How to Keep your Healthy Eating Habits as a New Mom
When I first had Ava, I was terrified that my healthy routine was going to go out the window. Legit terrified. I heard so many stories that I would be sleep deprived, that I would have no time, and I would be lucky if I ate at all.
And to be honest, about 50% of my experience was as described, and the other half was exactly the opposite. Although she woke up throughout the night, she had a super inconsistent schedule in the beginning and I was tired as hell - she did sleep.
I think it came down to priorities. I had to do what was most important to me with the time I had. I knew what I wanted and why I wanted it - and was determined to make it hapen, beforehand. So if you are in the beginning, middle or end of your pregnancy, your in a great spot. You can start making small changes to eat more whole, unprocessed foods now. It will make the transition that much easier!
New Mom Healthy Living Tips
Here are some things I did that helped me somewhat stick to my routine, even after having a brand new baby!
Mindset:
Make sure your thinking is in the right place - positive thoughts = positive actions. It will be much easier if you start from that place than if you go into thinking its going to be overwhelming or impossible - it doesn't have to be! Although it was challenging in the beginning, I tried to be positive and focused on what I could do and not what I couldnt. I tried to take my obstacles and turn them into strategies. I focused on the time I could make instead of the time that was taken away. I prioritized and worked on becoming more efficient. And you can too!
Be Realistic
I understood every meal wasnt going to be gourmet, and that was OK. I didn't overcomplicate things - I didn't try to cook crazy recipes or fancy meals. I stuck to proteins, veggies and a starch, a fruit/grain or 2nd veggies. Most of my days looked like this:
Green Smoothie or fried eggs over leftovers, overnight steelcut oats with protein powder and fruit/nuts
Salad with leftover protein, leftover veggies, nuts, seeds and a clean dressing or EVO + vinegar + seasonings, topped with healthy fats
Roasted Veggies with an easy protein/beans, or a grain/cauliflower rice bowl with veggies
I wasn't afraid or ashamed to eat breakfast or whatever I wanted for dinner - fried eggs on a bunch of broiled veggies is super delicious and really easy!
Don't be afraid to ask for help
Don't think you have to do it all, ask for help where and when you can. Mine was mostly from my husband, because I didnt have family around. He went right back to work (literally that week) but when he was home I made sure to schedule time for myself to do the things I needed and wanted to do, usually baby free. (workout after the 6 weeks, go for walks, meal prep, etc.)
If you have family and friends asking to help, bring you something etc - ask for what YOU want/need. Do you want them to bring you a certain type of meal or come over and stay with the baby while you shop, cook, eat? Dont be afraid to tell them you want something other than flowers - they want to help and make you hap
Know what your goals are going into it
I knew that I wanted to bounce back ASAP, way before I was postpartum. I ate fairly healthy/nutritious during my whole pregnancy, so it wasnt a huge change after it. (Because you dont really need another huge change with a new baby :) It made it SO much easier. I know I wanted to stick with my routine - and eat well, whether I cooked it or not. If you can make any small changes now to eat more whole, unprocessed foods, I would highly recommend it.
I decided I was not going to use “I just had a baby” for the reason I did anything. I tried to take responsiblity for my actions and made sure they were intentional - regardless of that meant eating pizza out of the box, oatmeal over my sleeping baby or a green smoothie in peace (I did all of those things)
I planned to get takeout more than normal for the first 2-3 weeks, and decided I was going to be OK with it. Ironically, I barely even did. But if you need/want to - I would commit and decide beforehand what you want to do, and pick a few places that offer the types of foods you want to be eating. Are there places where you can pick up salads or bowls a couple days a week? Can you pick up full healthy meals from the grocery store and can your husband (or anyone else) pick them up on their way home? Or, if you decide you are going to eat whatever you want - just be intentional and aware of what you are doing, ideally beforehand, and decide how you want it to last.