Well Done Mum

Excercise & Nutrition

Exercise

After childbirth, your body needs about six weeks to return to normal. Impact activities are not recommended immediately after delivery, as this can cause increased uterine bleeding and stretching of the ligaments that hold up your uterus. Swimming should also be avoided until vaginal bleeding or episiotomy tears have healed. Walking is encouraged as a way of exercise after the birth.

Pelvic Floor Exercises
Your pelvic floor consists of the muscles stretching from your pubic bone to the front of your coccyx (tailbone) at the back. These muscles help to hold all the internal abdominal organs in place and control the bladder and back passage. The bladder, vagina, uterus and rectum are also supported by internal connective tissue, which keeps everything "up" and in place and the pelvic floor muscles are crucial for providing extra support.

Pelvic floor muscles - perform a host of important functions. They stop you from wetting yourself when laughing, enhance the physical sensation of sex and help you delay passing urine, opening bowels or passing wind until it's convenient.

- Because of the strain the Pelvic Floor Muscles come under during pregnancy and childbirth they need to be strengthened starting as soon as possible after the birth.

Pelvic Floor Exercises

• Imagine you are trying to stop yourself passing wind, and at the same time trying to stop your flow of urine in mid stream.
• The feeling is one of 'Squeeze and lift' closing and drawing up the back and front passages
• Continue to lift for as long as you can (up to 10 seconds) .
• Release, Rest and repeat.
• Aim to build up to 10 repetitions at a time.

Nutrition

Getting back into 'regular' clothes is exciting yet challenging for most new mothers. But don't expect to be able to get into your favourite pair of jeans for at least several weeks. You are entering your 'fourth trimester', this phase is as developmentally critical for your baby as the first three trimesters were. Keep in mind it took some 40 weeks to gain your pregnancy weight, so it will take time to lose it, too. Eating a well-balanced diet will help to maintain your strength and keep you healthy.

Your body has undergone many changes during pregnancy and childbirth and needs healing and recovery. In addition to rest you need to maintain a healthy diet. The food pyramid is a guideline to help you maintain a healthy diet. Dieting is not recommended after what your body has been through and needs proper nourishment to recover and heal properly.

Food pyramid

The bottom row of the pyramid represents carbohydrates and fibre. This includes bread, rice, cereal and pasta. It is recommended to eat at least 6 servings of this group a day. One serving is equivalent to 1 slice of bread or ½ cup of rice, pasta, cereal.

The next row represents fruit and vegetables. It is recommended to eat 3-5 servings of vegetables and 2-4 servings of fruit a day. One serving is equivalent to 1 piece of fruit or half a cup or raw or chopped vegetables.

The next row of the pyramid represents dairy. This includes milk, cheese and yoghurt. At least 3 servings a day are advised or 5 if you are breastfeeding, as you need additional calcium. One serving is equivalent to 1 cup of milk or yoghurt or ½ ounces of cheese.

The next row represents protein. This is found in meat, fish, eggs, and cheese. 2-3 servings of this group are advised. One serving is 2½ -3 ounces of cooked meat, fish or poultry, or 1 egg.

The final row represented on the pyramid is fats, oils and sweets. It is advised to eat from this group sparingly and keep processed, fried and high-sugar foods to a minimum.

When you are breastfeeding, you require an additional 500 calories a day in your diet.

If you were advised to take a supplement when you were pregnant, continue to take this for at least 6 weeks after the birth.

Try to drink at least two litres of fluids each day. Ideally choose from water, fruit juices or milk to make up this amount. While tea and coffee will also provide fluid, they aren't recommended in large amounts because they contain caffeine.

While breast-feeding, a mother's iron requirements remain high at 15mg per day for the first six months. To ensure you are getting enough iron, choose red meat two or three times each week. Other good sources of iron include eggs, beans, wholemeal bread, breakfast cereals, green leafy vegetables and dried fruit (prunes and apricots).