"After birth there are natural depletions, so it takes time ~ 42 days ~ to rejuvenate the tissues through food" ~ Bhu Ysha Oakes
Your Postpartum Superfood List
More explanation is offered in your third trimester during our one-on-one postpartum care session {you are welcome to have your support person present for that}. The foods listed here have the following purpose…
- Postpartum pacification {shamana} + regeneration {rasayana} of mothers cells
- Involution of the uterus + prevention of excess space in the belly post-birth
- Production of nourishing and healthy breastmilk, free of doshic imbalance that will be easy for baby to digest.
- Balance of excess vata, which goes extremely high after birth. The foods here are to prevent common postpartum vata issues including constipation, fatigue, dryness, low energy, nervousness, weakness, depletion, low appetite, lack of enthusiasm.
“After delivery, the new mother is weak, sensitive and susceptible. She has provided nourishment and energy to the child during its entire development, undergone the exertion and resulting fatigue of labor, and blood loss, during and after delivery. Any health problem, arising during this time, could b difficult to treat, and in some cases, impossible to cure. Administering special remedies (to strengthen and protect) can provide the necessary care and attention, right from the beginning of the postpartum phase.” ~ Charaka Samhita
Eating Schedule + Habits
Mama should be fed four times a day. Ideally someone else is cooking for you! May you be blessed with support during your postpartum months. Emphasize the foods below for the first 35 days postpartum.
It is not necessary to eat ALL of the foods listed below. Choose your favorites, those that are easy to access in your locale and which appeal. You are welcome to keep it simple and narrowed down to a few favorites. I will provide recipes and meal ideas. A great resource is also Touching Heaven by Ysha Oaks. Clients are encouraged to print and share this list with people who would like to cook for you! Foods should be ORGANIC {free from GMOs + pesticides + hormones}.
It is not necessary to eat ALL of the foods listed below. Choose your favorites, those that are easy to access in your locale and which appeal. You are welcome to keep it simple and narrowed down to a few favorites. I will provide recipes and meal ideas. A great resource is also Touching Heaven by Ysha Oaks. Clients are encouraged to print and share this list with people who would like to cook for you! Foods should be ORGANIC {free from GMOs + pesticides + hormones}.
Nourishing Support Team
Mother should be on retreat from cooking and cleaning for 2 weeks postpartum {6 weeks after C-birth}. During your 3rd trimester is the time to form your post-partum care team! This includes cooking in your home for you, following your Mayurveda guidelines or creating a schedule for people to drop off meals for you. Ask friends, colleagues, other families in your prenatal yoga or birth classes who haven't yet given birth, family members, and so on to join in supporting you and your baby in this loving way. Many people love to give gifts or support, and simply need clear instructions on how to best serve you! Mealtrain.com is a wonderful resource to organize a schedule of meal drop offs! One client who was having a baby as a single parent organized a full month for herself for meal drop-offs from friends!
Feel free to copy and adapt this little script!
You are invited as part of our inner circle of friends and loved ones whom we trust to help support us during our precious a postpartum time! We know we are going to need to be deeply nourished on many levels to recover, bond and rejuvenate after birth and we want Mama to be able to focus on our new little one. Thank you so much for helping feed us during these early days!
We are following guidelines recommended by our health and wellness practitioner to ensure that Mama and baby don't suffer from any postpartum discomforts, and that includes food as a primary healer and nourisher. Thank you so much for honoring us so lovingly by following these guidelines. We are including a copy of a food list with the best foods for Mama and foods to be avoided. Don't worry if you aren't a cook! We are including a list of our favorite local foodie places and our favorite menu items.
Special Instructions
We will leave a note on the door to let you know if Mama and baby are available. Otherwise, they may be resting or nursing or having some quiet time. In that case thank you SO very much and you can leave meals at the door. To protect the sensitive postpartum digestion we will not be eating frozen foods or leftovers during this time, please only bring food that you have prepared or picked up on the day you plan to serve. See the link to the best postpartum foods + foods to avoid here.
Favorite meals
Coconut curries, stirfried rice, baked root vegetables, soups and vegetarian stews would be ideal! And we love buttercookies too! Here are our favorite local eateries + menu items
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Allergies or dietary restrictions
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Feel free to copy and adapt this little script!
You are invited as part of our inner circle of friends and loved ones whom we trust to help support us during our precious a postpartum time! We know we are going to need to be deeply nourished on many levels to recover, bond and rejuvenate after birth and we want Mama to be able to focus on our new little one. Thank you so much for helping feed us during these early days!
We are following guidelines recommended by our health and wellness practitioner to ensure that Mama and baby don't suffer from any postpartum discomforts, and that includes food as a primary healer and nourisher. Thank you so much for honoring us so lovingly by following these guidelines. We are including a copy of a food list with the best foods for Mama and foods to be avoided. Don't worry if you aren't a cook! We are including a list of our favorite local foodie places and our favorite menu items.
Special Instructions
We will leave a note on the door to let you know if Mama and baby are available. Otherwise, they may be resting or nursing or having some quiet time. In that case thank you SO very much and you can leave meals at the door. To protect the sensitive postpartum digestion we will not be eating frozen foods or leftovers during this time, please only bring food that you have prepared or picked up on the day you plan to serve. See the link to the best postpartum foods + foods to avoid here.
Favorite meals
Coconut curries, stirfried rice, baked root vegetables, soups and vegetarian stews would be ideal! And we love buttercookies too! Here are our favorite local eateries + menu items
______________________
______________________
______________________
______________________
Allergies or dietary restrictions
_____________________________________
Link to list for sharing!
Foods in bold are extra superfoods for postpartum!
Nourishing Grains
Kitchen Herbs
Vitamin Rich Vegetables
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Nourishing Sweet
Protective Fats
Enlivening Fruits
Perfect Proteins
Teas + Beverages
Foods to Avoid for Postpartum Mothers
These foods can cause severe gas and constipation for Mama and painful colic for baby, among other disturbances to the very sensitive post-birth systems of both Mother and baby. Avoiding these foods is a natural means of preventing digestive discomfort, bodily pain, sleep disruption, and nervous system disturbance for baby and the whole family. While it may take a little more effort, it is well worth preventing the postpartum troubles that unfortunately have become commonplace in our modern world.
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Postpartum Cooking PrinciplesIdeally, foods should be freshly prepared by a loving person who cares for the mother and baby.
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Mama can consume plenty of ghee {clarified butter} ~ one Ayurvedic grandmother said 30 lbs of ghee in the first 3 months postpartum!
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Early Postpartum Meal Ideas
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Bonus Gift! Your Postpartum Guide + Cookbook
This wonderful reference book was written by one of my teachers in postpartum Ayurvedic care, Ysha Oaks. Feel free to share recipes with your care team so that they can cook for you. You can also just use the recipes and information as a guideline. Once you see the underlying principles you can create your own recipes.
Remember to keep it simple. You can just rotate the same few meals day after day. Baking veggies is easy for even the most uncooking partner or family member. This book is included for you as my client, and Ysha's organization has been compensated. If you would like to pass this book on to a friend, you can purchase it here
Remember to keep it simple. You can just rotate the same few meals day after day. Baking veggies is easy for even the most uncooking partner or family member. This book is included for you as my client, and Ysha's organization has been compensated. If you would like to pass this book on to a friend, you can purchase it here
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