Abortion is a devastating experience that brings much trauma to every woman. Soon after abortion, your body is working hard to recover and heal itself. You will be losing blood for 6 weeks, and your inner womb lining is re-growing. Your pregnancy hormones are fluctuating and withdrawing from your body, leading to multiple side effects.
The physical symptoms of abortion are bleeding, cramping, back pain, and exhaustion, while mental symptoms may include depression, guilty, and sadness. Your body needs ample rest and a nutritious diet rich in vitamins and minerals to heal.
A healthy diet is half the cure. A good diet helps you overcome the physical and mental trauma you are put through. Taking a good diet will also boost your energy levels and mood while taking time off to recover mentally and physically. You will probably need a few more calories to recover, even though you are resting every day.
What is the best food to eat after abortion?
In surgical abortion, it may take weeks together for a woman to recover as the bleeding itself may last up to six weeks. So, it’s essential to stay calm and clear your mind to overcome this phase.
Here are some changes to include in your diet to help you feel full and healthy. Post-abortion, the pregnancy hormones are still withdrawing from your body that can drive you crazy, but taking vitamins in appropriate amounts will help you heal faster.
You must organize your food into small nutritious meals and target a holistic diet with balanced proportions of protein, vitamins, minerals and fibres, fats, and carbohydrates.
Here’s what to eat after abortion for fast recovery:
Iron-rich food
Continuous heavy bleeding can make you anaemic and weak. Thus, it is advisable to have green leafy vegetables like spinach, mint, and other seasonal green leafy vegetables available in your area. Spinach is rich in iron and vitamin C, and provides 2.7 mg of iron per 3.5 ounces. Having spinach boosts iron production and provides immunity to combat infections.
Other iron-rich foods include dates, pomegranate, sweet potatoes, and apples, which will help you maintain your haemoglobin levels. You can add dates or apples to your favourite smoothies, shakes, or oatmeal. These foods are also rich in magnesium which keeps the depression at bay.
Protein-rich food
Proteins are essential to be consumed in proper amounts at this hour. The amino acids that form the protein are required by the body after the miscarriage to remove the damaged cells.
Protein-rich food includes cheese, milk, fish, curd, eggs, grains, lentils, quinoa, and cooked lean meats. Having ample protein in your diet will be beneficial to healing and faster recovery.
Drink Fluids
Drinking ample fluid is important after abortion as there is blood loss. To keep yourself hydrated, you can have apple juice, pomegranate juice, detox drinks, and coconut juice. Also, taking turmeric milk before sleeping will help you heal faster.
A good way of gauging if you are drinking enough water is to check the urine colour. If it is pale yellow, your hydration level is satisfactory, but if it is dark yellow, you need to be drinking more water.
Vitamins and Calcium
Make sure to include a diet rich in B vitamins and calcium. You must eat fruits and green salad and take plenty of paneer, milk, and curd in your diet. You must also include broccoli, nuts, and seeds in your diet.
Omega-3
Eating fish and seafood helps to lower harmful cholesterol, promotes the heart’s well-being, prevents inflammation, and fights depression. Salmon is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D. It would be a good choice if you are a non-vegetarian.
Else, you can take omega-3 supplements as per your doctor’s advice.
What should we avoid after abortion?
Some women can experience nausea, diarrhoea, or constipation after abortion due to the withdrawal of hormones supporting pregnancy in their body. A healthy diet will surely help to relieve the symptoms.
Make sure to have ample water and fluids to get rid of this malice soon. You must take green teas or other detox teas and soups as a part of your diet. Make sure to scratch the junk food, sweets, alcohol, and smoking off your list.
Can you drink milk after an abortion?
Yes, you can take milk regularly after an abortion. Typically, having haldi milk before sleep helps heal faster and sleep better. If you have a history of lactose intolerance, you must avoid it.
If you are having trouble with digestion or gaseous distension, you may delay your milk intake by a few days. Also, having a glass of warm milk at night helps overcome constipation.
Will I gain weight after an abortion?
It is quite common for a woman to gain weight after a miscarriage. A woman’s body has undergone several hormonal changes leading to weight gain and affecting the metabolism, leading to hypothyroidism.
You may also notice abdominal swelling, which may last for a few days. If the swelling is accompanied by tenderness, chills, cramping, or bleeding, you should call your doctor immediately.
At times, women cannot lose weight even after regular exercising; this is again due to severe hormonal abnormalities after miscarriage. Miscarriage could be a challenging experience for most women and may even push them into depression.
Reaching out to your family and friends can help you in a big way to overcome the mental trauma post-abortion. You may also go for professional counselling or may seek the help of a therapist to overcome depression. If you are working, taking a break for a few weeks will help.
