by Courtney Meyerhofer
Any day now, I’ll be giving birth to my third baby.
Amidst all of the last minute house projects, organizing baby clothes, and arranging support for my older kids, there’s one thing I do that, without fail, has a monumental impact on my recovery and experience as a mother…and it’s freezer meals!
Our culture gets it all backwards.
During pregnancy in the mainstream culture, there is a an overwhelming focus on the baby gadgets and gear. This is often the focus to the detriment of the mother’s well being and health.
During my first pregnancy, I spent so much time researching the perfect stroller, car seat, baby carrier, sound machine, etc.
Did I have the highest rated, leak-proof diapers and baby toys that would “stimulate brain development”?
Did I have the “correct” pacifier and bottle-type?
The options are truly endless.
Little did I know that babies actually need very little…and what they need most is a well-nourished, well-cared-for mother.
For the first 3 months, the mother and baby are not separate. They are an intimately-linked dyad, the mother-baby. The baby cannot thrive if the mother is not thriving. For the mother to thrive, she must be nourished in her body, mind, and spirit.
To put this in perspective, during the last trimester, the average mother gives about 10% of her mineral stores to her baby. It’s a massive download of essential minerals that the mother must recover during the postpartum time. Without adequate nutrition, it will be hard for her to recover to her previous level of vitality while also meeting the needs of her newborn child.
The essential nourishment a postpartum mother needs is simple, yet can be challenging to execute. A mother needs rest, emotional and practical support around the house, nourishing meals, and to hold and nurse her baby.
Here are the foods to prioritize:
bone broth (organic, grass-fed)
organic, grass-fed raw milk
grass fed dairy products
organic, grass-fed beef liver and heart
pastured egg yolks
foods that are easy to digest
The meals I made this time:
pork stew
sour cream noodle bake (my kids gobble this up)
breakfast burritos with pastured eggs and sausage or ham
breakfast sandwiches
beef enchiladas (with liver)
beef lasagna (with liver)
My strategy was to make double or triple what I normally cook and then freeze the rest. So if I make breakfast burritos one morning, I’d double it and freeze the leftovers. This worked better for me than doing extra cooking sessions, and it saved me the chore of extra dishes.
For soup storage, I’m trying out these pint-sized paper ice cream containers instead of plastic gallon bags. I’ve done the plastic bags in the past, and they were generally a mess and leaked horribly. Plus, I prefer to use paper and glass instead of plastic when possible.
Supporting mothers yields dividends beyond our comprehension…dividends that have been shown to affect three to four generations after her, for better or worse.
Never forget that the hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world.