Postpartum meal prepping: nourish yourself after baby | Summerland postpartum doula

Are you expecting a baby and looking for freezer meal ideas? Have you considered learning about how other cultures support healing with warming, nourishing meals and teas? Continue reading!

Need a book recommendation? The First Forty Days: The Essential Art of Nourishing the New Mother, is a worth-while read on Chinese postpartum rituals. More info down below!

Short on time? Skip to Basic Postpartum Meal Ideas

While I was taking my postpartum doula training, I discovered that one lacking aspect of postpartum care in our Western culture is diet. It is so important to be supporting the new mother to heal from the inside-out. Sadly, this is not something I learned about in my pregnancy while I was preparing for postpartum! But, I sure could have used the knowledge. It seems all that we are told is to keep taking our prenatal vitamin - but that hardly covers our needs while we heal.

Have you come across this before, or if this is news to you too?

I think it is safe to say that most Western women have lost the wisdom of traditional healing modalities. In fact, we have lost traditional ways of life. And I don't know about you... but I crave ancient wisdom that once upon a time would have been passed down in families and villages, woman-to-woman.

You may have heard references to Ayurveda or Traditional Chinese Medicine when it comes to overall health, or especially, postpartum healing or nutrition. But why? These are two cultural ways of life for which there has been an increase of awareness in the holistic community. However, I think it is important to note that cultures worldwide have their traditions for pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care. I believe we can respect this wisdom and learn from those who share with us in the hopes of a more balanced lifestyle and a healthier way of being. That being said, no matter what your postpartum support looks like - the key is that you are supported and noursished!

Postpartum and the Fourth Trimester

preparing for your postpartum healing ahead of time can make all the difference

As women move from pregnancy to postpartum, we have unique needs. As far as foods go, during pregnancy, you can eat all the fresh salads and smoothies you want, along with your increased intake of protein. But in postpartum? We are moving onto warming, easily digestible, 'cozy' foods.

In Indian Ayurveda teachings, the goal is to balance the three Doshas: postpartum women are high in Vata (air/ether) and they are to be supported with rest, nutrition, bodywork, and breathwork to support their balance postpartum. For example, one practice is 40 days in bed after giving birth, where women are supported by their friends and family with simple warming meals, hot oil massages, and avoiding cold winds and temperatures.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, similar practices aim to restore the mother's vital energy, Qi, that can be depleted with childbirth. Warming foods given restore blood and Qi, while the mother avoids cold winds and even getting wet!

Book Recommendation:

The First Forty Days: The Essential Art of Nourishing the New Mother

There are so many books these days to learn from! As a Summerland postpartum doula, I thought I would share one easy read that nicely summarizes why we should care about postpartum. This book also has enough recipes included to get you started on planning your postpartum meals (some of which are dairy-free, vegetarian and vegan, or can be modified to be so).

The First Forty Days: The Essential Art of Nourishing the New Mother is written by American author Heng Ou as she explores her Chinese heritage and how traditional Chinese postpartum care called "confinement" supports the new mother to nourish her as she transitions through her postpartum period.

You can purchase the book here or find it at the Okanagan Regional Library!

In the book, she discusses The Fives Insights of the First Forty Days (Retreat, Warmth, Support, Rest, Ritual) and also includes her version of a “postpartum checklist”. Her ideas include stocking the pantry with recommended spices and herbs (see her list!), cooking to fill the freezer ahead of time, creating a mom-focused gift registry, creating a safe and useful “nest” where you will be resting and breastfeeding, and choosing your ‘village’ of people to help you.

After laying the foundation of how and why to create a restful postpartum time, the book moves into recipes. Personally, as a decade-long vegan, I found her choice of recipes interesting and varied, like the seaweed soup and congee. The author of course discusses traditional Chinese recipes which involve animal products, but also has some great plant-based ones as well. She also includes a few recipe from other cultures. I definitely recommend new parents take a peek at the book! There is plenty of detail on why certain ingredients are good for a new mother, including their digestibility and warmth. If you've read this book already, I am interested to know if you learned anything from it!

Basic Postpartum Meal Ideas

Short on time to read a book? Want to get a head start on planning freezer meals? Here are 5 suggestions of meals you can batch-prep ahead of time:

1) Broth - prepare and freeze a few containers of homemade broth. It is easy to warm this up to sip on throughout the day! This recipe is a powerhouse of healing herbs such as nettles and reishi: https://www.birthingfromwithin.com/blog/vegan-herbal-broth-curry-lentil-stew

2) Lentil Curry / Dahl - this is one of the easiest 'warming' meal options out there! A basic lentil curry is high in nutrients, contains warming spices such as turmeric, and all you need to do the day you plan to consume it is thaw it while you make a fresh pot of basmati. https://www.birthingfromwithin.com/blog/vegan-herbal-broth-curry-lentil-stew

3) (Vegan) Meatballs - pop some of these in your freezer and it will be far easier to spruce up that last minute pasta dish in between breastfeeding sessions! check out one recipe here: https://minimalistbaker.com/easy-lentil-meatballs/

4) Chinese herbal Soup - while this recipe is a bit more involved and has a few specialized ingredients, it takes on the power of TCM to support your needs postpartum. https://veganchinesefood.com/recipe/herbal-soup/

5) Muffins - I always suggest freezing some muffins. Whether it is a midnight snack while breastfeeding, or something to grab on the way out of the house, who doesn't love muffins? This recipe is made with oat flour - oats are known to be beneficial to your postpartum recovery and the calories can support lactation as well! https://frommybowl.com/pumpkin-apple-muffins/

If the idea of batch prepping meals is overwhelming to you, consider hosting a get together of friends and family to help you prepare for baby. My blog post Two Weeks to Go: A Quick Guide to Prepping Your Home for Your Newborn has more ideas!

Fourth Trimester Herbal Tea

Herbal tea is an easy way to add in extra support for your body on a daily basis. To make an herbal tea stronger for its medicinal qualities, turn it into an infusion by letting the herbs steep anywhere from a couple hours to overnight. You can also harness the power of the sun by letting the herbs steep in a mason jar on a sunny window sill.

Here is one recipe with easy-to-access ingredients. It supports your healing with minerals and vitamins, and can be consumed hot or cold. Breastfeeding-safe!

YOU ROCK! Mamma Tea and Infusion

• 2 parts chamomile flower (Matricaria recutita)

• 2 parts hibiscus flower (Hibiscus sabdariffa)

• 1 part rose petal (Rosa spp.)

• 1/8 part lavender flower (Lavendula officinalis)

• 1/4 part rose hips (Rosa canina)

• 3 parts lemon balm leaf (Melissa officinalis)

Pour boiling water over the herbs and let steep for 2 hours to overnight.

This recipe is from herbalist Demetria Clarke. If you would like some extra tips on using herbs for postpartum healing, click through this link to read more from her: https://www.midwiferytoday.com/mt-articles/herbs-mothers-care-postpartum/

herbal postpartum tea blend with calendula and rose petals

I hope you found some ideas that look intriguing here! What are your favorite postpartum recipes?

Have you read, or will you read The First Forty Days: The Essential Art of Nourishing the New Mother?

Let me know in the comments!

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Ashley