Smoking

During pregnancy, you will have been advised many times by your doctor, midwife, and many others to give up. Hopefully, you achieved it but if you want to start again then you need to consider the consequences to not only your own health but the health of your newborn child, too. Even smoking away from your baby poses a risk to their health. Your clothes, hair and breath retain carcinogenic chemicals which your baby inhales.

Numerous studies have shown that babies with a parent who smokes have a much higher risk of cot death. The incidence of asthma is much higher too and no caring parent would want to be the cause of such a distressing condition.

If you have visitors who smoke, then they should be encouraged to keep away from your baby and, where possible, avoid smoky environments when out with your child.

Alcohol

The restrictions on drinking that you had during your pregnancy are no longer so crucial, although alcohol can still be passed to your baby in breast milk. The occasional unit of alcohol (one unit = one small glass of wine, half a pint of beer/ cider, a pub measure of spirits) is unlikely to do any harm but as a new parent you will not want to be under the influence of alcohol when looking after your child.

There have been some instances of mothers smothering their baby in bed because alcohol had made them too sleepy to be aware of their baby beside them.

Medication

If you are breast-feeding you should discuss any medication you need to take for a medical condition with your GP. Generally, the same advice applies as for pregnancy, in that drugs advised against in pregnancy should also be avoided while breast-feeding. Painkillers used for a headache should also be taken with caution such as ibuprofen or aspirin as they can pass into breast milk.

Paracetamol is still considered to be safe but should be kept to a minimum and other ways of dealing with a headache should be chosen first. Laying down and rubbing lavender oil on your temples may be sufficient.

Exercise

After labour, you will discover that your abdominal muscles are very weak and if you required a Caesarean, they will take even longer to return to normal. Post natal exercises are very important and you should be advised on how to do them by your midwife. Pelvic floor exercises which you should have been taught to do during pregnancy, are even more important now. They will help to strengthen the muscles in your pelvic region and should prevent problems like stress incontinence.

Exercise should also help your bowels to return to normal too. Aerobic exercise like walking, jogging, dancing or swimming will help your body to return to it's pre-pregnancy state much quicker.

Weight

The amount of weight put on by women in pregnancy varies between 9 - 13.5kg (20 to 30lbs). Not all this weight will disappear after you have delivered your baby and it can take many months for your weight to return to normal. Some women never seem to return to their pre-pregnant weight without dieting but it is better to do it slowly.

Exercise will hasten weight loss but it is important to eat a healthy diet, to produce good quality breast milk for your baby and prevent yourself from becoming deficient in nutrients when demands on your body are still high.

Dietary Support

Unfortunately, in today's world, it is impossible to receive the full complement of nutrients required to maintain good health. Every decade, the nutrient value in our fruits and vegetables is depleted because of modern farming methods. See Our Food Today for more details.

Therefore, if you have chosen to breast-feed, it is important to continue to supply your body with sufficient nutrients in order to provide your baby with sufficient nutrients. NEWAYS produce a range of high quality nutritional supplements recommended by doctors around the world for their safety and effectiveness. Click here for a list of recommended supplements while breast-feeding. These will also be beneficial to your recovery if you choose not to breast-feed, too.

Ensure you have the recommended five, but preferably eight portions of fruit and vegetables a day and include plenty of roughage in your diet to prevent constipation. If you have stitches after delivery you will not want to strain when you need to open your bowels.

Fluid Intake

If you have chosen to breast-feed, it is especially important to drink sufficient fluids each day as a mother who is dehydrated will produce less milk. You should allow the recommended two litres of water daily for yourself plus another litre for your baby's needs. That amount should not include water used for tea or coffee as they are both dehydrating. This means that the benefit from their volume is soon cancelled out by their diuretic effect.

Sufficient fluids allows your body to also remove toxins, therefore allowing less to pass to your baby in your milk. If you are dehydrated, water is drained away from some cells and sent to the vital organs. This can lead to tiredness, lack of concentration and gastro-intestinal problems.

Tea and coffee should be kept to a minimum as these can affect your baby and fizzy drinks can be very dehydrating. Artificial sweeteners like saccharin or aspartame in the sugar-free fizzy drinks can pass to your baby through your milk, so they should be totally avoided. For more information on aspartame, click here.

A glass of fruit juice can be counted as one of your required daily portions of fruit but you should not drink more than two a day because they can be quite acidic.

If you have problems drinking water, then diluting fruit juice is one way of making it more palatable. However, like most things, if you drink it often enough it becomes an acquired taste.

Filtered water is better than water straight from the tap but remember to change the filters regularly to prevent bacteria, nitrate, and metal build up. Mineral water is also good, preferably “still” water from glass bottles rather than plastic. Plastic bottles may contain chemicals which can cause hormone imbalances. If you can only buy plastic bottles, make sure you drink the contents as soon as possible, as the closer it is to the expiry date, the higher level of contamination in the water.

The safest form of water is by reverse osmosis filtration. This is a very fine mesh filtration system that can be fitted under the sink. It filters out chemicals, metals, viruses, and bacteria. For details about a reverse osmosis system, click here.

Personal Hygiene

You may be shocked to discover that many of the products you use daily for personal hygiene contain a toxic cocktail of chemicals which cannot only harm your long-term health but can also be passed to your baby in your breast milk.

Common chemicals that should be avoided are: Sodium Lauryl Sulphate found in toothpastes and some mouthwashes; Sodium Laureth Sulphate found in shampoos, shower gels and bubble baths; Propylene Glycol found in skin care products; DEA, MEA, TEA found in cosmetics, shampoos and shower gels; Fluoride found in toothpastes; and Talc. See Common Toxins for more details.

Never use bubble bath containing Sodium Laureth Sulphate if you have had stitches as this will retard healing and may cause a urinary tract infection.

You should also avoid using products containing these ingredients on your baby, too as some may have the ability to cause eczema, and even cancer in the long term. Your baby's immune system is not fully developed in the first few years, so unnecessary exposure to toxins should be avoided at all costs.

NEWAYS have produced a special baby care range of products called NEWays generations which took three years to develop and contain no harmful ingredients. To take a look at these safe alternatives, click

You'll also find safe toiletries, skincare and cosmetics for yourself in our


Your baby will be exposed to a great many pollutants in his/her life, which are unavoidable. So, making safe choices for both of you will significantly reduce their risk of childhood cancer - presently rising by three per cent every year.