POSTPARTUM NUTRITION & MEALS FOR NEW MUMS
Apr 21, 2022No matter how your birth pans out, bringing a baby into this world is exhausting and takes an incredible toll on your body. It is so important to nourish yourself and allow time for healing and recovery in the weeks afterwards. Easier said than done, trust me I know, but simple, wholefood meals to nurture and nourish you from the inside out is an incredible way to look after your body and support you through navigating the newborn phase.
The initial goal is to refuel and hydrate ourselves immediately after the birth. However in that 4-6 week postpartum period, loving our body with essential nutrients like protein, complex carbs, healthy fats, iron, zinc, B vitamins, Vitamin D, folate and more is such a wonderful thing you can do for yourself to truly replenish and help the healing process (not to mention to help with sleep deprivation symptoms too!).
There shouldn’t be any rules or restrictions (it’s certainly not a time to even think about weight loss) but instead just balanced, nutrient dense meals and snacks that are simple to prepare, gentle on the digestive system and easy to eat with one hand whilst you have a bub in the other!
Veggie Packed Bolognese - See the recipe here.
Here are my top 5 tips for postpartum nutrition:
1. Plan ahead! Whilst you are nesting in late pregnancy get a freezer stash ready to go. I’m talking pre-cooked meals, snacks and individual ingredients such as cooked quinoa, lentils or brown rice that can easily be put together with some fresh stuff for a quick and easy meal. It is also a great idea to ask friends/family that are offering their help to contribute to this freezer stash. Meals that freeze well include soups, casseroles, pasta sauces, curries, slow cooked meals, burgers and patties. Snacks that freeze well include loafs, muffins, bliss balls, slices, healthy brownies and also smoothie packs (the solid ingredients only and then just add liquid at time of serving).
2. Go for warm, cooked and gently spiced foods such as soups, broths, casseroles, curries, herbal tea’s, and porridges which are more easily digested and help to replace essential nutrients, promote healing and support milk production. Using a good quality bone broth full of gelatine and minerals is a great base for many of these recipes.
3. Ensure adequate protein (a palm size each meal). I’m talking legumes (lentils, chickpeas, beans), tempeh, tofu, quinoa, nuts, dairy and may also include animal sources like meat, poultry and fish. Protein is vital for repair and rebuilding and also keeps us feeling fuller for longer so having the pantry/ fridge/freezer stocked with these foods will be a win!
4. Include plenty of fibre. Organs and bodily systems get moved and pushed around to accommodate a growing bub during pregnancy so it can take a bit of time for your digestive system to restore itself. Providing adequate fibre through vegetables, fruits, wholegrains, legumes, nuts and seeds will help your digestive and bowel functions – just be sure to drink plenty of fluids so the fibre can really work its magic!
5. Eat those healthy fats! In the initial postpartum period some may fear having fat in their diet due to wanting to lose some of their pregnancy weight gain but I can’t stress enough how nourishing healthy fats are during this time and that these first few weeks is not a time to worry about weight loss. Healthy fats like nuts, seeds, oily fish, avocado, olives, eggs, extra virgin olive oil and coconut can be used liberally to help meet energy requirements, provide anti-inflammatory properties, keep you feeling full and increase the absorption of other nutrients. A handful of nuts at your feeding station, some boiled eggs in the fridge and a bottle of extra virgin olive oil handy on the bench ready to drizzle over any meal are all great ways to get these healthy fats in!
Remember your nutritional needs are increased during this postpartum period so use every opportunity you get to add maximum nutrition to your meals and snacks. Having others aware of this and ready to lend a hand will be invaluable so be sure to get a support team around you to help out. Don’t be afraid to send them some of these recipes and ask to bring it along when they come for a visit!
Here are some great postpartum recipes:
Having just welcomed my second bub a few days ago, two other things I have done to ensure I have nourishing food on hand all the time is;
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Stock up on bought frozen meals. I did some research to find a company who ticked all of the boxes me and my family need. I decided on The Dinner Ladies (*this is not sponsored in any way), which although they don’t market themselves as ‘healthy’ and ‘'postpartum’' meals they are all made from scratch from real ingredients so are definitely healthy and suitable for postpartum in my opinion. There were other companies available however the meals were very much targeted at the mums and not suitable for my whole family.
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I have treated myself to a postpartum Doula. Not many people are familiar with doulas and what they do but basically they are a support person who comes to your house with the goal of supporting the mother in any way she needs. My doula knows my priorities are having nourishing food available so before she comes over she sends me a menu of her healthy recipes and she spends two out of the three 3 hours she is at my house preparing the meals and snacks I have chosen. The other hour she is here she might be watching bub so I can shower/bath/sleep, tidying the kitchen, or giving me a massage (yes I know, she’s like a real life angel!), This is a luxury obviously but in my opinion it is money well spent to always have fresh meals on hand that you haven’t had to lift a finger for (not to mention self care for mum which is difficult to find time for with a newborn). !
If you have some other ideas for helping new mums with nourishing food or remember a dish you loved in your postpartum period I’d love you to share in the comments!
