Tips for Managing Postpartum Hormones: Home: Author

Tips for Managing Postpartum Hormones

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It’s very common for new moms to experience hormonal fluctuations both during and after pregnancy. Estrogen and progesterone levels increase during pregnancy. These hormones are needed for placenta production. When the placenta falls out during delivery, your hormone levels fall as well. This drop in estrogen is needed to support milk production and heal your body. Still, such a drastic change in hormones causes many new moms to struggle with postpartum anxiety and PPD.

It’s important to denote the difference between postpartum hormonal fluctuations and postpartum hormonal imbalance. Thyroid issues during pregnancy are a reality for 5-10% of women, so it’s important to know the symptoms and understand your risk. If you feel like you may be suffering from hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism as a result of your pregnancy, it’s important you consult with your doctor.

That being said, if you’re looking for some things you can do to naturally bring your body back in balance, follow these steps.

Postpartum Diet

Your body is depleted of nutrients after delivery. The best thing you can do to restore your health as well as balance your hormones is to create a healthy postpartum diet plan. Stick to nutrient-dense foods, and eat plenty of clean proteins and healthy fats. Grass-fed beef, wild-caught fish, avocado, ghee, nuts, and seeds are all great additions to your postpartum diet.

If you’re breastfeeding, be sure to up your caloric intake by 400-500 calories per day to support milk production. If you're not doing this, you're going to deplete yourself of nutrients which will make you more susceptible to hormonal imbalances.

Supplement

After your diet, the second best way to renourish your nutrient depleted postpartum body is through supplements. It’s very common for women to be deficient in iron, folate, and vitamin D. Iron is especially important for hormonal balance as it is needed for thyroid function. Consult with your doctor about adding supplements to your postpartum diet.

Hydrate

It’s common for breastfeeding moms to suffer from dehydration. Water is essential for milk production so if you're not drinking enough, you’re likely not feeling your best and perhaps not producing enough milk. Even if you're not breastfeeding, sufficient water is needed to flush your body of toxins. This is critical during the postpartum period as your body repairs itself. Whether or not you're breastfeeding, drinking 128 oz. of water per day can help you feel better and recover faster.

Get Some Rest

Most of your hormone production occurs at night while you sleep, so it makes sense that getting as much sleep as possible can help you rebalance your hormone levels. While this sounds great in theory, sometimes the responsibilities of caring for a newborn make it much harder to stay well rested. Get creative with this part. Catch a nap with your baby during the day if your schedule allows, get your partner to help with midnight feedings and try to get as much deep sleep as you can.

Postpartum Exercise

It’s not recommended to do any heavy exercise within the first 6 months of giving birth, but once you feel up for it you should get out and do some walking. This light cardio will help you sleep better as well as reduce cortisol levels in the body, both important for hormone balance.

In conclusion, following these steps will help you manage the inevitable estrogen crash that occurs after birth. Keep in mind this will only help to manage, not prevent, the hormonal roller coaster of childbirth. If you're breastfeeding, that hormonal imbalance will last longer because your body will need to maintain lower levels of estrogen to produce milk. But if you know what to expect, and know how to best manage it, you can do your best to protect your hormonal and mental health when it’s most vulnerable.

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[{section_type: "rich_text", content: "It’s very common for new moms to experience hormonal fluctuations both during and after pregnancy.&nbsp; Estrogen and progesterone levels increase during pregnancy.&nbsp; These hormones are needed for placenta production.&nbsp; When the placenta falls out during delivery, your hormone levels fall as well.&nbsp; This drop in estrogen is needed to support milk production and heal your body.&nbsp; Still, such a drastic change in hormones causes many new moms to struggle with postpartum anxiety and PPD. \nIt’s important to denote the difference between postpartum hormonal fluctuations and postpartum hormonal imbalance. Thyroid issues during pregnancy are a reality for 5-10% of women, so it’s important to <a href=\"https://mommyato.com/blog/2021/12/23/reducing-risks-of-thyroid-issues-pregnancy/\">know the symptoms</a> and understand your risk.&nbsp; If you feel like you may be suffering from hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism as a result of your pregnancy, it’s important you consult with your doctor. \nThat being said, if you’re looking for some things you can do to naturally bring your body back in balance, follow these steps.&nbsp;&nbsp; \n<h2>Postpartum Diet</h2>\nYour body is depleted of nutrients after delivery.&nbsp; The best thing you can do to restore your health as well as balance your hormones is to create a healthy <a href=\"https://vocal.media/stories/5-tips-for-creating-a-postpartum-health-plan\">postpartum diet plan</a>.&nbsp; Stick to nutrient-dense foods, and eat plenty of clean proteins and healthy fats.&nbsp; Grass-fed beef, wild-caught fish, avocado, ghee, nuts, and seeds are all great additions to your postpartum diet. \nIf you’re breastfeeding, be sure to up your caloric intake by 400-500 calories per day to support milk production.&nbsp; If you're not doing this, you're going to deplete yourself of nutrients which will make you more susceptible to hormonal imbalances.\n<h2>Supplement</h2>\nAfter your diet, the second best way to renourish your nutrient depleted postpartum body is through supplements.&nbsp; It’s very common for women to be deficient in iron, folate, and vitamin D.&nbsp; Iron is especially important for hormonal balance as it is needed for thyroid function.&nbsp; Consult with your doctor about adding supplements to your postpartum diet. \n<h2>Hydrate</h2>\nIt’s common for breastfeeding moms to suffer from dehydration.&nbsp; Water is essential for milk production so if you're not drinking enough, you’re likely not feeling your best and perhaps not producing enough milk.&nbsp; Even if you're not breastfeeding, sufficient water is needed to flush your body of toxins.&nbsp; This is critical during the postpartum period as your body repairs itself.&nbsp; Whether or not you're breastfeeding, drinking 128 oz. of water per day can help you feel better and recover faster.\n<h2>Get Some Rest</h2>\nMost of your hormone production occurs at night while you sleep, so it makes sense that getting as much sleep as possible can help you rebalance your hormone levels.&nbsp; While this sounds great in theory, sometimes the responsibilities of caring for a newborn make it much harder to stay well rested.&nbsp; Get creative with this part.&nbsp; Catch a nap with your baby during the day if your schedule allows, get your partner to help with midnight feedings and try to get as much deep sleep as you can.&nbsp; \n<h2>Postpartum Exercise</h2>\nIt’s not recommended to do any heavy exercise within the first 6 months of giving birth, but once you feel up for it you should get out and do some walking.&nbsp; This light cardio will help you sleep better as well as reduce cortisol levels in the body, both important for hormone balance.&nbsp; \nIn conclusion, following these steps will help you manage the inevitable estrogen crash that occurs after birth.&nbsp; Keep in mind this will only help to manage, not prevent, the hormonal roller coaster of childbirth.&nbsp; If you're breastfeeding, that hormonal imbalance will last longer because your body will need to maintain lower levels of estrogen to produce milk.&nbsp; But if you know what to expect, and know how to best manage it, you can do your best to protect your hormonal and mental health when it’s most vulnerable. \n&nbsp;"}]

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