Postpartum maternal dietary taboos

There are only 3 taboos that really need to be strictly followed in the postpartum diet: 1. Absolutely no alcoholic food/drinks； 2. Avoid consuming more than 200mg of caffeine at one time (about 1 medium American cup) ； 3. Do not overeat and consume a large amount of high-fat and oily "toning soups" within 1 week after delivery. The rest of the so-called "can't eat cold, sour, and dairy foods" are mostly empirical summaries that are not universal and can be flexibly adjusted according to one's own physical constitution and eating habits.

Let’s first talk about alcohol, which is the easiest to get into trouble among the three absolute red lines. The popular practices of "boiling chicken with wine during confinement" and "milking with glutinous rice grains" are essentially taking risks with the baby's neurological development. The WHO has long made it clear that zero alcohol is safer during lactation. The ability of newborns to metabolize alcohol is only 1/10 of that of adults. Even cooked wine will leave residues. I once encountered a mother who drank less than half a bowl of rice wine soup. The baby did not wake up after sleeping for 12 hours. She was sent to the hospital to be diagnosed with mild alcohol drowsiness. There is really no need to take this risk for an old prescription. This is a taboo recognized by both Chinese and Western medicine, and there is no controversy.

Speaking of caffeine, which many people struggle with, in fact, the latest pediatric guidelines have made it clear that consuming less than 200mg of caffeine per day will not affect the baby, and there is no need to completely quit coffee and milk tea. But there are individual differences here. If your baby is easily awakened and has a sensitive constitution, and you find that he can't sleep for a long time and has a tantrum after drinking coffee, then it's okay to stop for a while. You don't have to hold the standard to yourself.

Compared with these two taboos with clear standards, many people are more worried about the "don't touch raw or cold food" chanted by the elderly at home. This is also the most controversial point at present. The view of Western medicine is that as long as your gastrointestinal tolerance is tolerated, strawberries and yogurt at room temperature, or even ice cream for those who often eat ice cream before pregnancy, it is perfectly fine to eat ice cream after the gastrointestinal recovery a week after delivery. Eating something cold during confinement in summer can also relieve irritability. Several mothers around me have secretly nibbled popsicles, and there are no abnormalities among adults and children. But the view of traditional Chinese medicine is also reasonable: Postpartum Qi and blood are deficient, the spleen and stomach have weak transport and transformation capabilities, and raw and cold food can easily increase the burden. Especially for mothers who have a cold stomach and usually have diarrhea when eating cold food, it is best to warm the fruit before eating, and don't be too pushy. Both sides are correct. The core point is to see whether you feel comfortable eating it. You don't have to take a certain view.

Oh, by the way, there is also the mythical "Black List of Milk-Reducing Foods". Chives, malt, bitter melon, and Sichuan peppercorns are all on the list. I specifically asked the lactation consultant at the Maternal and Child Health Hospital. They said that to achieve the effect of restoring milk, you need to drink more than 30g of fried wheat every day. Boiled buds in water will only work if you drink it for 3 days. If you occasionally eat a box of leeks or sprinkle some peppercorns in the mixed vegetables, the content will not affect the amount of milk. Many people say that they have less milk after eating leeks. Most of them are just in time to keep up with the balance between supply and demand, or it is just a psychological effect.

If you had a caesarean section, here’s a little reminder: Don’t eat too many things that are easy to cause flatulence, such as soybeans, sweet potatoes, and iced coke, two days before you have just passed the gas. My best friend drank half a cup of iced coke on the third day after having a caesarean section. The flatulence caused the wound to hurt all night long. She cried and shouted that she would never do it again. This is also a real lesson.

As for other statements like "You can't eat sour food or your teeth will fall out" and "You can't eat salt or you'll get edema", it makes even less sense. Brushing your teeth in time after eating sour food will not hurt your teeth at all. You sweat a lot after giving birth and need to breastfeed. Not eating salt at all will cause electrolyte imbalance. As long as you don't eat too salty bacon and pickles, it's no problem to add salt normally.

In fact, I have met so many mothers. The worst situation is never eating something "contraband", but being bound by a bunch of old rules. I don't dare to eat this or touch that. The confinement period is so uncomfortable that it affects the secretion of breast milk. When it comes to eating, comfort should be the first criterion. Only when you are happy can your baby eat well. Occasionally, if you are craving for spicy hot pot or nibble on a popsicle, it is really not a taboo. There is no need to compete with yourself.