Bringing home a new baby is exciting, exhausting, and often unpredictable. So I hear! My husband and I are getting ready to welcome our first baby home, and one of the things on my mind as a dietitian is making food as easy as possible for those first couple of weeks. It’s easy to focus on diapers, bottles, and tiny clothes, but feeding yourself is so important, and helps you take care of baby well! One of the things we’re doing to make those first few weeks a little easier is to stock the kitchen before baby arrives. I don’t anticipate having the time or energy to cook, so we’re focusing on foods that are easy, convenient, and enjoyable, and ideally able to be eaten with one hand while feeding or holding the baby!

What we’re starting with is filling the freezer. We’ve picked a few of our favorite meals to prep ahead of time and have stocked a few easy frozen meals as well. Some foods and meals you can find in our freezer right now are lemon chia seed muffins, apple pie baked oatmeal, breakfast sandwiches, a southwest ground turkey casserole, frozen veggies, and burger patties prepped and ready to go. You don't need to prepare weeks' worth of meals - having even a handful of easy to reheat and eat options available can be a huge help.

Don’t forget about snacks! Nursing requires a lot of extra energy and snacks are an important part of nourishing your body adequately. I’m making sure to have easy-to-grab snacks throughout the house - things like trail mix, granola bars, nuts, cheese and crackers, fruit, cottage cheese, muffins, and yogurt. Aim for a snack that combines carbohydrates and protein and/or fat to provide longer lasting energy and satisfaction.

It’s also so important to give yourself permission to keep it simple. I’m reminding myself (and hopefully anyone in a similar season!) that this is not the time to put pressure on myself to “eat perfectly.” Nourishment during the postpartum period is about adequacy, not perfection - making sure you have enough food available when you're tired, hungry, and just wanting to soak up time with your newborn.