Pregnancy is an incredible feat to endure as a woman. Creating a whole human for scratch, nourishing, growing, and nurturing him or her for 9 months, and then the absolute amazing act of birthing this little baby into the world, one that is labor intensive, profound, transformative and life altering in every conceivable way –
I MEAN SERIOUSLY HOW AMAZING IS THIS?!?!
During pregnancy, we mamas put so much emphasis on being our healthiest during this time:::
Doing good things for our body
Eating the good foods
Avoiding the unhealthy ones
Moving our bodies meaningfully
Sleeping as much as we can
Spending time outside in the sunshine
Thinking good positive thoughts
Reading all the things
Consulting all the experts
Protecting our energy
Guarding our space
Managing our stress
…
But something that does not get NEAR the amount of attention it deserves – is what happens AFTER baby is born.
What about what happens AFTER baby is in our arms, at our breasts, and we are in our cocoon at home, left to our own devices with this new little peanut to care for, keep alive, keep nourished, keep warm, keep happy, keep well, keep safe, keep clean, etc etc etc??
With this new little life to care for, many mamas forget that THEY must still be cared for.
I truly believe that a huge reason for challenges in early motherhood, whether its:::
Mood issues like depression and anxiety
Or health issues like depletion, hair loss, slow recovery from birth
Or challenges with breastfeeding, breast milk production, and feeding our babies
… is the fact that our OWN attention to nourishment, rest, recovery, and mineral replenishment sort of goes out the window when the baby is in our arms, pregnancy is over, and everything about our lives suddenly becomes about baby.
WE CANNOT OPTIMALLY NOURISH OUR BABIES UNLESS WE, THE MAMA, ARE OPTIMALLY NOURISHED FIRST.
While not the case in 100% of women, low milk supply in the early postpartum period can be largely attributed to insufficient nourishment and caloric intake. Simply not eating enough calories during your day can have severe implications for our breast milk production.
Your body is literally making FOOD for your baby FROM your body, in those crucial early days of massive growth and adjustment to life outside the womb.
KNOW THIS: THE BODY DOES NOT AND CANNOT MAKE BREAST MILK OUT OF THIN AIR. IT MUST HAVE A FUEL SOURCE.
We MUST be putting food IN our body in order for it to have enough energy / fuel / sustenance / resources to ALSO manufacture high quality breast milk to satisfy the needs of your growing baby.
Your body is wise beyond your wildest imagination. And no matter how much you love your sweet little nugget, no matter how intertwined the two of you are now and forever, no matter how much you want to be able to nourish your baby and make an abundance of the best possible breast milk for your baby – the very real truth is that your body will ALWAYS prioritize your life and survival BEFORE it prioritizes your baby.
And yes, this means if it is forced to prioritize, it will NOT make an abundance of the best possible breast milk for your baby if it means your body doesn’t have enough to satisfy both your needs and your baby’s needs.
Your body’s job is to keep YOU alive and well.
And if there aren’t enough resources (read: FOOD) to go around to keep YOUR heart beating, YOUR mind thinking, YOUR muscles running away from a threat, YOUR blood sugar / blood pressure regulating themselves, YOUR metabolism humming and drumming along, AND meet the demands of making breast milk for the baby…
Then the body simply cannot produce in abundance the perfect food for your growing baby.
NOURISHING MAMA WELL IN THE EARLY DAYS POSTPARTUM IS THE NUMBER ONE WAY TO ESTABLISH EXCELLENT BRESAT MILK SUPPLY FOR THOSE CRUCIAL FIRST DAYS OF BABY’S LIFE.
Nourishing Foods for Postpartum
Nutrient Dense Foods
Grass-fed meats
Dairy products like raw milk / butter / cottage cheese / full fat Greek yogurt
Pasture raised eggs
Shellfish like smoked oysters / shrimp / mussels / scallops
Soaked organic oats
Mineral Rich Beverages
Herbal teas like red raspberry leaf / nettles / oatstraw / rosehips
Orange juice
Raw milk
Adrenal cocktails
Coconut water
Adding high quality salt to your water
Functional Foods
Mamas require even more calories when they are breastfeeding than they do when they are pregnant.
So much of early postpartum is establishing a good breastfeeding relationship with your baby. But it’s also about recovering from the labor and birth and allowing your body the rest, space, and time to heal.
The best thing we can do for ourselves in this sacred time is rest, eat nourishing, high calorie foods, hydrate with mineral rich fluids, bond with our baby, find our footing as new mothers, and allow our body the time and space it needs to ease into this ever important, all consuming, life altering role of new motherhood.
A nourished baby IS a nourished mother.
Tell me below – what are some of your favorite foods to enjoy in the early postpartum period?
Yours in Abundant Health & Love
Xoxo,
Emily 😊
