Prenantal and Postpartum Nutrition
Fueling Yourself & Your Growing Baby!
Nutrition plays an important role in your pregnancy, especially when you’re working out. You’re not only fueling your workouts, but also your growing and changing body and baby!
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT NUTRITION DURING PREGNANCY!
Postpartum Nutrition
Your postpartum healing and rebuilding depends on nutrition and hydration, but it doesn’t need to be complicated.
Nutrition is essential to your postpartum healing and rebuilding, but also your energy, hormones, body composition (i.e. amounts of lean muscle and fat), overall health and more. The main focus of nutrition in the postpartum period is not weight loss, but instead, providing your body with the nutrients and fuel needed to fully nourish your body, support physical healing like tissue repair, and help you function at your best, especially if you’re breastfeeding and if you’re also working out.
We know nutrition can be confusing, but particularly in this time period where sometimes goals are conflicting and there are many outside influences. For example, you may want to eat enough to have good energy to get through the day and maintain milk supply (if breastfeeding), but you might also want to lose weight. You may want to prep all your meals ahead of time or simply pause to eat meals each day, but it’s seemingly impossible with juggling the responsibilities of being a new mom, possibly taking care of older children and/or working, and making time to work out.
We can help provide guidance and education. Our Postpartum Nutrition Templates come with a questionnaire that you will fill out after purchase in which a Street Parking Nutrition Coach will review. From there you will receive detailed instructions and a suggested food list, with servings of proteins, carbs, fats, and vegetables personalized to your weight and goals. We recommend the template for moms working on postpartum recovery and/or breastfeeding, and at least 4 weeks postpartum.
To learn more about the templates CLICK HERE
Curious about our 1:1 Coaching?
We understand that some of our Mamas might not be ready to dive into the #templatelife. In this case, you can definitely still eat well to nourish your body and help move you toward your goals! There are basic foundations of nutrition that you can use as your guide. Prioritizing these and making small changes is key.
Be sure to eat enough food. It’s common for postpartum moms to undereat - either because they underestimate how much food they need, are trying to cut calories to lose weight, or tend to skip meals because they’re so busy. We suggest eating 4 balanced meals a day plus a post-workout meal on days you work out. You can also split one meal into two snacks if it’s easier! If this structure is even too overwhelming, just do your best to take a pause and intentionally eat at least three times a day.
To create meals, choose a source of protein, fat, carbs, and veggie(s). You can use the Palm Method to determine portion sizes of each, and if you’re breastfeeding, these will be slightly larger. CLICK HERE to learn more about the Palm Method.
Prioritize food quality as best you can. Fresh, whole, minimally processed foods are rich in nutrients your body needs. Try your best to avoid or at least limit highly processed foods and those with added sugar. Read ingredients lists and avoid foods with long lists or ingredients you don’t recognize.
If you feel overwhelmed by changing what you eat, know you don’t need to do it all at once! You can start by focusing on one meal at a time. You can also focus on the addition of more whole foods instead of elimination of processed ones. For example, try adding more veggies, getting more variety of healthy fats, choosing more whole grains or starchy veggies, etc.
Drink enough water! A good goal is ½ your body weight in ounces, but you’ll need a bit more on days you work out. If you’re breastfeeding, you’ll need to drink a lot more since breastmilk is almost 90% water!
Overall, listen to your body. If you’re hungry, it’s a sign that your body needs fuel. If you’re feeling consistently hungry each day, try adding a snack or slightly increase the portions at your meals. If you’re always tired, and are prioritizing enough sleep, this also can be a sign you need a bit more food. Try increasing slightly and see how your energy changes.
Remember, consistency is key. Whatever you choose to do when it comes to nutrition, it needs to be sustainable. Even just making small positive choices each day makes a difference.
Do your best and try not to let nutrition cause you unneeded stress! Reach out when you’re struggling or have questions. You can always post in the Facebook group using hashtag #spnutrition, or take advantage of 1:1 coaching by CLICKING HERE
Postpartum Weight Loss
You may be wondering- with all this talk about postpartum exercise and nutrition: When does the weight loss happen? How long will it take to fit into your jeans again? When will you get your “pre-pregnancy body” back?
Again, we unfortunately don’t have specific answers for you. Just like your postpartum rehab, healing, and rebuilding need time, so do any aesthetic changes you may wish to make to your body. There are many factors that impact your body and overall postpartum experience after having a baby- your workouts and nutrition of course, but also your mindset, stress and sleep, hormones (especially if breastfeeding), and more. And for each woman, this journey is so unique.