After giving birth to a baby, your entire life revolves around them. How well they are eating, how well they are sleeping, whether they’re healthy and happy – every waking moment is devoted to their wellbeing. But as a new mother, you also need to pay attention to your own wellbeing. Birth and new motherhood takes its toll on your mind and body; eating the right foods is absolutely crucial for a prosperous transition into motherhood.
It can be hard to find time to cook properly when you’re a new mother. In this post, we’ll explore how to get the right nutrition after birth, without too much cooking hassle!
Let’s get started!
Smoothies are your friend.
Smoothies are easy to make, quick, and very healthy. If you can buy the right ingredients – fresh food, vegetables and milk or plant-based milk – you can whip up a smoothie in just two minutes and drink a full meal very quickly. You can supplement your protein and fat content with nuts and seeds that will blend seamlessly into your smoothie and help your healing process as a new mother.
The nutrients and vitamins found in fruits and vegetables, especially fresh ones, can help your body process breastfeeding, tiredness and the other taxing aspects of new motherhood! Plus, smoothies require very little dishwashing, which is a huge benefit when you’re handling motherhood and regular household chores.
Focus on foods that support breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding takes its toll on your body because your body is creating food to nurture your baby. You can take supplements daily that support your body as it outputs fats, vitamins and proteins to your little one. Breastfeeding can go on for over a year, meaning that you need to prioritize your health to ensure you aren’t becoming run down in this time.
In addition, you can make lactation foods, such as this lactation cookies recipe that contain nuts, seeds and grains that will all give you energy and support your immune system during this tiring stage.
Batch-cooking: it’s the secret ingredient!
Batch-cooking is often used by people with long-hours jobs or big families, in order to alleviate the stresses of cooking every night of the week. When you’re a brand new mom, finding the energy to cook healthy and fresh meals every single night is basically impossible. Of course, you may have a partner who can take on some of that load, but even so, doing everyday tasks can feel Herculean when you’ve barely slept in months.
Batch-cooking healthy meals at the weekends such as stews, soups, pasta dishes, stir-fried vegetables or baked savoury meals like lasagne, is a great alternative to slaving away over a hot stove every night. You want to put your baby first and prioritise their needs, but you still need to eat. By batch-cooking healthy foods, you can do both.
Final thoughts…
If you want to fill your body with goodness after experiencing pregnancy and birth, use our guide to ensure you are getting the grains, proteins and fuel you need with minimal hassle.