This is something that new mum Lisa Wipfli, wife of Nova presenter Michael ‘Wippa’ Wipfli, knows only too well.
“I’m generally a very healthy person as it is,” says Lisa, who gave birth to a healthy 3.35kg Jack, below, in June, her second boy.
“I love food and eat a lot, but I eat the right foods, so I didn’t feel the need to change my diet when breastfeeding.
“I consciously tried to drink more water and keep up my green leafy salads and vegetables but as any mother knows, most of the time you are reaching for the quickest easiest thing in the fridge, which for me was often baked beans on toast.”
A combination of factors, including eating on the go and unhealthy snack choices, meant Lisa wasn’t getting all the nourishment she needed after her first son Ted arrived, but she wasn’t on her own.
A recent Australian survey found that that no pregnant women were meeting the recommended dietary intake.
So with her second bub’s arrival, Lisa is taking the guesswork out of her diet to ensure she’s meeting the increased nutritional needs of a breastfeeding mum.
“I wish I knew that a new mum can’t look after her baby properly and supply sufficient vitamins, minerals and Omega 3 unless she was looking after herself too,” she says.
“This time round, I think I will sign up to one of those healthy food deliveries so I’m not always making a last minute food decision.
“Along with that, I’m opting to have my placenta encapsulated again – which I really believe helped my state of mind and balanced my hormones in the really difficult first couple of months with Ted.”
Lisa says she’ll also be taking the new Elevit Breastfeeding multivitamin.
“I can really notice the difference in my health when I don’t take certain multivitamins, especially when you are growing a baby inside of you.
“Every time I’m run down and sleep deprived, I get sick. This is pretty much how you feel 24/7 for the first three months after giving birth and combined with not having time to eat three nutritious meals a day, it doesn’t put your body in optimal shape.”
