Those first few weeks (Birth partners, this is for you)

Mamas: You’ve given birth, you’ve done it! Huge congratulations. Now, the only things you should be focusing on are your baby, feeding, bonding & resting.

The rest? Over to you birth partner!

Birth partner/immediate support network: I know you’re probably tired too, so take a moment to breathe and rest. Protect your newly formed family unit and bubble. The newborn phase is so precious, and you’ll never get this time again. When you’re ready, debrief with your partner on the birth and your experiences. Be for your partner whatever she needs you to be in these moments. Keep visitors at bay for now if you can.

Food & Drink

Think about defrosting some of those meals you both prepared during the pregnancy & nesting time. Focus on warm foods & drinks to refuel & hydrate mum, especially. Ensure mum has a (refillable) water bottle & snacks next to her all the time. Keep on top of any medication she needs (e.g. pain relief or blood thinners if she’s had a c section).

Some simple ideas for the immediate postpartum (get on to me if you need specific recipes sending over):

Overnight oats No cooking required & you can add in all sorts of goodies such as nuts & seeds (additional protein & good fats), dried fruit (vitamins & minerals), and yoghurt (dairy & protein). Overnight oats are soft, warmed up easily & can be eaten one handed! (Useful if baby is cluster feeding or mums in her bed/on the sofa). May also help mum with those initial bowel movements!

Scrambled eggs on toast A very simple yet easy, nutritious meal where you can add in additional foods like cheese (dairy & protein), herbs, veggies (vitamins & minerals), oily fish (healthy fats) or keep as simple as you like.

Soups Simple & quick to make, easy to freeze or defrost, they come in all sorts of flavours and are simply comforting, warming & easy to digest for mum. Perfect to support her recovering body. You could use any types of vegetable as a base (e.g. parsnips/sweet potato/carrots) and add in different herbs & spices to keep things interesting. Chickpeas, beans & lentils will also provide additional protein/fibre & count towards 1 of mums 5aday to support recovery and bowel movements.

Dhal This may not sound simple, but it only takes 5 mins to prep and then you can just leave the rest to the hob! Easy to digest, gentle on the stomach and warming to eat, just like the soup. Dhal is one of your 5aDay, high in protein (lentils & chickpeas) and can be an addition to a meal or just eaten alone. Can be defrosted quickly if needed.

Bone broth A wonderful healing food, again, something which takes 5 mins to prep (and even less time to consume!) and then can be left for 5-6 hours to cook before straining. Bone broth is said to be rich in collagen & protein, providing mum with a decent nutritional boost post birth. If you’re vegan or plant-based, you can use mushrooms for a similar effect.

Sleep

Make sure mum can have a couple of hours each day to catch up on sleep. As she’s likely to be up regularly during the night, it’s important that whilst you’re off work and able to help, you allow her to rest and recuperate in between feeds. This could also be an opportunity for you to bond with your baby too, and I’d highly recommend doing skin to skin as much as possible.

Keep visitors to a minimum

During those first few days/weeks, unless there are any exceptional circumstances where you or mum need additional support, try to keep visitors to a minimum. This is your time to bond and get to know your baby.

If you do have visitors, keep visiting times short and ensure mum (and you) are comfortable handing the baby around. Ask your visitors not to wear perfume or anything that smells too distinct as this could be confusing to your baby.

Your ideal visitors would bring you some food and ideally offer to help with anything needed around the house (e.g. put on a load of washing or offer to do a food shop). Accept all the help, even if you’re not used to it!

Don’t make too many plans in advance

Ultimately, you don’t know how you or mum are going to feel. There is a LOT to contend with physically & emotionally post birth, so take it easy and don’t make too many plans ahead of time. If you do make plans, try to manage peoples’ expectations that these may change depending on mum and baby on the day.

Try not to worry, you’re doing any amazing job!

If you’re reading this, chances are you really do care already about your partner and how to support them during this time. You’re doing amazing, keep going. If you need any further support or have any questions, feel free to contact me on here or via my Instagram.