P O S T PA RT U M

HEALING

Madeleine Collanto
mcollanto@luc.edu
FONU 425
COMPONENTS • Mood and emotional well-being
OF • Infant care and feeding
• Physically recovery
P O S T PA RT U M
• Sleep and fatigue
CARE
• Health maintenance
• Chronic disease management

(American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 2018)

 How does nutrition play a role
in postpartum care?

• Adequate nutrition during the postpartum

period is important for
• Replenishing body stores for future pregnancies
and long-term health
• Helping with weight management and postpartum
complications/healing
• Meeting nutritional requirements for breastfeeding

(WIC, 2013)
 • Breastfeeding mothers
• Require additional 330-400 kcal per day
• Encourage balanced diet, women don’t need to limit
or avoid specific foods
• Increased needs for folic acid, calcium, iron
• Vegetarian Diets

Current postpartum • Ensure optimal protein, calcium, and vitamin B12

intake

nutrition recommendations •
•
Fluids
Adequate fluid intake helps carry nutrients
throughout the body and flush toxins out of system
• Can reduce swelling after delivery
• Some may continue pre-natal vitamins
(especially vegetarian and vegan moms)

(Mayo Clinic, 2022)

(CDC, 2021)
 Current postpartum
nutrition recommendations

(Ball et al., 2022)

 • Cross-sectional study
• N=90
• Independent variable: nutrition pattern

New Research: • Dependent variable: perineal wound healing

• Results: 63% of participants had good
Frilasari et al., nutrition patterns and good perineal wound
healing, 30% had poor nutrition patterns and
2020 moderate perineal wound healing, 6.7% had
nutritional patterns less and bad perineal
wound healing (p<0.05)
• Conclusion: there is a relationship between
nutritional pattern and the healing of perineal
wounds
• High caloric, protein, fluid and mineral intake
and vitamins can help accelerate the process of
new cell regeneration for wound healing
 • Longitudinal study
• N=793
• Maternal characteristics, health, diet, and lifestyle

New Research: were assessed

• Results: Energy, protein, and carbohydrate intake
Aparicio et al., was above 80% of the RDA and observed
decrease in Vitamin C and E and fiber postpartum

2020 • Increase in fat and decrease in carbohydrates up to

40 days postpartum
• Conclusion: Intakes during pregnancy were
mostly near the recommendations for some
nutrients, but there was also a high risk of
inadequate intake of nutrients
• Intake was similar in postpartum period
• Women with high risk intakes can be prevented
through nutrition education programs before and
after pregnancy to prevent negative health outcomes
Benefits of breastfeeding for
mothers
• Breastfeeding stimulates a mother’s postpartum uterine
contractions
• Loses less blood due to infant’s sucking causes uterus to
contract
• Delays normal ovarian cycles and the return to fertility
• Allows mother’s body to replenish iron stores
• Helps future pregnancies
• Triggers release of oxytocin (promotes relaxation)
• Long-term: Prevents against Type 2 Diabetes, Cancer, and
Hypertension

(WIC, 2019)
 American College of
Obstetricians and Gynecologists

• Postpartum care should be an ongoing process

• All women should meet with a maternal care
provider within the first 3 weeks postpartum
• Comprehensive postpartum visit no later than 12
weeks after birth is recommended
• Develop a postpartum plan to help ensure a
successful recovery

(ACOG, 2018)
 • More research is needed specifically
on postpartum healing and nutrition
• Postpartum mother should maintain a
balanced diet with special
considerations for breastfeeding
Conclusions moms, teen moms, and vegetarian
and vegan moms
• Developing a postpartum plan with
providers can help ensure a
successful recovery
• Each mother will have a unique,
individualized postpartum
experience and needs will differ from
person to person
References:
1. ACOG committee opinion no. 736: Optimizing Postpartum Care. (2018). Obstetrics & Gynecology, 131(5).
https://doi.org/10.1097/aog.0000000000002633 
2. Aparicio, E., Jardí, C., Bedmar, C., Pallejà, M., Basora, J., & Arija, V. (2020). Nutrient intake during pregnancy and post-partum:
Eclipses study. Nutrients, 12(5), 1325. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12051325 
3. Ball, L., De Jersey, S., Parkinson, J., Vincze, L., & Wilkinson, S. (2022). Postpartum nutrition: Guidance for general practitioners
to support high-quality care. Australian Journal of General Practice, 51(3), 123–128. https://doi.org/10.31128/ajgp-09-21-6151 
4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, September 2). Maternal diet. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Retrieved April 30, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/breastfeeding-special-circumstances/diet-and-micronutrients/
maternal-diet.html 
5. Frilasari, H., Saudah, N., Prameswari, V. E., Azizah, Y. N., & Suhita, B. M. (2020). Nutritional pattern and healing of perineum
wound on postpartum period. Journal Of Nursing Practice, 3(2), 172–180. https://doi.org/10.30994/jnp.v3i2.85 
6.Wic Infant Nutrition and Feeding Guide. WIC Works Resource System. (n.d.). Retrieved April 30, 2022, from
https://wicworks.fns.usda.gov/resources/infant-nutrition-and-feeding-guide