Growing a baby for nine months is one of the most demanding tasks your body has ever undertaken. So, before you ask your body for a, it’s a good idea to check it’s back in shape and fully capable of building another baby.
‘Your body needs a chance to recover from pregnancy and birth if it’s to do a good job,’ Anne explains. ‘Even if you had a straightforward delivery, wait at least a year before you try to conceive again. If you had aYour pelvic floor, the sling of muscles that supports your uterus, bladder and bowel, will have been stretched by your growing baby. A vaginal delivery may have further damaged these muscles.
It’s not just the recovery of your reproductive system that you need to consider. ‘Pregnancy affects every system in your body,’ says Anne. ‘They all need to be functioning efficiently before you get pregnant again.’ For your body to operate at an optimum level, it needs an array of nutrients. Your nutritional reserves may currently be severely depleted because, when you were pregnant, your body also supplied your growing baby with all the nutrients he needed.
‘The best way to make sure your body gets all these nutrients back is to eat a healthy, balanced diet.’ Easier said than done when you’re in the throes of life as a new mum, but those quick-fix carbs and sugary foods that tiredness tempts you to consume don’t do the job. ‘It’s hard to find time to eat a proper breakfast and manage your five-a-day, but nothing beats healthy eating,’ says Anne.Choose in-season fruit and veg, whole grains and lean protein.