Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Mom-to-Mom Tips

A Baby Shower Of Casseroles, Soups and Stews

A new baby can take up so much time and effort in the first month. One idea that is wonderful for new parents is to have a family member or friend organize a “Make a Meal” Baby Shower.

People give frozen casseroles, soups and/or stews that are labeled, dated and include cooking instructions that are ready for you when you need them. This can be an incredible lifesaver to just be able to be with your baby instead of trying to contend with suppers as well.

The only thing that is a little bit difficult is if you are trying to cut down on dairy or tomatoes to try to contend with baby fussiness. You might want to give your shower organizer our “Breastfeeding Mom’s Recipe Survival Guide” to use as suggestions.

With this idea in mind, if it is not possible to organize a casserole shower, you can prepare a few meals in advance of baby’s birth and keep them in the freezer for when you need them.

Keep Your Blood Sugars Level - Grazing

Mood can be influenced by blood sugar. By not eating for long periods of time, or by eating lots of carbohydrates (bread, bagels, sweet drinks), you can become more tired than if you had eaten small meals or snacks throughout the day.

When you eat carbohydrates alone, your blood sugar spikes high. Your body produces the hormone insulin, which helps to get the sugar in your blood into your tissues. Then you actually have less sugar in your blood than you need and you become tired and possibly irritable. This usually causes you to have another sugary or starchy snack (usually accompanied by a caffeinated drink) and the cycle starts all over again.

By including protein with your carbohydrates, you help to keep your blood sugar level. This helps to avoid rapidly changing blood sugar levels. You are less irritable, less tired and less hungry.

For the first few months, adopt a “grazing” policy—especially for the new mom, but also for dad. Keep protein rich foods handy that are ready to eat from the refrigerator. Choices such as hard-boiled eggs, cubed ham, and lunchmeat slices can be ready for snacking at a moment’s notice.

If you have no nut allergies in your family, keep nuts in bowls around the house so that you can munch as you go.

Prepare Supper in Advance

Most babies are in great moods during the beginning of the day. They can tend to get fussier in the late afternoon and evening. It is NOT fun to try and cook supper while attending to a crying baby.

What usually happens is that supper does not get made or eaten until after 9:00 and everyone is exhausted, frustrated and possibly in tears.

The best way to combat this is to make your supper in the morning when everyone is in a great mood. You can attend to your baby in the afternoon and supper is ready for you when you get a few minutes to eat.

Also, it is great for the dad to eat so that everyone’s blood sugar has leveled off, and you both have better resources to get through the evening.

Here are a few suggestions to help with the supper hour:

Prepare a casserole and leave it in the refrigerator, ready to be popped into the oven.

Use your slow cooker to make your entire meal – there are great slow cooker recipe books. If you don’t have a slow cooker, definitely put it on your baby shower wish list. It is worth its weight in gold for new parents.

When all else fails, you can cook potatoes, rice, or noodles and a vegetable and have your spouse pick up a cooked chicken at your local supermarket. It’s more healthy than take out and you can boil the bones to make soup the next day.