New mums and dads: healthy lifestyle choices
Healthy eating and drinking in the early days
Looking after a new baby takes up a huge amount of time and energy.
This means you will probably have less time for shopping and for preparing and cooking snacks and meals. But eating well goes a long way towards helping you keep your energy levels up.
For good health, you need to eat a wide variety of foods every day from five main food groups:
- vegetables – 6 servings a day for men and 5 servings a day for women
- fruit – 2 servings a day for men and women
- grain foods – 6 servings a day for men and women
- protein – 3 servings a day for men and 2½ serving a day for women
- reduced-fat dairy – 2½ servings a day for men and women.
It is also important to drink plenty of water – eight glasses a day is the recommended amount. It is okay to have juice, cordial or a soft drink sometimes, but they are high in sugar so water is the healthiest choice.
If you are breastfeeding, your body needs extra nutrients, which you can get from a healthy breastfeeding diet.
Healthy eating tips for new parents
Here are a few tips for quick, easy and healthy eating options:
- Keep pre-washed and pre-chopped vegetables in the refrigerator.
- Prepare meals in bulk and freeze them – for example, casseroles and soups.
- Use frozen vegetables when you do not have time to prepare fresh vegetables.
- Keep your fruit basket full.
- Have yoghurt, nuts, and vegetable sticks handy for healthy snacks during the day.
- Make meals that can be eaten hot or cold. You can also pack these into containers for outings.
- If possible, shop online and use grocery delivery services.
- Accept offers of meals from friends and family.
Physical activity for new parents
Even though you might feel tired and want to rest every chance you get, exercise can actually increase your energy levels and make you feel better. Movement is what matters – 30 minutes or so a day.
It can be hard to find the time to fit this in, but you can try making it part of everyday activities. For example, pushing your baby’s pram to the shops to pick up some things for dinner gets you out of the house and keeps you active too.
You do not need to join a gym to exercise. Learn a few exercises that you can do from home or go for a walk or run from home. Then you will not have to worry about the travel time involved in going to the gym.
Some women worry about losing the weight they gained during the pregnancy. It is important to give your body time to recover after your baby is born. Healthy food and gentle exercise make for a sensible approach.
Alcohol, smoking and medication
Caring for your baby safely
Check with your doctor or pharmacist about whether any medications that you or your partner take – including herbal tonics or tablets – have side effects that could make it hard to care for your baby. This might include anything that causes drowsiness, affects your balance or affects your reflexes – for example, when driving a car.
Now that you are caring for a newborn, you will need to plan who will look after the baby if you are drinking alcohol or taking medication that can make you drowsy or affect your balance.
Alcohol and smoking
No more than two standard alcoholic drinks each day is a healthy level.
Smoking puts your baby at higher risk of sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI) including sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and fatal sleeping accidents. It is best for you and your baby to be in a smoke-free environment.
Caffeine can affect how well you sleep, so try not to have it late in the day.
What you eat, drink or smoke is passed through your breastmilk to your baby and can affect baby’s brain development. So if you are breastfeeding it is best not to drink alcohol, smoke or use drugs.
