After giving birth, a new mother thinks not only about herself, but also about her baby. Nutrition affects lactation and the child’s digestion, so during this period it is very important to think through your diet to the smallest detail.
But you don’t need to think that the diet of a nursing mother is completely restrictive. You can eat varied and tasty if you understand how to create a menu. Nutrition after childbirth is about taking care of your body, so try to perceive any restrictions as an invaluable contribution to your health and the health of your baby. Let's figure out what you can't eat after giving birth and what a woman definitely needs to know.
Is a diet necessary for breastfeeding women?
A nursing mother does not need a strict diet, but she will have to monitor her diet. After childbirth, it is recommended to adhere to the following rules:
- Give preference to steamed foods. You can also eat boiled and stewed dishes.
- New foods should be introduced into your diet gradually to make sure that your baby does not have a reaction to them.
- During breastfeeding, it is recommended to avoid raw eggs, tartar, fresh fish and other animal products that have not been heat-treated.
- In the first time after giving birth, it is best to refuse experiments with cafes and restaurants, and buy food only in those places that you are absolutely sure of. But the best option is home-cooked food.
Is it possible to remove stretch marks at home?
When choosing home methods for removing stretch marks, you should remember that it will not be possible to remove old stretch marks.
You need to start the process of self-treatment of skin damage after childbirth as early as possible, for example, 2-3 weeks after the baby is born.
To eliminate stretch marks on your own, the following are often used:
- Daily massage with almond, orange, olive, peach oil and hazelnut or wheat germ oil. Massage movements should be light, without strong stretching of the skin.
- Scrubs - traditional medicine offers many recipes for preparing body scrubs at home, which are based on ground coffee, ground apricot kernels, and sugar. Sour cream and various oils are added to scrubs. Scrubs should be applied to the skin 10-15 minutes before showering.
- Ready-made cosmetic compositions for stretch marks , purchased in stores. They should be applied to the skin in combination with light massage and tingling. You should choose products that contain essential oils and extracts of citrus plants, elastin, collagen and fruit acids.
- Mumiyo . Dissolve two tablets or capsules in a small amount of nutritional, vitamin or baby cream, mix thoroughly until smooth and apply to clean skin. The substance perfectly heals damaged skin, accelerating regeneration processes, eliminating small stretch marks, and making large stretch marks less noticeable. But you need to use this remedy to eliminate stretch marks every day for several months.
What not to eat after childbirth
In the first weeks after birth, it is especially important to monitor your diet, not skip meals (lack of energy can lead to problems with lactation) and exclude foods that can cause colic and allergies in the baby. What foods should you not eat after giving birth? It is believed that the child may have digestive problems if the mother consumes:
- apples;
- raw cabbage;
- peas and other legumes.
There are also allergens, it is recommended to avoid them at first. In the future, they can be introduced into the diet gradually, making sure that the baby’s body does not react to them in any way. Such foods include:
- honey;
- citrus;
- chocolate;
- berries;
- tomatoes and other “red” vegetables;
- spices and much more.
You shouldn’t overdo it with dairy products, which can also affect both your digestion and your baby’s well-being.
Methods for getting rid of stretch marks
A month after giving birth, the belly looks imperfect, and if there are also a lot of stretch marks on it, then the woman falls into despair.
Mothers want to quickly eliminate the defect and are looking for the most effective methods.
But you need to understand that it is impossible to completely remove stretch marks using creams or massage. These methods only help to reduce scars, making them less noticeable. To completely eliminate unaesthetic formations, surgical procedures are used.
Cosmetical tools
The pharmacy chain sells many ointments, lotions and creams for stretch marks, which can also be used during lactation.
Products containing mumiyo and natural oils are especially popular. But dermatologists are skeptical about such drugs, arguing that they are useless.
Creams and ointments for stretch marks are recommended to be used before stretch marks appear - as a preventive measure.
If you decide to purchase a cream for stretch marks, then make sure that it contains natural ingredients. The product must be hypoallergenic and dermatologically tested.
Procedures at home
You can get rid of stretch marks on your own, but it will take more time. You will have to regularly and persistently perform the selected procedures.
At home you can resort to the following:
- Wrapping. Take 10 drops of rosemary, lemon, jasmine, lavender and jojoba oil and apply the mixture to problem areas, massaging them. Then wrap the area with cling film, wrap yourself in warm film and rest for half an hour. Ice wrap shows good results. Try adding herbal infusion or aromatic oil to the water and freeze it.
- Compresses. Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and coarse sea salt to a liter of boiling water. Soak a towel in the solution and place it over the stretch marks. It is effective to alternate a compress with an ice wrap. Compresses should be done every day for 14 days.
- Peeling. Prepare a scrub from oatmeal, sugar or coarse salt and add liquid honey, sour cream or vegetable oil to the component. Rub your skin with the resulting scrub after taking a hot bath, then lubricate it with anti-stretch mark cream.
- Mask. Dilute bodyagi powder in hydrogen peroxide until thick as sour cream, and apply to stretch marks for 15 minutes. During the procedure, you should feel a burning and tingling sensation. Perform the manipulation once a week.
- Baths. Add a solution of a glass of starch diluted in 2 liters of water to the filled bath. Take this bath every other day for 15 minutes.
It is recommended to combine the described actions with physical activity. This will speed up the fading and reduction of stretch marks.
Salon methods
To get rid of stretch marks on your stomach, you can contact a specialist.
Salons offer a number of professional procedures to help reduce scars:
- Mesotherapy. Method of subcutaneous administration of various microinjections - enzymes, amino acids, plant extracts. The composition of the injections affects the improvement of the structural organization of scars. Mesotherapy for stretch marks is an effective method that restores the skin in 10 sessions.
- Laser. The laser beam removes the top layer of the epidermis, which smoothes the skin, stimulating regeneration processes. Small stretch marks are eliminated in one go, large stretch marks – in several sessions. Laser resurfacing can be performed 2 months after birth.
- Hardware massage. Special vacuum devices draw in the skin with a certain force. This allows you to strengthen blood vessels, muscle fibers, normalize blood circulation, and speed up skin restoration.
- Chemical peeling. The epidermis is cleansed using special acids - hyaluronic, glycolic, lactic. The procedure rejuvenates the skin, eliminating stretch marks.
- Darsonvalization. A special device applies current to the connective tissue. The method saturates the skin with oxygen, accelerates lymph flow and oral metabolism.
The salon can also offer you mechanical skin resurfacing - microdermabrasion. The top layer of the epidermis is removed under the influence of diamond chips, which improves the structure of the skin.
The choice of a specific method depends on the parameters and depth of the stretch marks.
Common mistakes
The main mistake women make after childbirth is severe restrictions on the number of calories consumed per day. Of course, you want to lose the kilograms you gained during pregnancy as quickly as possible, but you don’t need to do this at the expense of your health. During breastfeeding, a woman can lose weight without any problems, since about 500-600 kilocalories are spent daily on milk production alone.
Also, do not let nutrition take its course by skipping meals. It is convenient for young mothers to use a slow cooker or a double boiler: they can quickly cook porridge, meat and vegetables. This is exactly what can become the basis of a nursing woman’s diet.
Causes of stretch marks on the abdomen
Scientifically, stretch marks are called striae. They usually appear in women in an interesting position, which is facilitated by a sharp change in physical data, including rapid weight gain and changes in hormonal levels. An important role is played by a decrease in the pace of life - a woman stops moving actively, and in recent months she often spends most of her time at home.
Such changes have a negative impact on the skin. It stretches quickly and strongly, and the amount of elastin and collagen produced by the body is not enough to compensate for this process. These substances are responsible for the elasticity and tone of the skin. If deformation changes in the dermis occur too quickly, they simply “cannot keep up” with such a rhythm.
The result of such processes is a microscopic tear in the upper layers of the skin and connective tissue. When this happens relatively regularly, conspicuous stripes are formed, called striae. At first they have a pinkish, reddish or brownish color. Over time, the color changes to silver, light purple or even white.
A huge number of special measures have been developed to prevent the formation of stretch marks, since it is easier to prevent the problem than to suffer later. These methods are effective, but are not universal, since they become useless when:
- genetic predisposition to the appearance of microcracks in the skin;
- a sharp jump in weight, which is typical for most pregnant women;
- excessively large abdominal volume;
- lack of nutritional and valuable elements that stimulate the production of high concentrations of elastin and collagen.
And if the last factor can be conditionally considered eliminated, the first three cannot be adjusted. Especially considering that a woman should not do anything that could harm the child.
Diet for weight loss
To lose weight, you need to adhere to one rule: consume fewer calories than you burn. You can download an app to your phone to count calories and control your diet. It will be more convenient to do this with a kitchen scale - at first they will be your assistant, and in the future you will be able to measure the required portion size by eye. The diet of a nursing mother should include:
- lean meats and fish;
- seasonal vegetables;
- cereals;
- source of calcium (eg cheese, sesame seeds);
- fresh herbs;
- fruits that are not allergens.
Salon treatments
Mesotherapy
A unique mixture of nutrients is developed for the patient, incl. vitamin E, amino acids, collagen, which is important for the dermis, based on its individual needs, and is injected under the skin. The procedure allows you to quickly restore the natural elasticity of the epidermis and a healthy appearance.
Fractional photothermolysis
Dead dermis is removed by the action of heat waves. To create them, warm lasers are used, divided into a grid of microbeams. As a result, old stretch marks can be treated with this method.
Chemical peeling
Mixtures of substances are placed on the skin that remove dead skin cells, promote blood flow and improve the color of stretch marks, making them less noticeable.
Mechanical peeling
It is aimed at the same purposes as chemical, only the effect is carried out using fine abrasive particles that have a direct effect on the skin. Both silicone balls and natural materials, such as grape seeds, can be used. The procedure is not suitable for sensitive and irritated skin.
Alcohol
When breastfeeding, drinking alcohol is unacceptable, as it can enter the baby's body along with mother's milk. Alcoholic drinks should be avoided during this period. Understanding what you can’t eat after giving birth, you can intelligently think through your diet and create a complete and healthy menu.
To give you more time for yourself, you can use Milk Snood for feeding. It will allow you to breastfeed your baby not only at home, but also in public places. With this accessory, you can plan your day more effectively and find time for nutritious meals.
Stretch marks during pregnancy -
According to statistics, 8 out of 10 pregnant women suffer from stretch marks. Pregnancy stretch marks most often appear late in pregnancy. Thus, in 90% of pregnant women, stretch marks appear in the sixth or seventh month of pregnancy (according to the Academy of Dermatology).
Stretch marks on the abdomen during pregnancy appear as the baby grows and the skin on the abdomen stretches. Stretch marks also often appear on the breasts during pregnancy, which is associated with a strong increase in its volume. Lastly, stretch marks on the butt and thighs are added.
Important : but not only an increase in the size of the abdomen, breasts and butts leads to stretch marks! During pregnancy, a woman's body produces hormones that soften the ligaments in the pelvic area so that they are more elastic during childbirth. However, these same hormones also soften the collagen fibers in the skin, making it more prone to stretch marks. Therefore, it is very important to prevent the appearance of stretch marks.
