You’ve heard the saying you wouldn’t start a road trip on an empty tank of gas, right? Well, being a new mommy or daddy is the start of a wild journey, and one thing you will definitely need is fuel!
Sure, you might have to let go of homemade pasta, tending to your sourdough starter, and some of the other creative hobbies your pregnancy might have inspired but fear not! You can still have a delicious, nutritious, quick, and satisfying meal postpartum. It just takes a little planning and prepping pre-baby to get you entirely set up for success!
Attention moms, no matter how stressed or tired you are post-delivery, you must replenish your body; it’s a non-negotiable for you and your baby. Food like avocados, nuts, beans, legumes, root vegetables and, dark leafy greens are ideal for breastfeeding. And, even if you aren’t breastfeeding nutrient-rich, whole foods are exactly what your body needs to recover from delivery.
Protein & Collagen
Postpartum is not the time to skimp on protein either! Have plenty of eggs, chicken, beef, turkey, fish, liver meats, yogurt, beans, nuts, and nut butter to help cell regeneration and muscle recovery. Plus, the collagen in poultry and meat will help re-strengthen your joints and ligaments. If you’re a vegan or vegetarian, consider plant-based collagen!
Hydrate
Get your water and your electrolytes! Stock up on coconut water as well as regular water to replenish the fluids lost during pregnancy.
Okay, So You’re Three Days From Your Due Date…
It’s the perfect time to send your partner or any member of your postpartum team to the grocery store because it’s meal prepping time, baby!
The Freezer is Your Friend!
Are frozen dinners always ideal? Maybe not. Is the first few months after having a baby a total circus, and you’ll take any cheat you can? HECK YES!!
Buy and cook your meat, veggies, and grains in bulk. Portion them out in large zip lock baggies and aim to have enough food for at least one week. Hearty stews and chilis are perfect freezer foods as they reheat pretty well. Grains and legumes like brown rice, farro, and quinoa also seem to do quite well in the freezer as they don’t tend to clump together. See, the freezer is your friend!
Easy and Healthy
Boiled eggs are an easy and great snack that keeps for seven days in the fridge! Keep some ripe and some hard avocados on hand, and make sure you’re adding that healthy fat to your meals daily. You can also aim to add a big glug of olive oil to your meals too!
Have fruits that are easy to grab like bananas, apples, grapes, etc. Don’t burden yourself with extra tasks like skinning a kiwi or futzing with a pomegranate. Have nuts like cashews, almonds, and brazil nuts. These are fibrous, plant-based protein and minerals rich and, they keep you full for hours as you spend these precious first few days with baby.
“Oh yeah, We Could Use Some Help. Thank You!”
Get comfortable accepting help in the form of meals from friends and family. People want to help, but often what happens is our friends and family take our refusal of their help as you saying, “I need space.” If you do, in fact, need space, that is totally fine and perfectly normal.
But, maybe instead of a total catch up with your neighbors down the way, you simply accept their offer and ask if they could be so kind as to drop off whatever delicious food they’ve made from you a the front step. This way, you get support and space plus, they feel useful and part of your birth experience somehow.
Final Thoughts
Some new moms have a glorious plan post-baby filled with amazing bonding experiences with your new plus one. We sincerely wish this for you but do not be surprised when this is not the case! Postpartum is a mixed bag of love, sadness, craziness, sometimes pain, sometimes fear and, a lot of “winging it.”
Taking meals out of the equation by simply planning is one of the best ways you can practice self-care at this time. You won’t know what to expect when baby comes home, but we all know that you cannot leave for a road trip on an empty tank of gas. The happier and healthier your body is, the happy and healthier baby’s body is too.
Comments