Feed the New Moms Please!

I have just stayed up far past my bedtime to prepare an extra batch of black bean soup, cornbread, and a big batch of deviled eggs. As I cooked in the quiet and stillness of the post-bedtime hustle, I felt connected to the generations of women before me who have engaged in this ritual. I felt inspired by and indebted to the women who added a little more water to the soup pot in order to provide a meal for a daughter, sister, neighbor, friend or community member who had recently given birth. Tomorrow I will see a good friend whose family welcomed their third baby into the world in November, and I will show up with just enough food to give her some relief for a meal or two.

The food you prepare doesn’t have to be pretty!

This got me thinking about all the times I have prepared food for a new mother, or had food prepared for me by others. Most of us parent on little islands these days. Mothers especially feel isolated as we relive the moments of the birth of our child—both the triumphs and disappointments. We feel scared and unsure of ourselves as we struggle to breastfeed our new babies in those early months. Many of us are the first to breastfeed our children for multiple generations. And as we are struggling with our new identity, our new schedule, and the reality of caring for a new human being— we still need to feed ourselves and our many times other people in our families.

So here’s my advice for anyone who will be seeing a new mom. BRING SOME FOOD. It doesn’t have to be fancy. It can be as simple as some quick tomato soup and a pre-made garlic bread. If everyone who visits the new family brings something, then each time that family welcomes a well-wishing visitor, their stress load lightens ever so slightly. This is a great way to support a mom who has other children already and who may have all the baby things she needs. Some of my clients’ favorite postpartum foods are:

• hard boiled eggs

• soups that can be frozen

• pre-cut fresh fruit and veggies

• quiche

• seasonal roasted veggies

• simply cooked chicken breasts

I try to do this every time I see new family for as long as I am able within that first year. Many families receive food in the first couple fo weeks, but we all know that getting into the groove of new motherhood can take MUCH longer than that. So if you’re just seeing the new baby at 3 months, 6 months or 8 months— great! STILL BRING FOOD! And if you live far away, but still want to show your support? Order takeout and have it delivered.

What are your favorite foods to receive or provide during the immediate postpartum period? I would love to know!