Nourished Postpartum: Postpartum Food & Wellness

Talk to any second (or third, or fourth!) time mom, and she’ll tell you: “I wish I’d taken better care of myself the first time.” Mamas don’t realize how much they really need to eat after baby is born, and what types of foods will be most supportive for their healing bodies, milk production, and mental and spiritual health. A follow up from my post sharing the Principles of Postpartum Recovery, below is a deeper dive into postpartum energy and food, as well as a few sample recipes from my collection.

Delicious, fatty chicken bone broth made from scratch for a postpartum client in Lafayette, CO.

These recipes have been formulated specifically to nourish your postpartum body with everything she needs to thrive. I emphasize foods that follow the Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) postpartum traditions. To this end, the principles of the meals are: warming, easily digestible, protein and fat-rich, Vata balancing and Qi (Chi) replenishing. Below you’ll find brief explanations of these principles, followed by some of my go-to meals for postpartum mamas. For women who have struggled with restrictive eating, body dysmorphia, or eating disorder, eating well in pregnancy and postpartum can be a challenge. It can also be a beautiful opportunity to heal your relationship with your body! If you’re struggling in these ways, I’m here to support. For a deeper dive into postpartum health, I recommend Kimberly Ann Johnson’s book the Fourth Trimester.

What is Vata balancing?

In Ayurveda, postpartum mothers are understood to experience “Vata imbalance.” Vata represents the air elements. When healthy and balanced, this dosha (translating roughly to “constitution” or quality) governs our capacity to experience flexibility, joy, and expansive consciousness. In excess, Vata can present as fear, anxiety, dry skin, cracking joints, and difficulty sleeping. The postpartum mother is full of the mobile, light, dry, and cold qualities of Vata after the loss of energy, blood and fluids during birth, not to mention the now-empty space in her abdomen (previously occupied by the baby). Add in the sleep deprivation and fatigue that comes from feeding and caring for a newborn and it’s clear how Vata could present during this time. 

To that end, in Ayurveda we nurture the mother with as many heavy, warm, oily, smooth, and stable qualities as possible. Traditionally, the mother is taken care of by a group of healer women who provide these qualities with food, herbs, massage, and other practices. Nowadays, friends, family members or a postpartum doula can serve in this role. The three main pillars to support the above qualities are diet, herbs, loving touch, and grounding in Nature for the full forty days after birth. Exercise is not recommended aside from short, gentle walks and stretching. By calming Vata and nourishing the mother’s body, you enable her mind and being to heal and enter new motherhood strong and resourced. Vata balancing foods include ghee, chicken or beef stews, organ meats, broths, congees, and much more.

What is Qi Replenishing?

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), a woman’s body loses significant amounts of Qi and blood during childbirth. Because a pregnant woman’s vital energy (Qi) is utilized to make her newborn, it’s essential for the new mother to replenish Qi after birth. A deficiency of Qi and blood can cause many troublesome symptoms such as fatigue, dizziness, weight gain, hair loss, anxiety, depression, memory loss, dental cavities, dry skin, insomnia, mood swings, back pain, blurry vision and painful menses.

There are many ways to replenish qi and blood, including nutrition, exercise, and herbs. Diminished qi and blood can be improved by adding specific foods into your diet. For mothers who eat meat, slow-cooked beef bone soup or chicken soup cooked with the bone is a great way to rebuild Qi. After a week of taking 4 ounces of beef bone broth with dinner, patients often remark on their sleep patterns regulating and their mental fog lifting. Replenishing the body by using nourishing herbs is also a wonderful way to restore the vital energy and blood that is lost through childbirth.  This approach is especially useful if the mother is planning on nursing her baby, as nursing takes additional blood and energy.  For centuries in China it was routine to take herbs, such as He Shou Wu, after pregnancy as a means of ensuring a healthy body. 

Most new mamas are often so busy taking care of their baby that they forget to take care of themselves. It’s essential for a new parent to realize that by giving your body what it needs to thrive, you are modeling health for your child and you are ensuring your child will have a healthy parent to care for them in the future.

Nourishing Postpartum Recipes

Here are a few sample recipes from my full collection. I purchase organic, free-range meat and dairy unless otherwise specified. I purchase herbs locally from Rebecca’s Apothecary in Boulder unless otherwise specified. All meals are intended to provide leftovers, so make sure you have plenty of tupperware and jars handy. Containers can be provided at cost. Many of these recipes are from the First 40 Days cookbook; my gratitude and acknowledgement to the author, Heng Ou.

KITCHARI

Kitchari, traditionally made of yellow mung dal and basmati rice, along with digestive spices and ghee, is used as a cleansing and detoxifying food in Ayurveda. If you don’t have all of these spices available in your kitchen, no worries! The must-haves are ginger, garlic, turmeric, and coriander. A wonderful food in the early days postpartum to aid in elimination of stress hormones, support hormone rebalancing, and to support postpartum bowel movements.

INGREDIENTS (yields ~4 servings): ¼ cup ghee, fresh ginger, fresh garlic, cumin seeds, yellow mustard seeds, coriander seeds, dried green lentils, 1 cup basmati rice, 1 can coconut milk, salt, black pepper, turmeric powder, 1 lemon, cilantro, baby spinach

HEALING GINGER CHICKEN SOUP

This soup is delicious and such a crowd pleaser! Spice levels can be adjusted based on your preferences. I recommend opting for chicken bone broth in addition to regular broth to increase the protein and collagen content of the meal. Great for lunches and dinners.

INGREDIENTS (yield ~4 servings): 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil (or olive oil), ½ cup diced green onion, 2 medium carrots, 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger, 1 tablespoon fresh grated turmeric, 6 cloves garlic, 3 cups chicken broth +3 cups chicken bone broth, 1 can coconut milk, ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce, 1 tablespoon red chili paste (if you like a little heat), 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, ¾ cups white or brown rice, 1-2 teaspoons fish sauce 1 lime

OXTAIL BROTH

Beef oxtail bones provide an incredible source of protein and collagen to new mamas. This broth cooks all day, so it’s best to start cooking in the morning in a large stockpot or in a Crockpot on your countertop. It will also provide delicious slow-cooked beef morsels to snack on. Bone broths can keep in the fridge for 5 days, or can be frozen in airtight mason jars and stored for up to 3 months. Sip this delicious broth as-is in a mug or add to soups, or make noodle bowls.

INGREDIENTS (makes 2 quarts): 4 lbs beef oxtail bones (can be purchased at Golden Hoof Farm, Sprouts, or Whole Foods), sea salt and black pepper, 1 large white onion, 2 strips kombu, 1 large daikon radish, soy sauce, tamari, or Braggs Liquid Aminos

Reach out if you’d like more recipe ideas or a postpartum shopping list!

I love supporting women and new parents as a holistic postpartum doula— and one of my favorite parts is cooking nourishing, hearty meals! Check out my services to learn more about meal prep for postpartum.