Best Postpartum Foods: How to Eat after Childbirth
Which postpartum foods help us meet our nutritional needs after childbirth? What do we need to eat to promote healing and recovery? And which foods should we avoid?
In this blog article, I’m sharing my favorite foods for the fourth trimester and give you easy, quick ideas for nourishing your body from the inside out.
Focus on warm, soft foods
Avoid cold foods
Embrace fats
Replenish your iron levels
Breastfeeding and lactation
Observe baby’s reactions
Hydrate
Vitamins and supplements
Rely on your village
Ditch the schedule
D️isclaimer: This blog article is meant for general guidance only. If you have specific concerns about your postpartum recovery or think you may be nutrient deficient, please consult a registered dietician/ naturopath specialized in postpartum care or reach out to your trusted medical health care provider.
The basics of postpartum food
No matter if you’re an omnivore, follow a specific diet (vegan, vegetarian, keto, paleo, kosher) or have dietary restrictions, intolerances or allergies, there are certain principles that cultures across the world apply for nourishing the new parent in the postpartum period.
As your body is recovering from childbirth, you’ll want to focus on soft, soupy and warming foods.
You’ll need to go easy on your digestive system and give your body nutrient-dense, easy-to-digest and iron-rich meals. Think soups and broths, slow-cooked stews and vegetables, porridges and puddings. We’re talking real comfort food here!
“Cauldrons of soups, pots of fragrant teas, bowls of steaming rice – everything on the table during the first 40 days is comfortingly round. How fitting for this closing chapter of the cycle of birth, a time of magnificently curvy body parts and mother cocooning in her nest.” (The First 40 Days – The Essential Art of Nourishing the New Mother, Heng Ou, page 100)
1. Focus on warm, soft foods
At the start of the postnatal period, the traditional dishes tend to be “very liquidy, brothy, hydrating, warm, easily digestible things,” says Kimberly Ann Johnson, birth doula and author of the book ‘The Fourth Trimester’. Indeed, many cultures around the world focus on soft, soupy, moist and creamy foods for the immediate postpartum period. Why is that?
During pregnancy, your abdominal organs are being pushed into a tighter space to make way for the growing baby. After you’ve given birth, it will take some time for your organs to move back to their original positions. Your digestion may be slowing down quite a bit, which is why new mothers may experience constipation and stomach upset after childbirth.
Soft, soupy foods will help your body get all the nutrients it needs without overburdening your digestive system.
As your digestive juices meet the warming liquids of postpartum foods, less energy is used to digest and absorb the nutrients. The moistness from liquid postpartum foods also helps replenish any liquids that may have been lost during birth. This incredible synergy helps promote optimal healing and recovery.
➤Tip: Make a big batch of soup or stew (or ask somebody to make it for you) and eat from it for a few days. You can vary the add-ons to make meal time more interesting, for example by whisking in an egg, serving it with rice noodles or adding in some new spices.
2. Avoid cold foods
I get it, it sounds super refreshing to chug down a big glass of icy water or refresh yourself with some ice cream after you’ve been through labor.
Especially in Asian cultures and in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the postnatal period is considered to be a vulnerable time when the body should be kept warm. As the blood vessels and channels are in an open, vulnerable state, they are more prone to being invaded by pathogens.
Therefore, drinks are best served at room temperature, and any extremely cold or frozen foods should be avoided.
➤Tip: If you love smoothies or other colder drinks, leave them on the counter for a few hours before consuming them.
3. Embrace fats
Healthy fats are essential in the postpartum diet, not only because they help your body heal but also because they contribute to baby’s growing brain and nervous system development by enriching your breast milk.
Depending on your diet, you may choose to incorporate any of the following foods:
grass-fed butter or ghee
coconut oil, avocado oil sesame oil or olive oil
oily fish like sardines
nut butters
flax seeds
coconut milk
➤Tip: Add a little bit of fat to each meal you’re having. You can add a spoon of coconut oil to your hot tea, mix in some ghee with your stew or include some nut butter into your porridge – the possibilities are endless.
4. Replenish your iron levels
Birth, and the continued vaginal bleeding (lochia) for the first few weeks in postpartum, leaves many new mothers low in iron. Iron is an essential mineral contributing to oxygen levels, energy production and proper cell functioning. It’s also important for body temperature regulation, growth and development, thyroid health and immunity.
Eating a variety of iron-rich foods can help you prevent postpartum anemia, optimize your healing journey and fight against common iron deficiency symptoms such as fatigue, depression or impaired cognition.
There are two types of iron-rich foods:
Heme iron is more bioavailable and easily absorbed by your body. It can be found in animal foods, such as red meat, organ meats, fish and poultry. Bone broth is a great iron-rich food that can be mixed in with lots of meals.
Non-heme iron is less bioavailable and a little harder to absorb. It’s found in plant-based foods such as lentils, pumpkin seeds, legumes, quinoa and dark leafy green vegetables (kale, chard, watercress, spinach).
➤Tip: When eating iron, try pairing it with foods rich in vitamin C (citrus, kiwi, peppers) to improve absorption. Also, avoid eating dairy at the same time as iron-rich foods because it can make it harder for your body to absorb iron.
5. Breastfeeding and lactation
If you’re planning on breastfeeding your little one, be sure to take adequate levels of vitamin D to enrich your breastmilk adequately. Other than that, you don’t necessarily need to follow a specific diet and can continue eating what you used to before your pregnancy – just watch out for baby’s reactions (see section 6 below).
To increase your milk supply, you may also want to include some of the known ‘galactogogues’ (foods that are thought to boost your milk production) such as Brewer’s yeast, fennel, oats, flax seeds, nettle, leafy greens and so on.
➤Tip: Ask your partner or postpartum doula to whip up some lactation recipes for you, such as lactation cookies, herbal lactation teas or lactation soups.
6. Observe baby’s reactions
For breastfeeding parents, be mindful of how baby may react to the food you eat.
Certain foods could aggravate babies’ tummies by causing gassiness, upset or colic-like systems. Some examples include beans and legumes, cow’s milk or cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, brussels sprouts, cauliflower).
If baby is unusually upset after you consumed cow’s milk, for example, it may be a good idea to stay eliminating cow’s milk from your system for a little while, then continue observing symptoms.
Keep in mind that babies have naturally immature digestive systems. Digestive growing pains are a normal part of their development, and may or may not be related to what you’ve eaten. After all, their little stomachs grow exponentially during the first few days and weeks after birth.
➤Tip: If your baby seems gassy after something you ate, try noting down any changes in your diet and relieve baby’s discomfort by massaging his belly. My personal favorite baby massage techniques are clockwise rotations, bicycle massages and the “I love you” technique. You could try it out yourself or ask your partner or postpartum doula to help you. If baby is still gassy, burp frequently and consult your doctor or midwife.
7. Hydrate
“From an Ayurvedic perspective, drinking hot water throughout the day is essential after birth. It gives you free heat; it is nurturing and soothing, and when sipped between meals, it calms that burning hunger from stomach acid that makes you reach impulsively for a packaged snack instead of preparing a good plate. Hot water also helps you make better decisions, because it soothes your gut. The best decisions are gut decisions – and you need those now more than ever.” (Vasu Dudakia, Ayurvedic Practitioner, Los Angeles, CA)
We all know how critical proper hydration is for our bodies. In postpartum, this becomes even more important. Here’s why:
We need to replenish the liquids lost during childbirth to set our bodies up for proper healing.
Our bodies start producing the ultimate liquid food: breastmilk. If you breastfeed frequently and plan on nourishing your baby this way, remember to drink up and stay hydrated.
Now, staying hydrated doesn’t mean chugging large quantities of cold water at a time. Instead, try sipping warm or room temperature liquids frequently throughout the day, and always have some drinks next to you whenever you hang out with baby.
➤Tip: Get creative and vary your sources of liquids. You could sip herbal teas or lactation teas, focus on soups and stews for mealtimes and consider drinking small quantities of bone broth throughout the day.
8. Vitamins and supplements
Most of us are religiously taking prenatal vitamins throughout pregnancy, then stop supplementation right after childbirth. However, keeping your vitamins and minerals at good levels remains incredibly important even beyond birth.
Especially if you are breastfeeding, please continue taking your regular prenatal vitamins or other supplements throughout the postpartum period. According to La Leche League (2022), “vitamin D is the one nutrient that most mothers are not able to pass along to their babies in adequate amounts through breast milk alone”.
Breastfeeding parents need to be mindful of meeting their daily intake of vitamin D3, calcium, magnesium and DHA, all of which can be found in prenatal vitamins. They are intended to boost your vitamin and mineral supply for you and baby, help with breastmilk production and fill any nutritional gaps that you may have in your diet.
➤Tip: If possible, use high-quality, organic supplements and ask your doctor or health care professional for guidance.
9. Rely on your village
Much like many things in parenting, postpartum foods are often a team effort. It is sheer impossible to ask the new parent to whip up large batches of bone broth, soups and nutritious snacks all while tending to a newborn baby.
After all, we were never meant to parent in isolation. Surrounding ourselves with a support village remains the #1 factor to improve your transition to parenthood.
Instead, try to implicate your support village as early as you can.
Your friends want to contribute to making your transition to parenthood easier? Ask them to organize a meal train to ensure a steady supply of meals.
Your parents want to lend a helping hand, but are not quite sure how? Ask them to do some groceries and cook a few postpartum meals in your home.
Your neighbors are wondering what to get you once baby is here? Ask for food delivery vouchers.
➤Tips: Try building your support village as early as in pregnancy. Find out about local perinatal health care providers such as lactation consultants, osteopaths and pelvic floor physiotherapists, reach out to postpartum doulas in your area or practice asking for help. All of this will come in handy when baby has arrived!
If you’re local to Montreal, I put together a list of my favourite local resources for expectant families and new parents.
10. Ditch the schedule
The first few weeks and months after giving birth can be quite a blur. You may find yourself feeding your baby around the clock, following baby’s unique hunger cues and wake windows. Your previous routine of breakfast, lunch and dinner may suddenly be harder to follow.
Instead, try to ditch the schedule and really follow your hunger signs. If you’re awake and hungry at 4:00 am, give yourself permission to heat up a bowl of rice pudding or chicken soup. Your body will thank you.
➤Tips: If you’re breastfeeding and need more energy to start the day, try to incorporate good protein sources into your breakfast to keep you full longer. If you have a hard time remembering to eat, set reminders on your phone or ask somebody in your home to keep reminding you to eat.
➤➤ Need postpartum support?
Thinking about hiring a postpartum doula to support you during the fourth trimester? Get in touch with me to learn more about how I support families during the magical postpartum period and beyond.
