Alison Boden, MPH, RDN dietitian and functional nutritionist focused on reproductive health, @nourishing_radiance

Courtney Maree Reiman DACM, LAc, acupuncturist specializing in fertility, pregnancy, postpartum and loss @drcourtneyreiman

The baby is here - that’s all I can focus on right now. Why do I need to think about what I eat? 

Bringing home a new baby can mean a steep learning curve, feeling overwhelmed, and feeling sleep deprived. While you certainly don’t need to eat perfectly, it’s still a time to focus on good nutrition. Remember when you were pregnant, the information on what to eat (and not eat) was abundant, and people asked how you were doing on a regular basis? Postpartum is actually a time of even more vulnerability in terms of our health and much of this comes down to keeping yourself well-nourished and hydrated. Physical healing and replenishing, rapid hormone changes and breastfeeding needs (if you’re breastfeeding) all benefit if we’re eating a nourishing diet. Although it might feel like a time for restriction because our bodies are still physically larger after birth, our calorie and nutrient requirements are actually greater than they were during pregnancy - more on that below.

Nutrients to focus on in particular during this period include foods rich in:

Iron (i.e., meats, dark leafy greens, beans and peas)

B vitamins (i.e., dairy, eggs, meats, salmon, tuna, potatoes)

Vitamin D (fish such as herring, mackerel, salmon, trout; eggs)

Omega 3 fatty acids (i.e., mackerel, salmon, tuna, sardines, anchovies, chia seeds, walnuts, flax seeds)

Zinc (i.e., beans, peas, most nuts, clams, oysters, crab, lobster)

Selenium (i.e., Brazil nuts, whole grains, meats, eggs). 

These key nutrients provide the body focused attention on physical recovery, energy and importantly, brain function. To get more options of food sources that have high levels of each vitamin or mineral, the USDA has a comprehensive list to reference examples. 

Warm vs. Cold

Try to focus on eating warm, cooked foods during the postpartum period. Raw, cold foods are difficult for the body to breakdown, whereas cooked foods allow for optimal absorption of nutrients, are more satiating, and are far easier for the body to digest.  

In addition to this, from a Chinese medicine perspective, transitioning from birth to postpartum is an incredibly dramatic shift in which the pregnant woman’s body is warm (yang) with the high volume of circulating blood and fullness due to the presence of a baby. Then in an instant, the body loses its warmth through the loss of blood and the baby’s birth. Broth based soups are therefore an ideal postpartum food example, as they are warm, provide a healthy source of protein (when using animal sourced broths and meats), supply some iron, calcium, and magnesium in an easily absorbed form, contain gelatin which supports the repair of connective tissue, and can help stop excessive uterine bleeding. 

We love the first forty days cookbook for delicious, nutrient dense, warm postpartum meals. ‘Zou yuezhi’ translates as ‘sitting the month’, which is the first 40 days of rest and recovery following birth in traditional Chinese culture. This book not only focuses on recipes that help you recover through proper nutrition, it also serves as an educational source around the physical and emotional changes in the postpartum period, how to adjust to a new routine, how to build and lean on community, and the importance of keeping the mother, and therefore baby, healthy and well-nourished. 

Cooking while taking care of a newborn is overwhelming. What are other options that I can consider? 

A great option and gift idea for new parents is a meal train. Someone can set up a meal train for you, or you can set one up yourself. Meal trains allow family and friends to contribute their support in a meaningful way (we promise, they want to help, and this is an easy option), which frees you up to focus your energy on recovery and bonding with your babe. Anyone can set this up easily (hint: a best friend or sibling really love being assigned this role), and it allows even those who live far away to contribute through food delivery services (more on that below). It also has tons of customization options so you can choose what days to receive meals, specific times, and any dietary preferences (take note on what to communicate to your community around the foods and nutrients to focus!). Mealtrain makes it easy.

Depending on where you live, there also may be some delivery options that can take the pressure off of cooking. In the San Francisco Bay Area, we love  Kitchen Doula, Three Stone Hearth, and Mama Tong’s soups due to their wholesome, nutrient dense ingredients specifically targeted for postpartum recovery. If these types of high quality delivery programs are unavailable in your area, focus your attention on simple, cooked meals that consist of essential nutrients listed above and include proteins (grass fed, pasture raised), cooked vegetables (organic whenever possible), starches, and healthy fats. Our very own Hilary Kennedy is also an exceptional resource to help you with easy and quick solutions to meal prep and recipe ideas no matter where you are located.

Can certain foods help my energy and mood?

Absolutely. To start, our energy comes from food so we want to make sure we’re getting enough. We see a lot of new parents who have very light breakfasts and lunches — or skip them altogether — and end up exhausted and moody by 3 pm. Skipping meals will only exacerbate exhaustion, hormonal imbalances, moodiness and stress levels. Prioritizing proper nutrition, well-balanced meals, and eating when hungry will ensure you’re getting the energy from food your body and brain need. 

I’m having trouble losing baby weight, is something wrong? 

The first thing to look at is how far into the postpartum period you are, as well as your expectations. The first six months postpartum your hormones are in flux. After initial weight loss post-delivery, a lot of women find that this slows until hormones can calm down and sleep improves. If breastfeeding, hunger can be so ravenous that holding onto the extra weight until weaning is common. While it may seem intuitive to start eating less to lose weight, our postpartum bodies tend to react differently to dieting than our pre-baby selves. Cutting calories can quickly send starvation signals which can raise stress hormones and then cause overeating and even weight gain. 

Instead, start with the foundations of a healthy maintenance diet — balanced meals with protein, carbohydrates, good fat, and fiber, plus movement to feel good. This, along with sleep, rest and bonding with your baby (hello, oxytocin!), is all that is necessary for the first year postpartum and most will find that the weight naturally and slowly comes off without doing anything aggressive. If, at that point, weight is still not budging despite balanced eating and moderate exercise, you may want to look more closely at your meal balance, hormones, and sleep with one of our nutritionists.