The Postpartum Diet (Giveaway: Parents Need to Eat Too)
I‘ve just wrapped my first week postpartum with little Clara. It’s a tumultuous time, full of euphoric highs spent gazing at one’s perfect newborn, and rock-bottom lows, where the body feels like it was hit by a truck and dragged a few miles.
Taking things one day at a time is the best approach to postpartum recovery, combined with getting plenty of rest and, most importantly, eating well.
Today I’ll share a few of my tips for wise food choices that attend to three important needs following a birth: Physical Energy & Healing, Milk Production & Quality, and Bowel Regularity.
I’ll also share a recipe for Stewed Prunes with Citrus & Cinnamon (amazing!) AND give away a copy of Debbie Koenig’s new book, Parents Need to Eat Too. (Update: this giveaway has ended.)
Oh, I just might throw in a Baby Clara photo, too, since she’s so cute! This post is packed, so read on.
Three Elements a Good Postpartum Diet Should Address
I can recall dropping by a friend’s place a couple of days after she returned from the hospital with her newborn. Bags and containers from various fast food chains littered her kitchen table and counters. The fridge contained nearly nothing fresh, and far too many cans of soft drinks. Hardly nourishing fare for a new mother attempting to breastfeed.
As I warmed up the beef and vegetable stew I had brought over for her dinner (I’m a firm believer in cooking for others), I offered to go grocery shopping, and made a few gentle suggestions for a diet change. To me, this was the biggest gift I could give her during this crucial time of recovery.
Three elements stood out in my mind this past week that I knew I needed to address in my diet. These recommendations are based solely on my three combined postpartum experiences! As every woman is unique, others’ postpartum needs may differ.
1. Physical Energy and Healing
As with pregnancy, it’s important to provide your body with nourishing, energy-boosting foods during the postpartum period and avoid the junk. Alcohol and caffeine included.
I allowed my self a few squares of chocolate last week, but avoided sugar for the most part. Why feed my body empty calories? Plus, that terrifyingly-loose post-baby body is incentive enough to avoid sugar.
Instead, for dessert I prepared a big bowl of fruit salad, coated it in a honey-vanilla syrup, and topped it with toasted coconut. Perfect. It satisfied my sweet tooth, and provided vitamin C and fiber.
Honey-Vanilla Syrup for Fruit Salad
- 2 Tablespoons honey
- 4 Tablespoons water or orange juice
- 1 vanilla pod, scraped, or 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Combine ingredients in a small sauce pot and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, stir well, and cool. Coat chopped fresh fruit in syrup and stir well. Fruit salad keeps for 2-3 days in the refrigerator.
2. Milk Production and Quality
In her book, Parents Need to Eat Too, Debbie has an excellent chapter on the breastfeeding diet. Just a few tips are below:
- Your body requires just 500 extra calories a day to support your breastfeeding.
- As a breastfeeding mom, you need adequate fluids to ensure a proper milk supply, so drink at least 8 glasses of water a day.
- What you eat winds up in your milk. If your baby is gassy or showing signs of an upset stomach, check your diet.
As far as diet goes, Debbie suggests ingredients such as almonds, oatmeal, and raspberry leaf tea to help with milk production.
Fortunately, I’ve got plenty of recipes featuring oatmeal to play with!
- Scottish Oat Scones
- Overnight Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal
- Fluffy Banana Oat Pancakes
- Apple Pie Steel-Cut Oats
3. Bowel Regularity
Oh yes, I’m going there! Ask any women who has just given birth, no matter the method – C-section, natural, or medicated – and she will agree that her bowels are a concern. You can choose over-the-counter stool softeners, or you can incorporate certain whole foods into your diet that aid and abet regularity.
Most fruits and vegetables are high in fiber and water content, and are terrific for getting the job done. Choose stone fruits, sweet potatoes, berries, and apples with the skin on. Fiber is your friend, and whole grains and nuts are packed with it. Serve up oats for breakfast, choose walnuts, pistachios and almonds for snacking, and bake a brown rice pilaf for dinner.
Danny stewed a pot of these prunes for me on the day we returned from the hospital – and they were amazing! I’d spoon them up even if I didn’t need them for their laxative qualities. They were that good.
Stewed Prunes with Citrus & Cinnamon
Ingredients
- 1 lb pitted prunes
- 1/2 orange cut from top to bottom
- 1/2 lemon cut from top to bottom
- 1 cinnamon stick
Instructions
- Slice the orange and lemon very thinly, giving multiple half-moon pieces and remove the seeds, if any.
- place all the ingredients in a heavy saucepot and just cover with water.
- Bring to a very gentle boil and cook for 30-40 minutes.
- Serve warm or refrigerate overnight. Keeps 1 week.
Notes
Nutrition
Eat Well, Spend Less
This month in our Eat Well, Spend Less series, we are talking about all things BABY! Not one, not two, but three of us who regularly contribute to this series gave birth last month; you’ve already met Clara, Tammy welcomed the adorable Channah, and Carrie added another Baby Bargains to the family.
No wonder babies are front and foremost on our minds! Here’s a list of contributors discoursing on eating well, and spending less with baby this month.
- Alyssa from Kingdom First Mom
- Jessica from LifeasMOM
- Katie from Kitchen Stewardship
- Mandi from Life Your Way
- Shaina from Food for My Family
- Tammy from Tammy’s Recipes
Giveaway! Parents Need to Eat Too
Thanks to Debbie Koenig and her publisher, William Morrow, I have an extra copy of Parents Need to Eat Too to giveaway! This is an excellent resource for new parents, so much more than just recipes.
**This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to our winner, Becca Schwartz! Becca commented:
“I was disappointed that we only received a handful of meals postpartum. seems like where I live that tradition is dying out! My favorite meal was a chicken chili that a friend brought over. I would love to win this book! At 6 weeks postpartum I’m still struggling to find time to eat healthily enough.”
Congratulations, Becca! You have been notified via email.
To enter the giveaway:
Leave a comment on this post and (if applicable) share a postpartum meal you remember – good or bad!
That’s it!
Giveaway ends tomorrow, Tuesday, March 20, at 11:59PM. Good luck to all!
Your fruit stew recipe is so on the mark!
One of the best things I did during my insane “nesting” cooking frenzy when I was expecting number 2 was to fill the freezer with portion size containers of summer fruit soup, old simple family recipe and a great go to snack for a new nursing mother. Since then I often make this to take to post-partum friends. Just dump a selection of berries and/or peaches, plums or nectarines into a pot of boiling water. Add a stick or two of cinnamon, a couple of tablespoons of vanilla and cook for a couple of hours until the fruit is soft and falls apart. Chill. Serve neat or with a dash of yoghurt, sour cream or sweet cream. Keeps well in the freezer and is very refreshing served semi-thawed like a slush. In our family we don’t add sugar, but you could if you want.
I have never been hungrier in my life than my first time postpartum! (Second time wasn’t so much, and I’m not sure why. Shorter labor?) One thing I’d recommend is to have lots of one-handed snacks prepped so you can make healthy choices at inconvenient hours. It was weeks before I could breastfeed without using at least 2 hands, and I was always starving at that 2-3am feed. Husband would bring me a bowl with baby carrots, cheese cubes, grapes, and the like.
We received several meals from families in our church after the birth of both my children. I think the most memorable was eating a chicken casserole brought to us on our 3rd anniversary (our first child was born 3 days before!) I remember the meal being good, but I remember eating it with my husband and our new son laying right there with us. It was perfect.
This would be a great gift for an upcoming baby shower!
I’m due in May (this is my first time round this mommy block) and I can’t wait to try these recipes out.
We have had three babies, and each time, wonderful families have provided meals for us – after our 3rd child, I think we had about 3 weeks prepared for us – I was so thankful!
Unfortunately, the meal that will always stick in my mind was a “Quick Jambalaya” – it was literally: badly cooked long grain white rice, some undercooked onion, red peppers and celery chunks, tofu sausage (we are NOT vegetarian!) and a chicken stock cube that hadn’t really dissolved!
Needless to say, we made sandwiches! I really appreciated the thought, but I love to cook so much, and I love REAL jambalaya, that I just couldn’t eat it!
Am I a terrible friend for admitting that!??
Someone brought me homemade potato soup, which I’m a sucker for :0) I also raved about her “homemade rolls” and asked for the recipe. . .she reluctantly confessed they were just Pillsbury. Ha ha ha. I guess they just tasted so good to me after a baby!
friends brought us chili (in june) but it was sooo good. it’s the first time I enjoyed eating chili and now it’s a staple in our house.
Just found out we are pregnant with #2 so this book would come in so handy a few months from now! This is not a meal or meal replacement my any means, but one of the best food things I remember from last time was NUTS!! I was breastfeeding a lot (and pumping to help with my supply too). So when I got up in the morning I would fuel with a handful nuts. It would be enough to get me to the next meal and wasn’t something high in bad fats, salt or processed.
Such a great post! My newborn is 4 weeks old today and eating well can certainly be a challenge. However, I am very lucky to belong to a great community parent group, and they have been bringing food by on a regular basis, so that our family can focus our time and energy on supporting each other and taking care of the baby, rather than scrounging for meals. It is a blessing in so many ways, and our diet has been so fun and varied because of all the different, wonderful meals!
This book sounds great for any parent. Unfortunately I don’t remember any postpartum meals because everything is just a blur now!
This postpartum will be so different for me. Three years ago we discovered my son’s and my own wheat allergy, and many more for him since then, and I’m the one who cooks everything in the family. It will be a freezing festival for the month or two before my third is due, to make sure we have safe food to eat! Thanks for the great recipes in this post- I plan on using them!
I’m currently expecting baby #2, so this cookbook would certainly come in handy. As for the last postpartum, gosh, I remember so very little. There were complications and we were in the hospital for 8 days. After that my sweet MIL stayed with us for a month to cook and clean while I did nothing but sleep, pump, and “try” to nurse. That first month is nothing but a blur, but I do remember my MIL making me corned beef for St. Patrick’s Day to celebrate my Irish heritage. It very special to me.
Right after I gave birth at a small birth center (water birth), I had sandwiches that I made at home packed with us. My own homemade bread, real butter, raw milk cheese, avocados, chicken, tomatoes, and the most amazing organic pickles! It’s the best!
Hi there.
I love the blog and all of the wonderful and helpful information you share.
I would love to win this. We are expecting baby number 7 in June. Yes you read that right, no typo(: I am planning on making some ahead freezer meals so one less stress, but ideas and simplifying would be great.
I have been blessed inthe past with meals after we are blessed with a baby, but I sometimes cant eat the meals due to the fact they would upset the babies yummy. I am always grateful though for the thought and love and support behind the gesture.
Love reading what others have written and learning some little tips here too.
Look forward to your next entry.
Honestly, I remember virtually nothing from the postpartum period – especially what I ate.
I remember a lot of lasagna type dishes (and fast food) after my brother was born. We’re going to start trying for our first soon and I am obsessed with all things baby, so I would love this book!
I can’t remember any postpartum meals specifically. But I have been blessed with others cooking for me after the births of my two children. I also remember just being grateful to have food brought to me in the hospital (yes, even hospital food!) and not having to worry about preparing it myself. Both times I stayed in the hospital for multiple nights. I’m due in May with my third, so this is well timed. Thanks for the reminder to take good care of myself after the baby comes!
I remember a meals. White chicken chili was my favorite!
The best post-baby gift I recieved was a huge pot of hot chicken soup plus containers to put the left overs in the freezer… such a thoughtful friend and neighbour!
Sounds like this is a great book even if I’m not pregnant or postpartum. I still like to try to eat right. Hope I win.
One of my favorite post-partum meals was bbq beef sandwiches with fruit salad (berries and melon).
after I had my little guy it seemed like 3-4 people brought us chicken enchilada casseroles with salads. we got it multiple times but all the recipes were different and we loved all of them. and the salad was great too! 🙂
Would love to win this book. I have not gotten pregnant yet but we are trying. Plus I have two sister in laws that are due in a few months. This would be an interesting book to share with them.
Must be a baby boom all around because I am friends with 3 other women all due within a month of each other. The only thing I remember from my daughter’s birth was no broccoli! Someone made me some delicious roasted broccoli and poor little girl had so much gas! So avoid broccoli when bringing meals.
We had some friends bring pork tenderloin fajitas and pumpkin pie, so tasty and filling, plus lots of veggies with the bell peppers and onions, nom nom nom! If I don’t win this book I think I’ll have to buy it! I’m 31 weeks with Baby #2.
I made a big batch of steel cut oats and then just heated them up each morning. Easy, health and ready in less than 5 min.
Baby #1 is due in July…sounds like a great book to have on hand.
I had my son while we were overseas so we didn’t really get a lot of meals brought to us, although my MIL was able to stay with us for a few weeks and did a lot of the cooking. My birthday was 1 week after he was born and I do remember that my husband went to great lengths to find the recipe (and ingredients) for my favorite cake and MIL made it for me.
I was eating a lot of take out. Will definitely be doing things differently this time!
I am not a mother yet but I would hope to be soon enough. Eating properly seems so difficult with a newborn, this looks like a great book to make sure both mommy and baby stay healthy! 🙂
My father brought me a honey baked ham after the birth of my daughter. IT was beyond amazing.
Thanks for these guidelines; they’ll be highly useful in a month 🙂 !
All my babies were born in the winter and I swore by homemade chilli that my husband had canned. Prepared, ready to heat and nutrient dense. YUM.
any and all soups!
wow!! love this site and all the great ideas –i am currently breastfeeding my 12 week old baby and my diet is so boring and bland–i love all the great recipes –i need some excitement in my diet
Expecting my first any day now, so this post is perfect timing!
My newest babe will be joining us in 7 weeks–time flies! After my first, I remember not being terrifically hungry in the first few days postpartum. Although none of the meals that kind family and friends brought to us were very memorable, they were really appreciated for the time saving component! It was also great that my mother-in-law brought us a tray of assorted Christmas cookies (my son was born December 6th)–very handy to serve to the well wishers who dropped by!
We had a couple of neighbors bring meals for us when my daughter was born. I was expecting things like Hamburger Helper and casseroles, so was quite surprised to get homemade paella and a chicken, artichoke, and mushroom dish cooked in white wine and served with almond couscous! My second child is due in Sept, so this book would be timely!
We’ve gotten so many great meals after having babies! I LOVE potato soup, and veggie-loaded quiches. Yum!
(Thanks for the kind opportunity!)
When my third daughter was born this past July, she ended up in the NICU for 10 days. We had so many family members and friends from church bring meals. One of my favorites was a french lentil stew that was loaded with veggies. It was so good and perfect for a nursing mommy. Thank you for the giveaway. 🙂
I admittedly didn’t eat so well postpartum. I had too much chocolate and junk. And while I wasn’t nursing, it didn’t help with helping me recover physically. This would be a great resource for my next one!
Nursing my first born was difficult as far as taking care of myself. I remember being half passed out on the sofa as my son took away almost ever ounce of energy I had left. I had to force myself to eat right and to eat enough to keep up with him. Drinking water was a not easy either. I’ve never had a taste for it. So, I started adding a squirt of lemon juice for flavor. Thanks for the chance to win. If I win, it will be a gift for a first time mommy that I know.
MMMmmm fruit! I love the stewed prunes idea, that sounds delish!
Also, my favorite postpartum recipe was one that a friend brought over. It was vegetable ravioli soup with meatballs. Even my 3 year old loved it! Find the recipe on Parents.com.
I can still clearly remember the meal that my mother-in-law made for us when we came home with our first baby, six years ago. Pasta with alfredo sauce and chicken – it was all ordinary food from the grocery store, but it tasted incredible after eating hospital food for 3 days!
Omelets with spinach and cheese have been a go-to for us.
I’m so interested in this book! I’ve always been a meal planner. But since I’ve returned to work full-time (our son is almost 5 mos), I’ve bailed on the menu planning and have fallen back to pantry cooking. I create a list of potential meals that I can whip up quickly. I feel like I’m still struggling though. Would love more tips on how people make this work! 🙂
With grand baby #1 due any day, this book would be very useful for Mommy to be! Love to have chance at winning this book for my daughter! Congrats with the birth of your beautiful angel!
Please enter me! After the birth of my 3rd baby, a kind friend made my family a homemade meal of meatballs, sweet & sour sauce and rice – I still think fondly of that meal, and that Friend!
After my first birth, I was anemic so hubby made me salads with lettuce, shrimp, dried apricots, sunflower seeds, and a few other ingredients I can’t remember