Pregnant and breastfeeding women: how to enjoy the festive season meals?

Christmas and New Year's Eve are not far off and, like everyone else, you want to enjoy the festivities and you're right to do so! Pregnancy and postpartum are already no picnic, so there's no reason to deprive yourself of good times with family and friends. As a reminder, this is especially true for those around you, being pregnant or breastfeeding is not an illness. You just need to make a few adjustments to avoid digestive discomfort, both for yourself and your baby. Nutrimom, an expert in maternity nutrition, provides an update.

Behind Nutrimom is Anouchka Dehalleux, who realised that all too often women unknowingly neglect the impact of food on their health and more specifically on the development and growth, including in-utero, of the baby. Mothers-to-be are constantly told what they can't eat, but they are never, or hardly ever, advised on what is good for them and their offspring. Anouchka has therefore created Nutrimom to guide them and simplify their daily lives (exit mental load!) by cooking for them small dishes (sweet and salty) that are good in taste and essential nutrients. And speaking of mental burden, we invite you to discover our article on the 10 great gifts to give to a young mother.

Discover the formulas she offers and let yourself be tempted by these delights. Nutrimomfood.be

 What to eat and drink while pregnant or breastfeeding?

To begin with, there is a difference between being pregnant and breastfeeding. If you are both at the same time ... a cup of tea and go to bed! No, we're joking, but the party won't be as crazy.

When it comes to breastfeeding during the holidays (and everywhere, all the time), there's nothing better than the stylish and ultra-comfortable clothes designed by Milk Away. For the festive season, we recommend that you fall for their iconic little black dress, so chic.

 A small aperitif

If you are pregnant, we advise you to abstain from alcohol. Especially since there are more and more non-alcoholic lacto-fermented drinks that taste great, such as kefir or kombucha, which are rich in probiotics that are excellent for the body and the fetus and will make you forget that you will still be sober after midnight. The advantages are numerous: no hangover, no risk at the wheel, but it's true that you won't have any excuse to justify your dancing either. For digestive reasons, we advise you to drink a maximum of three. Excess, even of good things, is never good. Yes, we know, life is no fun. You may have thought you were going to have a probiotic tampon, but no, you'd better not.

credit: Unsplash - Logan Weaver

Nutrimom's kefir aperitif recipe :

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon kefir grains (available in organic shops)
  • 1 litre of low mineralized spring water
  • 1 tablespoon organic sugar
  • 1 organic dried date
  • 2-3 organic lemon slices

Equipment:

  • 1 glass jar (to be sterilised in boiling water)
  • 1 clean cloth
  • 1 elastic band
  • 1 nylon strainer
  • 1 glass bottle (to be sterilised)
  • 1 funnel
  • 1 stainless steel spoon

Instructions:

Put the tablespoon of kefir grains in the jar, add 1 litre of water, the tablespoon of sugar, the date and a slice of lemon, then cover with a square of cloth and fix with a rubber band. You can either do a single fermentation and your drink will be less fizzy or you can do a second fermentation.

In this case, place a funnel and strainer over the bottle and pour in your fruit kefir from the first fermentation.

Then collect the grains for the next fermentation without washing them, close the bottle and leave to ferment again for 24 to 48 hours at room temperature, or at low temperature to increase the fizz of your drink.

You can flavour it with dried fruits, spices or herbs... Give way to your creativity...

Once finished, place your bottle in the refrigerator to slow down fermentation and consume within 3 days of opening.

Have a good experience ... and enjoy your meal!

If you are breastfeeding, alcohol is not totally forbidden. A glass or two is allowed. Remember that the amount of alcohol will be the same in the blood as in the milk, but it filters out more quickly into the milk. You have two options: either you pump your milk beforehand for the evening and night and give it to your baby in a bottle, or you drink your glass of alcohol at the end of or just after the last feed (hence the importance of buying well-thought-out nursing clothes!). This will allow you to space out your alcohol consumption by two or three hours before your next feed.

Split meals

Regarding food, again, you have to differentiate between being pregnant and breastfeeding. When pregnant, if you are not immune to toxoplasmosis, you should avoid all raw or semi-cooked meat (tataki, carpaccio, American, foie gras, etc.) and fish (oysters, sushi and sashimi, etc.), as well as unpasteurised cheese and raw egg-based desserts. As for raw vegetables, make sure they are thoroughly washed. And if you're prone to pregnancy diabetes, you'll have to go easy on the log. But not only that, because unfortunately sugar is hidden in everything, including pasta, bread, etc.

Breastfeeding, no worries with these products, you are free, delivered because the possible bacteria do not pass in the milk! 

In general, avoid eating too much at once. The best way to survive the holiday marathon without pregnancy sickness or digestive problems in yourself or your baby is to split up your meals, i.e. eat smaller quantities more often during the day, and avoid excess fat and sugar (but this applies to all meals in life in general). One breastfeeding is not the other, but it is obvious that if you are used to paying attention to your diet and suddenly you consume products that are too rich, too acidic, too spicy for a few days, your body and also your baby (since everything passes through the breast milk) will not like it. You run the risk of causing reflux, a reflux of suckling if the taste of the milk is no longer the same and of causing discomfort crying and therefore of having very bad nights. The ideal is therefore to anticipate and provide milk as a replacement. If your baby has food intolerances, you should know that traces can be found in the milk up to a week after ingestion...

The best thing to do is to host a party at home. You are then in charge of the meal and you can easily include galactogenic (i.e. milk-producing) foods such as: fennel, almonds, cashew nuts, cumin, brewer's yeast, etc. We try to include all kinds of vegetables.

Digestive drinks to prepare

To limit digestive discomfort, you can also drink water infused with ginger or lemon. There are also digestive herbal teas, often with warm spices such as cinnamon, available on the market (choose organic). The key is hydration. Drinking regularly allows the body to function optimally, but also reduces bloating and limits cravings, since drinking enough water has a satiety effect. This way, you can avoid rushing out to eat like a child... 

A broth for relief

Pregnant or breastfeeding, real chicken broth (that is, broth made from a carcass that has been simmering for hours) is a real grandmother's remedy that is super effective because it is super rich in collagen and therefore hydrating and revitalising. It's great for the aftermath of parties or after an excess of food. Indeed, when pregnant or breastfeeding, it is strongly advised not to eat even if you are not hungry or have a stomach ache. 

The most important thing to remember and the best advice we can give you is to listen to yourself, your body and your baby and trust yourself. And even if the urge to feast until late is very tempting, don't neglect your sleep. Sleep is so precious... #speakofyoungmom

Have a great holiday, Super WoMUMs! 

#milkawayapparel #inmumwetrust #wearewomum #teamwomum #partymum #xmas #newyear #christmasfood

photo credit: Unsplash - Jed Owen