FUTURE PROOFING YOUR FOURTH TRIMESTER

I have two children, and approached those two postpartum periods quite differently in regard to food and recovery. Mainly because second time round I knew what I knew…

…About the stormy sea of early parenthood, grappling with the revolution taking place in our home. The overthrow of our two person government, into a family community, with one tiny dictator at the centre of the storm.

The conversation around postpartum planning is beginning to come to the fore. The western world is learning an abundance from the traditional wisdom of how other cultures put into action the importance of healing and recovering after birth. In order for that wisdom to trickle down to the roots, where it will have the most impact (on birthing people), it has to be information which is not just read by pregnant people doing the research. This information must be sought out by or passed on to the partner or those in the close support circle, as they are the people, scaffolding, taking action (I hope) to ensure the birthing person can be as slow and stress free as possible during postpartum.

At the end of my first pregnancy I did some batch cooking, I heard it was a good way to focus my time, in that sweet spot (read: anticipatory, exciting, frustrating, dont know whether you’re coming or going time) between finishing work and baby transitioning from wombiverse to universe.

You’ll nest, they said, prep some food they said. So I did. About 6 meals… Which lasted the grand total of 3 days, with a hungry me and partner. Then what? Takeaways, toast, pasta, tired fridge raid scrabbling (not the good creative kind of fridge raid, the random, unsatisfying, less than nourishful ones).

For my second postpartum, I knew something had to be drastically different. I knew more about what foods I needed to focus on to best support me post birth AND that I was not willing to eat anything less than delicious food. So, I did the opposite. I food planned for my postpartum. A framework, roadmap of how I could eat the food I love, and that would help me optimise my recovery and healing. Whether that was food I batch cooked, food I asked for from friends and family, what food I would buy in, how I would stock my store cupboard and what the cooking routine at home might look like, setting expectations around that with my partner. Also, by the second time around we had moved to a farm in the middle of nowhere, making any takeway delivery options impossible, so no ‘fast backup’, a blessing in disguise.

Food planning for postpartum may sound, dull… But think of it as holiday planning.. for the wildest adventure yet…parenthood! Think about it as future proofing that first leg of the journey, though the impact a nourishing diet during this time has, can havea positive ripple effect for years to come, according to the wisdom of Ayurveda. You get the reward of supporting your body plus and VERY importantly eat flavourful food you love and brings you joy! Food can give much sensory pleasure, grounding and comfort during transitional and transformative times, so lets play with it as a medium for the mind.

Second time, I knew how exhausted I would be. I knew how days role into nights, into weeks and before you know it you’ve spend some days not eating until late afternoon, wondering why your emotional resilience is on the floor and anxiety (blood sugars) are all over the shop.

Food planning is also a proactive way in which you can begin to parent together, before the baby has even arrived! Sharing the responsibility and accountability of preparing to nourish the birthing person is a direct way in which partners/ birth partners can take an active role in supporting and sharing the load.

No…food isn’t the only thing to focus on in terms of planning and future proofing mental health during this time, and is is not ‘the answer’ to a plain sailing experience. Early parenthood is a mind bending, shape shifting, sense of self drifting experience. BUT, having a strategy, a proactive plan to avoid crisis and end up down depletion drive on burnout avenue is one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves!

Read more about what a postpartum nourishment plan is in the thought library and look out for the Postpartum: Prepare to be Nourished’ Workshop I am launching, walking you through exactly how to be deeply nourished through the most transformative phase of life. Sign up to the Newsletter at the bottom of the pagento be notified.