The Art of Nesting and How to Best Prepare for Baby
- Brainz Magazine
- Jun 12
- 6 min read
Written by Amy Spofford, Pre & Postnatal Coach
Amy Spofford is well-versed in pregnancy, birth, postpartum, and mom life. She is the founder of Eat What Feels Good, LLC, a platform promoting healthy preparation for and healing from birth so new moms can enjoy their little ones.
The idea of “nesting” during pregnancy involves preparing the nursery, stocking the shelves with baby clothes and diapers, and cleaning the house. All these things are special and wonderful; feeling that surge of energy to prepare for the baby is part of the excitement and anticipation for their arrival. What often goes overlooked, however, is prepping for taking care of ourselves after we have given birth. In this article, we will explore the many ways we can set ourselves up for success for efficient and safe healing so we can enjoy our babies and feel great again.
What can we do for postpartum nesting?
One way you can nest for postpartum is by stocking your home with the supplies you will need for healing from birth. These supplies can include sanitary pads, disposable briefs/undies, witch hazel pads, ice packs, peri bottles, and pain spray. Nesting can also mean stocking up on food and other household supplies to make meals easier and to reduce the amount of shopping that needs to be done after baby comes. Stocking the pantry, filling the freezer, or setting up a delivery service for meat/meals means you won’t have to rely on restaurant food as often. If you know you will have lots of food prepped or if you will be saving pumped breastmilk, now is the time to consider a separate freezer.
What kinds of foods are good for postpartum healing?
Bone broth is often touted as a superfood, and for good reason. It is made from boiling actual animal bones in water, and what results is a broth that contains minerals and collagen/gelatin that are the actual building blocks of protein. These are the nutrients needed for tissue regrowth, like the skin and muscle that are healing from tears during birth, the birth canal tissue that needs to go back into place after being stretched, and the uterus, which needs the elasticity to shrink back from the size of a watermelon to that of a pear.
After any surgery or medical procedure, it is often recommended to increase protein intake. While birth is a "natural" event that many feel is unnecessarily medicalized, it is still a significant body transformation, and it requires healing. During birth, we often lose a lot of blood and are depleted afterwards. Nutrient replenishment is a great way to restore our vitality while also being one of the few things we have some control over. In many ancestral cultures, such as in Traditional Chinese Medicine, food is looked at as a method of healing, and specific foods are recommended that promote such healing. Slow-cooked meats, stews, soups, and porridges are my favorite things to recommend. Getting food and fluid into the body is the most important thing, but if you can incorporate these nutrient-dense items, it is ideal.
Do I have to meal prep for postpartum?
Only if you want to! It can be helpful to have some things prepped in the freezer, but if you know you will have plenty of help from friends and family once the baby is born, you may not need it. If you are interested in doing so, my advice is to either plan a day to batch cook and freeze things like lasagna, enchiladas, breakfast burritos, and soups. Alternatively, you can slowly put away extra portions of food you make throughout your pregnancy, which may be easier. If you make soup or chili for dinner, for example, double the recipe or just put any leftovers right into the freezer. Label and date everything so that when you don't have a meal available, you will be able to easily find homemade food to defrost. You can also prepare raw ingredients for crock pot meals, like carrots and onions, so they are ready to dump into a slow cooker with meat.
Setting up a meal train
It's hard to ask for help, especially when you’re in a vulnerable state, but that’s when we need it most. I find that most pregnant moms will not ask for people to make them meals after the baby comes, even though it’s one of the most helpful things someone can do during this time period. Having healthier, home-cooked foods that are made with love is a great way for people to show they care. People want to help, so delegating the task of setting up a meal train (such as through www.mealtrain.com) for the family to a sister, partner, or friend can be a great solution. It's easy to sign up and there's an app on your smartphone for it. You can mark specific days you want a meal (which means you can space them out as you see fit) and you can note any dietary preferences. Send out the link via email, text message, or social media and people sign up without you even having to field messages yourself.
Gaining knowledge about postpartum
Nesting can also mean preparing for the non-tangible aspects of life with a baby. Having discussions with your partner and close loved ones about their availability can help you manage expectations for how much help and how many visitors you will have in the early weeks after the baby comes. Talking about division of labor within the home and what may need to change post-baby will avoid fights. Reading books or articles about the Fourth Trimester (the three months after giving birth) will help you know what to expect regarding healing as well as new baby tendencies. Researching and discussing symptoms of Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders will help you and your partner recognize symptoms if they come up later. Discussions regarding boundaries and preferences around visitors are best had sooner than later. Never addressing these things before baby comes means having hard conversations while in the midst of sleep deprivation, feeding struggles, and hormone fluctuations. It would mean more emotional stress in an already overwhelming situation.
How can I help a friend or relative nest?
As mentioned above, you can spearhead organizing a meal train for after the baby comes. You can research the best baby books for your pregnant friend. You can buy postpartum healing supplies as their baby shower gift, and you can offer any availability you have to visit or help after the baby comes. If you’re not close by, you can send packages to them and check in on their well-being virtually. If you are also in a phase of life where you’re often awake in the middle of the night with a baby, you can offer 24/7 texting to keep each other company. I did that with a small group of friends, and I believe connecting regularly with other new moms helped my mental health as I navigated postpartum.
You can’t pour from an empty cup
Let’s think about this: a person (or more) has exited our body. Our logical brains must know that our own needs can't be ignored. If we put a little bit of thought and preparation into it, we can show ourselves that we acknowledge and value our healing in addition to planning for the baby’s needs. After all, if we are miserably unprepared for postpartum recovery, it will impact our ability to care for the baby as well. We want what’s best for our new little families. What we need to realize is that our best selves are what’s best for them, too.
Read more from Amy Spofford
Amy Spofford, Pre & Postnatal Coach
Amy Spofford is a Pre & Postnatal Coach, a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, and a mom of three little ones. Practicing as a speech-language pathologist in a nursing home rehab setting during a pandemic made pregnancy and early parenthood beyond difficult. Amy used her holistic nutrition certification and research skills to dive deep into all things pregnancy, birth, and postpartum, thinking there has to be a better way to navigate this season of life. This led to her becoming certified as a Pre & Postnatal coach. Her mission is to reduce the incidence of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders by providing education and support to pregnant women through their transition into postpartum.
