Nourishing Meals for the Postpartum Mother
Tips and ideas for bringing food to your postpartum friends and family
If there is ever a time when a woman needs warmth, nourishment, and help, it is the postpartum season. Not only is she adjusting to having a new little baby to care for at all hours of the day, but she is also healing from pregnancy and birth— which is a massive task for the body, even when everything goes perfectly.
One of the simplest gestures of love and support you can give to a new mother is to bring food. In this post, I will share some tips and ideas to help you nourish the mothers in your life.
Tips for bringing meals to postpartum mothers:
The goal is to enable the mother to rest as much as she possibly can, so something that she can pop in the oven to warm up (or an already hot meal delivered at dinner time, if the timing works out!) is ideal.
You also want to be mindful to bring foods that are warming; now is not the time for light salad-type meal (although a side salad is fine, of course). All of that healing and breast milk production takes a lot of energy, so rich and nutrient dense meals are the thing she needs.
Make sure you are considerate of the new parents’ energy; they may or may not want to socialize when you bring them a meal. Give them the space they need to adjust to life with their newest family member. Likewise, don’t assume you will be holding the baby. Be patient, and wait until an offer is made.
Don’t neglect the logistics of dishes. When I brought meals to a friend who had her baby last week, I brought them all in a sturdy picnic basket and let her know that she could just put my dishes back in the basket as they ate the meals, and I would pick it up next time I’m over. This way, they won’t have a visible stack of dishes piling up on their counter. Another option I love is to thrift casserole pans with lids and let the family know that they can keep them when they’re done. Disposable is fine, too (although I do generally try to avoid aluminum and plastic).
If your friend or family member needs more support, ask them if it would be helpful to start a Meal Train or rally your community to pitch in. I was once a church secretary, and one of my favorite parts of the job was making a sign up sheet and rallying the community for meals whenever a new baby was born. It’s a sweet way to bring people together and celebrate new life.
If you’re an expectant mother wanting to get ahead of the curve and prepare some meals for yourself, all of the foods listed below can be frozen for up to a month in well sealed containers; I have added notes to each with freezing tips as necessary.
Meal Ideas for Postpartum Mothers
1. Quiche
Quiche makes a beautiful, nutritious, and satisfying meal. With a foundation of nutrient dense eggs and dairy, quiche at its most basic boasts much in the way of fat-soluble vitamins, nourishing fat, protein, and minerals. And when you add your meats and vegetables of choice, you are only adding to the benefits!
You can find my recipe for any flavor quiche here.
2. Pot pie
On a similar note, pot pie is a satisfying and warming meal that can be most nourishing when made with good ingredients. You can find my recipe for it here.
3. Soups, stews, roasts, and braises
Something that you can deliver in one container that can be heated with ease is as good as it gets. I made my friend pumpkin soup as well as a batch of chivo guisado, a warming braised goat dish full of Dominican flavor which is traditionally served over rice. Other great options are braised or slow cooked oxtails, beef shanks, and roasts, with onions, carrots, and potatoes thrown in for a hearty one pot meal. For soups, try my easy nourishing chili, chicken noodle soup, or simple seafood chowder (make sure they like seafood!).
If you decide to freeze soup or another more saucy meal, make sure it is in a freezer safe container with plenty of headspace for the freezing liquids to expand.
4. Casseroles
Did I mention that food that can be delivered in one container and heated with ease is amazing for postpartum meals? I love a good casserole, especially when it’s made with nourishing ingredients. Be careful with recipes that call for cream of mushroom soup, as most canned options contain a lot of vegetable oils (inflammatory!) and monosodium glutamate. I usually whip up my own when a recipe calls for it.
My grandma’s breakfast casserole is a great casserole to try.
5. Lactation cookies
I made a full batch of these lactation cookies for my friend using sprouted oats and all organic and/or grass fed ingredients. Not only were they delicious, but they also produced a noticeable change in the quality of my friend’s milk! While this isn’t technically a meal, having nourishing snacks on hand is very helpful for the new mother, especially when her appetite is high due to her new energy demands.
The recipe I linked to has advice for freezing cookie dough.
6. Other baked goods
Likewise, having things like muffins, tortillas, and bagels on hand can be very helpful— especially if you make them with organic and nourishing ingredients and ferment them so that they’ll be easily digested by those who eat them. You can find lots of great recipes by searching “sourdough - - - recipe” or “WAPF - - - recipe.”
If you decide to freeze some baked goods, I would suggest putting a piece of parchment paper between each item (tortillas, especially) and sealing them very well.
I hope you find this post helpful in nourishing any new mothers and families you know!
These are terrific ideas! I’ve got a million pregnant friends, so I will be putting some of these to use.
When my sister was in labor, I made a pot of congee, which is a Chinese rice porridge. I just used a long grain white rice, homemade bone broth, and seasoned with a little cumin and garlic. Very simple, very delicious.