One of the frustrating things about being a new mum is that you often pick up a cold or two and it can really knock you out, which is not ideal when you’re on 24/7 duty. So what can mums do to support their immune system? Well, we know that sleep is number 1 when it comes to cell healing and repair. However, when you have a young baby who is on his or her own sleep schedule, that isn’t always so easy. So let’s look at what we control ie nutrition and I’ll also mention how fresh air and exercise can help at the end.
During pregnancy, the baby takes the nutrients it needs via the placenta. This is partly why the mum’s immune system is reduced even before the baby is born. After birth, mums need extra nutritious food to help heal her body and restore the nutrients lost.
Here are the most important ones:
When we are tired from being up in the night, our hunger and satiation hormones are out of whack and we crave a quick sugar fix rather than muster the energy to prepare a nutritious meal. For those times, I would suggest:
I hope that has helped give you some ideas. Don’t worry about the odd treat or love of chocolate; as long as your foundation food is good (ie varied and as unprocessed as possible), a treat here and there won’t compromise your immune system nor your figure if that’s something you’re worried about.
Finally, exercise as well as fresh air boost our immune system. However, when we are very tired, doing strenuous exercise such as HIIT or fast running can actually stress the body too much and reduce our immune system. So if you’ve had a rough night, do light strength such as Buggyfit, yoga or go for a walk with a friend instead.
If you need any 1-1 help, you know where to find me.