Nourishment for the New Mom
As a new mom, you spend a lot of time feeding your new baby—the amount of time spent breastfeeding is comparable to a full-time job! It is surprisingly easy to forget to feed yourself at times, so here are some of my tips to keep yourself nourished.
I find that it takes stress off my plate when I plan my meals in advance. I keep breakfast items stocked, and every night, I think about what I will make in the morning. Each week, I plan a few dinners (not necessarily which days we will eat what, but a loose plan of a few meals I will get groceries for and make). I generally stick to not more than 1 new recipe a week, as it takes me longer to cook when I have not made it before. I keep a list of recipes to look through when I can’t decide what to make. For our family, I typically make a chicken dinner, a beef dinner, and one dinner with something else, such as eggs or sausage each week. Oh, and Friday is pizza night! Then, eating leftovers for lunch keeps it simple. Having some sort of meal rotation or plan can help you tackle the mental load of the never-ending question: what’s for dinner?
A mom once shared this advice: “Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly.” Like brushing your teeth. Better to brush them poorly than not at all.” At the time, I was appalled. Sometimes I have an all-or-nothing mindset, but I have come to appreciate this advice, and it applies to eating. Freshly postpartum, I found it surprisingly difficult to prepare my usual fare with a baby who never wanted to be set down. For example, one of my go-to snacks at the time was plain Greek yogurt with maple syrup, berries, and bee pollen. I preferred making this instead of eating yogurt with lots of added sugar and artificial flavors. However, looking back, I would tell myself to buy the flavored yogurt. Soon enough you will be able to make your yogurt parfaits again. Healthy eating habits are lovely, but it is better to eat something imperfect than to be stressed trying to eat perfectly or to go hungry. Let’s apply the slogan “fed is best” to newly postpartum moms.
We have many tools at our disposal that make cooking easier than in the past – take advantage of them. Instant pots allow you to throw together a meal last minute, while slow cookers allow you to prepare dinner in advance. One-pot meals or sheet pan dinners are also good low-maintenance options. A meal does not have to be fancy or difficult to make in order to fill bellies. There are even tools to make grocery shopping more convenient. Many grocery stores and even Walmart offer free grocery pickup. I’m all about going to the store to compare prices and read ingredient labels, but sometimes grocery pickup is less stressful. As a new mom, there were times I felt like a failure for using grocery pickup instead of taking on the grocery store with my newborn, but the truth is, it is not a moral failure to use the tools available to you. Work smarter!
Planning ahead, choosing convenience instead of perfection, and using tools that simplify meals have helped me keep myself and my family fed. I hope this helps and encourages you, too!
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