It’s easy, when you’re so concerned about looking after your baby, to forget about looking after yourself, too.

Keep your energy levels up

It may sound obvious, or impossible, but try to rest as much as you can, sleep when your baby sleeps, and eat well to help you keep healthy and keep your energy levels up. If you don’t have time to make a meal, opt for nutritious snacks such as soup, pasta or rice, wholemeal bread sandwiches, boiled egg and granary toast, or cereal and fruit, rather than biscuits, crisps and fast food.

Drink when you are thirsty. If you are breastfeeding, remember that you don’t have to drink milk to make milk, though you may find you are thirsty when feeding. Have a glass of water or juice to hand.

Does what I eat affect my baby?

Our breastfeeding expert, Chris McGregor says:

‘On the whole, as long as you are eating sensibly, your baby will adjust to whatever you eat. But you still need to be careful eating some of the foods you avoided in pregnancy: try not to have more than two portions of oily fish a week (such as fresh tuna, mackerel, sardines) and no more than one portion of shark, marlin or swordfish a week. You may find that too much caffeine could upset your baby, and it’s best to limit alcohol to an occasional glass. If there’s an allergy to peanuts in your family, try to avoid eating them when you are breastfeeding so as not to “sensitise” your baby.’

When do my periods start again?

Our midwifery expert, Allyson Williams says:

‘You may continue to bleed for two to three weeks or more after the birth. After that, your periods could return as early as four weeks. If you are breastfeeding, however, your periods may not return until around six months, when you start to wean your baby. Remember, you can become pregnant before your periods have started again. So unless you want your babies extremely close together, use contraception as soon as you start having sex again.’