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Postnatal diet therapy
All moms wish to go through her postnatal period feeling energised, well-nourished, mentally healthy, comfortable in her own skin, confident in the clothes she wants to wear, feeling hormonally balanced — generally is fit and able to enjoy the confinement period. Believe it or not, this is NOT too much to ask for. While you can’t push yourself to recover fast, you can still enjoy your postnatal life without those undue sources of stress.
Aside from rest, one of the most important elements of postnatal recovery is confinement food. In this article, we’ll talk about postnatal food including menu plan for postnatal mothers and postnatal diet lesson plan, which will be based solely on evidence-based nutritional information. No pills, no potions, no quick-fixes — just the power of real food and the optimising of positive lifestyle choices!
Postnatal Diet Therapy During Confinement
Have you ever wondered why Asian women seem to remain youthful looking even after they have given birth to, say, their third child? Some people believe that this is because Asian mothers generally place more focus on or receive much better postnatal care which lasts for about a month after delivery. Postpartum is regarded as one of the most critical period in a mother’s life, so the postnatal recovery phase is considered to be extremely important and treated as so.
Receiving great postnatal care after delivery during the confinement month will not only help with postnatal recovery but, to a certain extent, can also aid in repairing women’s weakness, improve physical strength and appearance and finally, lead to slow the effects of ageing.
In Singapore, more mothers are starting to pay more attention to postnatal nutrition, especially during the confinement. There is a huge variety of postnatal foods that should be included in a menu plan for postnatal mother due to the nutritional values.
Selected Confinement Postnatal Food Recipes for Quick Recovery
Sheng Hua Tang
One of the popular folk remedies for confinement is the Sheng Hua Tang, the concoction that needs no introduction and is well recommended by many TCM practitioners.
You May Also Read this : Aims and Objectives of Postnatal Care
Why is it so popular?
The first reason is as it does an efficient work with fewer herbs. Generally, there are only five herbs (Chinese angelica root 24g, chuanxiong rhizome 9g, peach kernel 6g, baked ginger 2g, prepared liquorice root 2g ) in Sheng Hua Tang.
Why Sheng Hua Tang is recommended for postnatal moms:
- Rich in Vitamin B12: Sheng Hua Tang is rich in vitamin B12 which helps women enrich their blood.
- Boost blood circulation to relieve pain: Rhizoma Chuanxiong and peach kernel contain different essential oils which assist mothers in promoting blood circulation to relieve pain, thus helping with lochia discharging and assisting the body to regenerate new blood.
Some people decoct the Sheng Hua Tang with wines or liquor as they believe such ingredients can enhance the effects. The original recipe uses water and adds in about 6 or 7 tablespoons of old wine. Over time, the recipe has been modified here and there to better suit the taste bud of moms nowadays.
Baked Ginger
As the name implies, we bake it until it turns black. TCM believes the baked ginger has the ability to remove trapped water in the body after especially in the postnatal periods, however, it is a good remedy for treating water retention after childbirth.
When added to the postnatal food menu earlier enough, it is believed that baked ginger helps to reduce bleeding or haemorrhage after childbirth.
Confinement Postnatal Foods & What They Do for Your Body
- Radix Ophiopogonis and Fructus Schisandrae Chinensis will help with thirst, which is something nursing moms may experience frequently
- Cyperus rotundus and Cinnamomum cassia can help with pain and abdominal discomforts
- Chinese Hawthorn and Medicated Leaven can help with your appetite
- Eucommia Bark can improve your immune system and increase overall bones and muscle strength
If you are not familiar with herbal ingredients in confinement foods, you may want to consider getting advice on and creating a postnatal diet lesson plan to make sure your health is looked after during the confinement period.