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TIPS FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS

 

After the delivery of a baby the digestive power is often diminished. A new mother’s digestive system is very delicate, yet her needs are great. The choice of foods and how well a mother digests her food has a great deal to do with the quality of her milk. This also affects her emotions, her baby's digestion and the quality of mom’s rejuvenation, strength, comfort, and resulting spontaneous and natural expression of mothering. The following suggestions are time tested, from the ancient system of natural health care called Ayurveda, and found common to many cultures around the world as well!

 

Try adapting your family favorites and refrigerator on-hands (no leftovers please, as there is nutritional depletion & great chances of gas for both mom & baby ) to using the preferred veggies, seasonings, grains, sweets and proteins. Use ample oiliness, moisture, warmth, and of course, love. She will feel it all.

 

Please use suggested seasonings too! We need all six tastes in our main meals for balanced nutrition, but at this time emphasize sweet, sour and some salt with a little of the others. Herbs and spices help digestion & lactation as well. Mom and baby have much internal and quiet work to do right now. This will have such long lasting effect on her well being and family life. So little adjustments tend to make a really big difference at this time in their lives.

 

Preferred Foods

 

Pure water, warm, oily, organic, & moist nourishing foods are gentle on the digestion. If you plan to nurse I highly recommend using organic foods. They are free of pesticides, hormones & chemicals. Fresh ingredients freshly prepared by a happy cook – these have better life force and maternal/infant results!

 

Proteins-  Heated warm milk, ricotta, cottage and other unfermented cheeses; split hulled mung beans or lentils (soaked at least 2 hours) in soup. Legumes combined with grain or (smaller amount of) nuts or seeds gives a complete amino acid complement.  Quinoa is a wonderful & nutritious  protein source. Tofu or fermented cheeses are not recommended during this 6 week window. Most women and their babies have trouble with soy and the hard to digest cheeses.  Lassi, a yogurt or buttermilk drink thinned half with water and seasoned, sweet or savory. Almond or other nut milk, specially nourishing nuts and seeds should be well soaked, (24 – 48 hours) for snack, or prepared vegetables, grains, nut milks, soups, or sauces.

 

Carbohydrates –  Basmati, Jasmine or white rice (cook with an extra ½-1 cup water per cup of rice), unleavened wheat such as couscous, pastas, sprouted grain “Essene” breads, and chapattis (unleavened tortillas), tapioca without the egg, yams, sweet/oiled winter squashes, oats, and quinoa or barley in smaller quantity. Women who have been eating brown rice daily may be fine with it, but it is somewhat rough/scraping or constipating on tender bowels for most. Best to wait for 2 or 3 weeks for this.

Sweeteners- Favor less refined sugars - especially the iron rich ones like Succanat, the dark Indian jaggery and molasses. Do not cook with honey. Organic sugar & maple syrup can be used in moderation after the first week. Postpartum moms DO need healthy sweets, even if not breastfeeding!  Freshly squeezed sweet fruit juices (not chilled) are wonderful for their life force. Coconut milk is sweet, soothing and delicious in cream sauces or soups.

 

Vegetables – Cooked until soft, not just al dente – Asparagus, beet, carrot, celery, fresh dill, fresh fenugreek leaves (methi), summer squashes, pumpkin, avocado, artichoke, chayote, okra. Some green beans, well seasoned if she is not of thin body type, and peeled eggplant, kale, spinach, or chard may also be fine when properly seasoned; Be sure to use oiliness, seasonings, salt, and lime juice with leafy greens.

 

Seasonings - Basil, a little Black Mustard Seed, Cumin, Caraway, Citrus Peel, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Fennel, Fenugreek, Licorice Powder. Fresh Garlic...prepared only by mincing and browning in ghee, butter or sesame oil, fresh Ginger ( dry more drying and heating), pinches of Hing (Asafetida - instead of Onion), Lime, Orange or Lemon juice and Peel, Marjoram, Nutmeg (if she is not prone to constipation), Paprika, Oregano, Rosemary, Saffron, Sage. A little Black Pepper, Paprika, Tamarind, Tarragon, Turmeric. Ajwan (wild celery) seeds soaked first in cool water.

 

Fats - Use healthy fats and oils more abundantly than normal, this is important for hormonal as well as rejuvenative effects and more. Most particularly clarified butter (Ghee), sesame and toasted sesame oils, butter, coconut oil in the summer (it cools), and some olive are the best ones for cooking healthy. Please avoid hydrogenated or cooked vegetable oils, trans-fatty acids! Flax or Udo's oil is very important at this time. They contain essential fatty acids which are important for reasons listed next.-> We get to forget the low-fat idea, for health, emotional, hormonal, mental and physical needs, unless medically advised otherwise such as from liver damage, alcohol or gall bladder problems.

 

 

 

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Cooking for Postpartum Mothers