13 Common Misconceptions About Postpartum Diet
1. Consuming Large Amounts of Broth Too Early
After childbirth, family members often prepare nutrient-rich broths like crucian carp soup, pig's trotter soup, or pork rib soup for the new mother. They believe this replenishes nutrients, speeds recovery, and increases milk production to ensure the baby receives ample breast milk.
However, if the mother drinks large amounts of soup immediately after giving birth, it can cause excessive milk production. Newborns have small stomach capacities and weak sucking strength, consuming only small amounts. Excess milk can become stagnant in the milk ducts, leading to breast engorgement and pain.Additionally, the mother's nipples are delicate and prone to cracking. If infected by bacteria, this can lead to mastitis, causing redness, swelling, heat, and pain in the breast, or even abscesses. This not only causes the mother discomfort but also interferes with normal breastfeeding.
2. Consuming Rich Broths
Here, "rich broths" refer to high-fat soups prepared for new mothers, such as pork knuckle soup or fatty chicken soup. Some believe these soups are highly nutritious and restorative. However, excessive intake of high-fat foods by mothers increases the fat content in breast milk. This high-fat milk hinders infants' ability to absorb nutrients effectively and may cause diarrhea.Additionally, excessive fat intake can cause weight gain, hindering the mother's postpartum recovery. 3. Prolonged consumption of brown sugar water Some believe that postpartum women, having lost vital energy during childbirth, should consume ample brown sugar for nourishment.While brown sugar does offer benefits like boosting energy, nourishing blood, strengthening the spleen, warming the stomach, dispelling wind-cold, and promoting blood circulation, it should not be consumed excessively.
Excessive consumption of brown sugar water not only damages teeth but can also lead to excessive sweating during summer confinement, further weakening the body and potentially causing heatstroke. Moreover, drinking too much brown sugar water increases blood volume in lochia, prolonging blood loss and risking anemia.
4. Drinking Large Amounts of Plain Water
Most new mothers experience edema during late pregnancy. The postpartum confinement period is a crucial time for recovery, during which the body should expel accumulated fluids. Consuming excessive water can hinder this process.Mothers who underwent cesarean sections may require medication and should still consume adequate fluids. However, avoid large single intakes; instead, drink moderate amounts in divided portions throughout the day.
5. Consuming Tea
While tea is a wholesome beverage, it is unsuitable for postpartum women during confinement. After childbirth, mothers experience significant physical exhaustion and depletion of both qi and blood. The focus should be on replenishing blood and ensuring restful sleep to restore strength quickly.Tea contains tannic acid, which binds to iron in food, hindering intestinal iron absorption and increasing the risk of anemia. Stronger tea contains higher tannic acid levels, further impairing iron absorption.
Furthermore, the caffeine in tea stimulates brain activity after consumption, making it difficult to fall asleep. This disrupts the mother's sleep and hinders physical recovery. Simultaneously, caffeine from tea can pass into the infant through breast milk, causing intestinal spasms and leading to unexplained crying.
6. Taking Ginseng
New mothers experience significant energy depletion and physical exhaustion after childbirth, requiring ample bed rest. Taking ginseng at this stage may cause restlessness and disrupt sleep, hindering energy recovery. Therefore, new mothers should avoid ginseng for the first week postpartum. After seven days, when wounds have healed, moderate ginseng intake can aid physical recovery. However, excessive consumption should be avoided.Ginseng is considered a warming herb; taking it during summer can more easily cause internal heat in new mothers. 7. Taking Deer Antler Deer antler is known for its ability to tonify the kidneys, strengthen yang energy, nourish essence, and enrich blood. It is effective for gynecological conditions involving yang deficiency, such as uterine coldness and infertility. Consequently, many believe postpartum consumption of deer antler promotes rapid recovery.However, postpartum women often experience yin deficiency, insufficient yin blood, and excess yang energy. Taking deer antler further amplifies yang energy while depleting yin energy, potentially causing irregular vaginal bleeding due to blood not circulating properly within the vessels.These foods promote intestinal gas production, causing abdominal bloating. Cesarean surgery irritates intestinal muscles, suppressing bowel function, slowing peristalsis, and trapping gas in the intestinal cavity—all factors contributing to post-operative bloating. Excessive consumption of these foods worsens bloating and hinders wound healing.
9. Excessive Egg Consumption
Medical research indicates that new mothers require approximately 100 grams of protein daily throughout the postpartum period. Thus, consuming 3–4 eggs per day is sufficient. Overconsumption of eggs burdens the digestive system and may even trigger gastric disorders.While adults can generally tolerate MSG, infants—especially those under 12 weeks—are highly vulnerable. If breastfeeding mothers consume both high-protein diets and excessive MSG, it can cause zinc deficiency in infants. This may lead to poor taste perception, loss of appetite, and adverse effects like intellectual impairment and delayed growth.
11. Eating Chocolate
Some mothers who enjoy chocolate may continue consuming it frequently after giving birth. Research indicates that excessive chocolate intake by breastfeeding mothers can adversely affect the infant's growth and development. This is because the theobromine in chocolate can enter breast milk, be absorbed by the infant through nursing, and accumulate in their body.Over time, this theobromine can damage the infant's nervous system and heart, cause muscle relaxation, increase urine output, and lead to digestive issues, restless sleep, and frequent crying.Salty foods contain high sodium levels, which can cause water and sodium retention in the mother's body, leading to edema. During summer confinement, many mothers prefer cold foods like ice cream, chilled beverages, and overly cold salads. However, consuming these too soon after childbirth not only affects dental and digestive health but also damages the spleen and stomach, hindering the expulsion of lochia.Additionally, weakened gastrointestinal function means overeating can impair appetite and digestion. 13. Dieting for Weight Loss Some mothers experience significant weight gain after childbirth, differing greatly from their pre-pregnancy state. Eager to regain their former figure, they may rush into restrictive diets immediately postpartum. This practice not only harms the mother's health and hinders recovery but also fails to ensure adequate nutrition for the infant.
The weight gain is mostly fat and water. If breastfeeding, the added fat may not suffice, requiring the body to draw on stored reserves. Moreover, dieting prevents mothers from consuming a variety of nutrient-rich foods daily to maintain adequate calories, thereby failing to meet the infant's nutritional needs and ensuring their own recovery.