Postpartum Food Prep
Once there is a new baby in the house, it is so easy to put all your time and energy into looking after the little one, and making sure they are as happy and as comfortable as possible. Of course, there is nothing wrong with that, in fact, that’s exactly what you shout do, but not at the cost of your own health. You not only just grew a baby inside of you for 9 months, but you also just gave birth to that baby. Your body needs TLC. It needs time to heal, and it needs all the love and goodness that it can get to do that well.
Luckily, this does not have to be something daunting and overwhelming. Especially if you spend a few days preparing for this before you give birth. When you have a newborn in the house, the last thing you want to worry about is cooking. Perhaps you think your partner will cook? Hopefully they do, but the reality is that your partner will also be tired and just as preoccupied with the little one as you. You do not want to be worried about cooking, and you do not want to be eating a bunch of junk (trust me, your body needs nutrients when you are postpartum). So, preparing is key if you want to make sure that you also get the good stuff while looking after a newborn.
Here are a few tips on how to make sure you have nutrient rich food ready:
Batch Cook
Set a day aside. Plan what you want to cook, go out and get all the ingredients, and start cooking. You can make a day out of this and maybe get some friends over to keep you company or help with the cooking. Freeze the food in portion sizes and make sure to label each freezer bag.
If at this point you have not done your research about the vitamins, minerals and types of food that are essential for your postpartum recovery, I highly recommend Heng Ou’s The First Forty Days. Not only does she explain the importance of good nutrition, but she also has a lot of great recipes in her book.
Food train
Ask your friends for help. I love this idea and always recommend it to my doula clients. You can either approach your friends yourself, or (and this is what I would do) you can approach your best friend and ask her to set it up for you. Make a train of as many friends as you like (5 to 10 would be ideal). As soon as you start going into labour, the first person in the train gets notified and will be ready with a fresh meal (that is postpartum friendly) the day after the baby is born. This will set the train in motion and for the next week or 2 you will have a freshly cooked meal delivered to your house.
Tip: Help your friends out by sharing some recipes with them.
Go pro
If you don’t feel like meal prepping and you don’t want to “burden” your friends with prepping meals for you, you can also get a professional to do this for you. These services might be limited depending on where you live, so it is good to do your research well in advance to see if this is even an option.
If you live in Rotterdam, check out the Maggie Walker’s website. She prepares meals for postpartum families, and I can tell you, her food is absolutely delicious.
Tip: ask people to contribute to an initiative like this as a baby shower gift.
Backup plan
What do you do if your fridge is not big enough to freeze 2 weeks' worth of dinners? Or what if you are an expat and you don’t really have a lot of friends to help out with a food train? Not to worry, you still have options.
Mother’s finest is a German brand, that delivers to the Netherlands. They make premade meals that do not need to be frozen, so you can stock up and keep it in your pantry.
Another great idea is to have a supply of good quality, premade bone broth (the golden elixir of postpartum). One of my favourite local brands is BABS bone broth. You can order their broth online or check their website to see which stores stock it. You can mix this into any meal to get the benefits of the broth, or just make a bone broth drink (not the best tasting drink out there, but worth it.)
So, no matter how big your fridge, or your support system, there are a few options for you to choose from. By having a few delicious snack and food options available, you’ll be less likely to grab a sandwich (not great for a postpartum body) or call for junk food. And trust me, you will be so grateful, as you will be healing faster, feeling better, and having more energy.