochia. Additionally, the digestive system remains weak from the exhaustion of childbirth. At this point, mothers should consume light and easily digestible foods such as porridge, soup, and liquids, avoiding oily and spicy foods.
1 Week After the Surgery
During the first week post-cesarean, mothers should consume easily digestible foods to facilitate burping and promote bowel movements. In the dietary regimen, balancing nutrients is crucial, especially:
Supplementing diverse plant-based proteins.
Various vitamins A, B, C, E, present in fruits like oranges, lemons, mangoes, and pomegranates, aid in rapid wound healing and postpartum recovery.
Eggs, milk, and meat are easily digestible foods providing essential nutrients like calcium, zinc, magnesium, iron, playing a key role in blood clotting and red blood cell regeneration.
1 week to 1 month after the surgery
During this period, mothers can diversify their food intake. To promote quick post-cesarean recovery and ensure an ample milk supply, mothers should maintain a balanced and sensible diet, especially by incorporating a variety of dishes into their meals.
More than 1 month after the surgery
This is the stage where mothers can eat a full and diverse range of foods. Post-cesarean women need to consume a variety of foods such as milk, fish, eggs, shrimp, and soybeans. Choosing nutrient-rich foods that promote lactation and limit weight gain is essential.
Now you have more knowledge about what should a mother who underwent a cesarean section eat? What should she avoid? Wishing you success on this journey with your growing baby!
