Ideally, preparing for a baby begins at least three months before conception. The better your health, the healthier your baby is likely to be. Make the lifestyle changes before conception that really work – better diet, cut out smoking and reduce alcohol and caffeine intake. Start taking folic acid, 400 micrograms daily, too.
Bring on the water! Staying hydrated has benefits for the baby and for Mum from helping with skin elasticity to improving energy and concentration. Avoid dehydrating coffee and tea (many ladies find they go off it anyway) and sip water throughout the day instead.
Increase the essential fats in your diet – so called essential since your body can’t make them on its own. These fats, found in oily fish, nuts and seeds can be easily taken in supplement form too.
Protein is the building block of every cell in your baby's body. Try to include a little protein such as nuts and seeds, eggs, fish or lean meat with every meal.
Eat smaller frequent meals will help early morning sickness and will help in later stages too as pregnancy progresses. Not only will a ‘little and often’ eating plan aid digestion, it will also help balance blood sugar levels. A late night supper of a few crackers or oatcakes can help too.
Embrace the curves! It is really important to remember that pregnancy weight gain is a vital part of pregnancy – it is there for good reason. Do not diet but instead focus on eating plenty of healthy foods that will help your baby and your body in the long term.
If you are even more tired than usual as pregnancy progresses, check your iron levels. You may need more – if you are craving red meat it is usually because your body needs more iron!
Once baby arrives it is easy to be swept up in the whirlwind of excitement – only to crash a few days later. Enjoy being the centre of attention (look what you just did!) and ask for help when you need it. Accept all offers of cooked meals, help around the house and remember to take extra care of diet to help your body heal.
Remedies such as arnica can assist with post-birth bruising. See a homeopath who can prepare a ‘birth pack’ for you.
Young children create huge demands on your energy – and patience! Try not to fall into the trap of using false ‘energy highs’ such as caffeine and sugar (a typical yummy mummy coffee morning menu!). If you find yourself with little spare at the end of the day, try to put yourself first, even just for 20 mins. A little exercise, some care over a special meal or a long soak in the bath are survival tactics for every busy Mum.
Getting your body back is important to most new Mums. Don’t give up when you find you are still struggling into your jeans six months down the line. Specific exercises such as tough pilates and powerplates can help ‘knit’ abdominal separation back together, and fun but effective classes are usually the best approach – you are less likely to drop out and they are more social to help with any feelings of isolation.
Don’t panic – newborn babies often cry for a simple reason which you need to methodically think through a mental checklist – or write it down if you are too tired to think straight! Hunger, wind, tiredness, or a dirty nappy are the first that I check. Persistent crying can be one symptom of colic, a remedy like Colief can help with this, or be used as a tool to help diagnose if it is colic or something else.
Baby’s diet – newborn baby’s diets appear simple – milk! But a lactase deficiency can lead to colic-like symptoms such as persistent crying. Some mums find switching to a dairy free diet can help, or to a special formula milk. However if you want to keep breastfeeding then a remedy like Colief can simply be added to your expressed milk or spoonfed to the baby before breastfeeding which gives baby the benefit of breast milk and new Mums a real solution that is ultimately healthiest for all.
Priced at £11.99, Colief is available from pharmacies nationwide. For help and advice on coping with a crying baby visit http://www.colief.com/ or call the Colief Infant Drops® Helpline on (0800) 0281187.
Colief is manufactured and distributed by Crosscare Ltd.
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