WOW! It's been an incredible seven months since I gave birth to Troy. I’ve been so consumed with the unbelievable joy of motherhood that I have barely had time to write anything! I'm only now feeling more "normal."
It was a long road to recovery after giving birth to a 9 pound 11 ounce toddler. Don't get me wrong—it was totally worth it, and I would do it all again in a heartbeat. Of course, everything was made a little easier with support from loved ones and some good nutrition. If you’re about to give birth, or have a friend who is, here are some things that helped me in my postpartum recovery that you might be able to incorporate in yours.
At Home after Your Baby is Born:
The most important aid I received was the support I needed in the first month. I was so lucky to have my rock of a husband taking care of me. Every morning he would wake up and make a serious smoothie with the usual: vanilla or chocolate Classic Sunwarrior protein with all of the fixings. You can find the recipe here.
He would also bring me my encapsulated placenta pills, which I found essential. I can't say enough about this process. I noticed such a difference when I took them, and I thoroughly recommend doing this to all my pregnant friends. It's a must. I never suffered from postpartum and I had tons of energy despite my lack of sleep, both of which I attribute to the pills and nutrition in general.
The other key component to my recovery was that I had an amazing group of friends doing the "food train." Every day we had visitors bringing lunch or dinner or both! For almost a month we had our friends and family coming to us bringing treats and meals. One dear friend even made green smoothies that she froze in little jars. I would just thaw each one overnight in the sink and wake up to an already prepped jar of vital nutrients for the baby and me!
Sometimes I still had tons of food left, so friends would come over and help with the cleaning and laundry. I also chose to spend more time with Troy and have a professional cleaner twice a week. All these things made that first month so much smoother.
Come back next time for tips on pre-birth and going to the hospital!
Xo,
Sarah
