The Simplest Guide to Preparing Postpartum Meals
One of my biggest goals in late pregnancies has always been to relieve myself of any cooking for a little while once the baby arrived. With each pregnancy I have started to take postpartum recovery more seriously. I aim for about 2 weeks of rest, so I prepare about 2 weeks of meals. Although this is super helpful practically, it is also takes a big weight off mentally.
Being a mom requires you to constantly keep many plates spinning. Meals are probably one of the most important tasks that have to get done on a daily basis. So when it came to postpartum I wanted to eliminate as much of that mental load as possible. I also wanted to make sure I was prioritizing nourishing foods by freezing some meals ahead of time because getting nutrients would be the last thing on my mind once the baby was born.
This guide will walk you through how I simplified the meal prepping process so that I would actually be able to do it and not have to think so hard.
The Importance of Postpartum Meals
I already mentioned the mental load that meals carry if you don’t have a plan going into postpartum, but there are other perks of putting some freezer meals away. One of the biggest drivers that motivated me to meal prep was how sick I was in first trimester. It was so hard to cook, but life was just going on as usual. It was basically only possible for me to eat and enjoy something if I went through the drive thru or if my mom came over and cooked something for me. So having freezer meals prepared postpartum made me so excited to get to the finish line and just enjoy food that was made especially for me. When you’re giving so much of yourself to a new baby, it can be such a help to just prioritize caring for yourself.
Another added benefit of preparing postpartum meals is to avoid eating too much junk food once the baby arrives. People always bring so much junk food. And then if you don’t have anything else prepared you’re eating that food and take out food. There’s a time and place for enjoying those things as treats, but I learned the hard way to be careful with what you eat postpartum. Your body is in such a weird, transitional state that adding a lot of sugar and not a lot of nourishing, nutrient-dense foods can put you in a bad spot. In both of my postpartum recoveries I gained between 5 and 10 pounds. So having your healthy, homemade meals in the freezer can help alleviate that temptation to snack and have too many treats.
What makes a Good postpartum meal?
The most important aspects of a good, healthy postpartum meal are:
Nutrient-dense foods
It’s fairly obvious but pregnancy can really do a number on your nutrient stores. I didn’t start taking this seriously until after my second baby. You can start developing deficiencies or exacerbate preexisting deficiencies. So making sure that you have plenty of animal foods and vegetables is so vital for recovery, especially if you are continuing to lose nutrients through breastfeeding.
Warm, Easy to digest
As women we know that hormonal shifts affect our digestion and postpartum is no exception. Making our meals simple and easy to digest helps the transition as our body heals and purges those excess hormones. Since digestion affects metabolism and every function in our body, it’s very helpful to have warm foods that will promote healing.
Comforting, but not sugar rich or processed
While we do want the meals to be healthy, we also want to be able to enjoy them. So we shouldn’t prepare meals that we know we’ll hate. There is a balancing act between enjoying the reward of making it through pregnancy and overdoing it because we’re tired or bored. Once again, I’d encourage you to be careful here because it is so tempting to throw all caution to the wind because it’s fun.
Easy to heat and eat
This is fairly self-explanatory but making meals that require minimal work to get warm and ready is super helpful. Also, being sure that there are things that are easy to eat in case there are some times where you only have one hand to eat. Because there will be!
how to plan your postpartum meals
The first thing you need to do to prepare for making postpartum meals is to determine how many meals you want to prep. You can base this number on how many dinners you normally make during the week or how many days you don’t want to have to cook at all. But think about how many meals you need total. Then once you have that number you can start mapping out a plan for preparing them. If you want more help with this part of this process you can check out my post on creating your own postpartum freezer meal plan here.
You’ll also need to evaluate your freezer space so you know how many meals you’ll be able to fit and if you’ll have to make room before you start preparing the meals.
essential meal categories
Just like normal, daily life, dinners are the most important meal to think about when developing your plan. Here are some examples of what I included when I was prepping for my postpartum recoveries:
- Soups (chili, chicken noodle soup, etc.)
- Chicken Pot Pie
- Slow cooker meals (shredded chicken, pot roast, etc.)
- Taco meat
- Casseroles (enchiladas, breakfast casserole, etc.)
Another really important and fun meal to plan for is breakfast. My husband and I loved the slow mornings we got to spend together in those first few days postpartum. After long nights, it was so special to get to enjoy a hot, home-cooked breakfast with some coffee while we snuggled our newborn. Here are some meals I prepped:
- Baked oatmeal
- Breakfast sandwiches, wraps, etc.
- Egg casseroles
I would in general suggest keeping snacks to a minimum, but I did prepare a few ahead of time to make sure we had something to grab in a pinch. Things like:
- Muffins
- Granola
- Trail mix
sample prep plan
If you want a more in depth explanation of how to make your meal plan you can head to my post on creating your own postpartum meal plan.
You can also grab my freebie that walks you step by step through the process and makes developing your plan that much simpler.
If all of this sounds overwhelming and you just want something already done for you, you can check out my Two Week Postpartum Freezer Meal Plan on Etsy.
tips for making postpartum freezer meals
My biggest tip for preparing these meals, especially if this is not your first pregnancy and you have other kids, is to try to make as many of your meals as possible by just doubling what you’re currently cooking. Batch cooking has its benefits, but it is so hard to have a long day of cooking when you’re super pregnant. Particularly if you have other children you’re taking care of. The main benefit of batch cooking is it’s done super quickly and you don’t have to think about it anymore. Which is nice, especially if it’s your first pregnancy.
Do not be afraid to ask for help! Like I said, being super pregnant makes cooking hard. So when you’re trying to add this to your to-do list it’s super nice to have recruited help.
Prep your freezer before you start! The last thing in the world you want to happen is to have made all these meals and have no where to put them.
common mistakes
complicated meals
I did this for sure. Because you want to have good meals that you like and you’re so excited about being done with pregnancy. But just keep it simple. Your pregnant feet will thank me.
not making enough
It’s so hard to make the time to prepare enough food, but if you’re going to make these freezer meals you want to be glad that you did. With both of my pregnancies I planned for 2 weeks – 7 whole dinners. They ended up lasting more like a month or two. It is so helpful, but if you take the time to do it you want to be sure it’ll actually help you in the long run.
not making things you like
You do NOT want to go through all this trouble just to throw the food away. I did this with my first pregnancy because I found recipes that I’d never made before. So make sure these are tried and true. It’ll keep you out of the cookie jar and/or the drive thru lane.
waiting too long to start
With my first pregnancy I started around 34 weeks. I felt like that was too late because it wore me out so much, mind you I didn’t even have any other children. With my second, I started around 30 or 32 weeks. I still felt like that wasn’t enough time. I did have a toddler, but still. This is the main reason I say doubling recipes is a better strategy. Starting right at the third trimester mark is probably a safe bet.
Final reminders
This process and plan is not meant to be perfect at all, but as a tool to help you in those fresh newborn days. Even if you only prep one meal, that helps! The meals don’t even have to be used exactly the way you think. You may wind up getting a meal train and not even use the meals until you’re back up on your feet, but even then it’ll be a blessing to have prepared. And if you’re 36 weeks pregnant and stressing, just start where you are. You can’t do everything but you can do something! Just do something, you’ll thank yourself later.
