how to plan your postpartum
I hear from lots of women, both friends and clients; that they regret not spending enough time planning and preparing for postpartum.
And I can see why it happens, birth is a huge event. Whatever way you birth your baby; it is huge, both physically and emotionally. The unknown and uncontrollable nature of birth can bring up lots of feelings of fear and uncertainty. And I get it, I have been there, twice.
I encourage all of the women I work with to seek independent birth education. It is essential for all parents to be educated on physiological childbirth, the hospital system, care provider options and interventions. Unfortunately birthing in Australia is a highly medicalised event and therefore where and how you choose to birth your baby is really important.
Mamas-to-be: I have linked a blog below with all of the pregnancy resources I used, loved and personally recommend.
how to prepare for postpartum
Shift your focus from ‘things’ and focus on you.
If this is your first baby, you will soon realise there isn’t a lot a baby needs, other than you.
They most likely won’t use their cot because they want to be close to their Mama. Don’t be guilted into thinking this is a bad habit, enjoy the newborn snuggles while you have them. The nights may feel long, but it will pass before you know it.
The cute outfits are exciting, I get it, I love baby clothes too, but when you are both learning how to breastfeed, you will be wishing you did some education before baby arrived.
breastfeeding education
If you plan to breastfeed, I really recommend connecting with a local lactation consultation BEFORE baby arrives. This helps you to understand what is normal and give you some tips so you are equip with some knowledge before baby arrives. It also allows you to connect with a lactation consultant so if you need some more support once baby arrives, you have someone you know and trust.
If you are birthing in the hospital system; you will receive some support from midwives, but they are not trained specifically in breastfeeding. With my first baby I ended up birthing at the hospital and needed to stay overnight; I found I was given different advice from every midwife. They are understandably very busy and I found they didn’t have the time to spend with you personally.
focus on nutrition
If you can do one thing to support your postpartum; it is to focus on nutrition. Your body has been through 9ish months of growing a human and everything that comes with it. Then you birth your beautiful baby and you need to support your recovery. If you are breastfeeding you also need to sustain your supply to nourish baby.
If you are a first time Mama, expect that there will be days that you can’t do anything except hold your baby. Getting to the shops and cooking will be impossible some days. That is why I recommend preparing meals for your postpartum in advance.
buy a chest freezer
Before our first son arrived we purchased a chest freezer on marketplace. It allowed us to cook up meals and bulk and freeze them. This meant we always had plenty of meals on hand for me and also for my husband who is a shift worker. It took the pressure off both of us when we couldn’t prepare meals for each other. I am writing this 8 blog weeks postpartum with my second babe and we still have some meals in there for those days.
my recipes
I am all about keeping it simple; simple, nourishing recipes that don’t take hours to prepare. You will notice they are all animal based protein; I do enjoy vegetarian meals but for postpartum I recommend prioritising slow-cooked, easy-to-digest animal protein. The iron in animal protein is easier for your body to digest and absorb compared to plant-based protein (eg tofu); your body will also benefit from B vitamins, zinc and a host of other essential nutrients.
Here are some of the recipes I used and loved:
Lamb koftas: https://www.recipecommunity.com.au/main-dishes-meat-recipes/lamb-koftas/urzmt6sc-5d255-943867-cfcd2-fbk2jrp7
Moroccan chicken cassarole: https://www.bestrecipes.com.au/recipes/slow-cooker-moroccan-chicken-recipe/oq9tzdat
Pulled chicken breast with mingle seasoning; it is as simple as 2kg of chicken breast in the slow cooker with 1-2 packets of Mingle Taco Seasoning. Cook for 8 hours on low & shred with tongs. I made 3 batches of this and froze in 1kg (ish) lots of whatever fit in a tupperware container.
Pulled beef brisket: same as above with Mingle chilli con carne seasoning. The Mingle products are so fantastic, tasty with no nasties making them hard to beat.
Bone broth: I made bulk birth and froze in large glass jars so we could pull out a smaller portion as needed. You can use it to form the base of dishes, have a cup of it with some fresh parsley and ginger. https://www.reallifeofpie.com/blog/how-to-make-belly-soothing-bone-broth
Mexican beef mince: I made a bulk batch of the mince without the rice. I cook up rice fresh to have it on hand to add to any meal.
https://www.recipetineats.com/mexican-ground-beef-casserole-with-rice/Bliss balls: I don’t have a recipe as I throw things together. If you’re new to making bliss balls Jordie Pie Face is a great resource: https://www.reallifeofpie.com/
I hope this gives you some inspiration to support your postpartum.
With love,
xo Ell
