This series on Cooking for the New Mom focuses on 'postpartum' food, pathiya samayal in Tamil, or food for new moms for the first 40 days after childbirth.
This post describes the broad diet plan and the Menu for cooking for the new mom, each day after delivery, with links to some recipes. The recipes follow traditional Indian practices for food after delivery, broadly on the Ayurvedic principles. Whether you are North Indian or South Indian or living outside India, you will find the recipes easy to follow and prepare. Don't be surprised to find homemade pasta and pizzas in the menu, they help in varying the diet without doing any harm.
More recipes are in the process of being added to the blog. I started this post when my daughter Mridula's second baby arrived in Jan 2017. Once she was back home from the hospital, everything at home was keyed to nurturing the New Mom and the Baby.
Natasha, now the Big Sister (and all of 3 ¾ years old) was, as usual, involved in everything that was happening. Given a chance, she would look after Baby all by herself, but for the time being, was allowing her Mom to do so.
Nanni's role was now to ensure the right diet and that tasty nutritious food, just right for the New Mom was on the table at the right time and at the right temperature. Luckily I love cooking and this was for me a golden opportunity to set out recipes for what is almost a new cuisine. The first 40 days are important to set the new mom on the path to health, and I began planning each day's menu very carefully.
This is the 3rd time I was taking care of one of my daughters, post delivery - the first was nearly 5 years ago when I went to Connecticut for Lakshmi's delivery. Baby Tamma decided to come very early and Nanni was still in India when the call came that the grandchild had arrived, safely. I flew out the next day, grabbing whatever Indian condiments and mixes I could manage to organize in so short a time.
Having experienced the benefits of a strict South Indian postpartum diet myself, I was keen to ensure that I would do the same for my daughters. Of course with changing times and tastes, the diet has also to be adjusted, though I have broadly stayed within the traditional framework for such food.
The challenge in cooking for the new Mom, at Connecticut, was getting the vegetables that form part of the South Indian diet for a new Mom. The local 'India' store came to my rescue, until I realised that all I need is a diet type and not precisely the same vegetables that we use in India.
A year later when Natasha was born, I was in Mumbai to take care of Mridula. Slightly more seasoned now, I was able to turn out tasty food suitable for the Indian post delivery diet. Of course I added my own learnings with Western oriented recipes, to vary the diet so that it was not boring, and fresh flavours hit the palate and made the food interesting.
This time around, I was at Hyderabad where it was easy to source the vegetables I need. There was a store right next door and I walked across every day at mid morning to pick up the veggies and fruits for the next day. Online shopping is also easy and deliveries are quick. Postpartum cooking has never been easier.
The food I have planned has variety, and each is by itself easy to make. I prepare and grind some spice mixes which I can use readily, instead of having to roast and grind them for each recipe.
Why do you need a special diet for a New Mom?
Different foods and ingredients can affect Mom and the Baby in different ways. Let's look at some of these.
What Food is not recommended for the first 40 days
1. While cooking for the New mom, it is important to keep in mind that just as the mother and child should be kept protected from chill breezes, cold water etc, it is important to give food that warms the body rather than cools it down.
2. Food for the New Mom should be soothing to the tissues - no chili (whether fresh chili, dry chili or chili powder) or spices such as clove, cinnamon, anise, cardamom, etc. And no 'garam masala' or curry powder.
3. Anything acidic is not good for the body at this stage - so no citrus fruits (lemon, orange etc), nothing sour or acidic like tamarind, sour curds or anything fermented. (idli dough seems an exception to this rule, I am not sure why, as the dough is fermented before use).
Tomato is generally avoided as it is acidic, though I started adding a little tamarind or red ripe tomato once in a while, after the 4th day from delivery. It didn't do any harm, and after 10 days I began to add tomato to dal, rasam, khichidi etc so that Mridula could get some of the benefits of the ripe red tomatoes.
4. Protecting the Baby from Colic or other tummy disorders is very important, so in turn the food for the breastfeeding mother should be easily digestible. Rajma, thowar dhal (pigeon lentils) are therefore out. Chickpeas only when cooked and pureed into hummus or other similar consistency.
5. Salads and anything uncooked are not right when cooking for the New Mom. Starchy vegetables such as potato, or cruciferous vegetables that can cause gas (which can easily give baby gas too), such as cauliflower, cabbage and broccoli are to not to be included in the diet. Parsley is not advised.
6. At the end of a month (30 days after birth), I introduced potatoes, sparingly. I made the usual vegetable kootu, adding boiled potatoes to the dal instead of the green vegetables I generally used.
Cauliflower, finely chopped, was added to kootu or sautéed and served with chapati in the 3rd week. It did not seem to go well with the baby, so we did not add them to the diet for about a month and a half.
7. Western foods that Mridula was comfortable with from the 3rd week, were homemade Pizza, Wheat based Pasta, with homemade delicious tomato sauce.
What is permitted in Post partum food?
This is what I have practiced for Mridula:
1. Greens and leafy vegetables (to be cooked and not taken raw)- methi or fenugreek leaves are an important part of the diet. Greens give the essential iron.
2. Garlic - important as it is traditionally believed to help in lactation.
3. Black Pepper to be substituted for chilli and spices
4. Moong Dal - yellow split green gram lentil or mung bean (easy to digest, unlike Towar Dal/Pigeon peas)
5. Gourds and watery vegetables (except cucumber which is 'cold')- marrow, snake gourd ( some traditions recommend that snake gourd be avoided for the first few days), zucchini, bottle gourd (lauki), ridge gourd. Moringa or drumstick in a kootu or kozhumbu. (recipe for Kootu is given above)
6. Ghee (clarified butter) or Butter to be used instead of oil. If Oil is used, it should be sparingly added and sesame or olive oil is advised. Coconut oil is again 'cold' though it is used extensively in some homes.
7. Almonds, Walnuts, Raisins, Dates.
8. Fruits - apples, pomegranate, banana, melon - all at room temperature.
9. Soft, unprocessed cheese such as ricotta and paneer.
10 Ajwain seeds (caraway/ carom), fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dry ginger, turmeric, curry leaves, coriander leaves.
11. Oats porridge/ Rice porridge
12. Pink or orange Masoor dal (split red lentils) are easy to digest, highly nutritious, add flavour and said to help in producing more breast milk. Introduced after 10 days from delivery.
Whenever I tried a new ingredient in the food while cooking for the new mom, we would watch for at least a day to see if it affected the baby adversely, whether there was frequent or painful gas formation. New foods (vegetables or lentils) were introduced only at lunch and not at dinner (to avoid gas or stomach upsets at night).
Masoor dal was substituted for moong in the rasam or kootu or made as dal, once every 3 days or so, from 10 days after child birth, to give a change in flavours.
After 3 weeks I started adding a little onion to the dal or vegetables once in a while.
From the 3rd week I introduced an occasional wheat based pasta in a plain tomato basil sauce, with zucchini and peppers, to bring a change in food. Pizza made at home from scratch, also made its way to the dinner table in the 5th week.
Broad Parameters for the daily Menu:
- Oats porridge or idli for breakfast, and an occasional upma or buttered toast.
- Juice or soup mid-morning, with lukewarm water in the freshly squeezed juice.
- Lunch South Indian style (at the moment) till we progress to chapatis and dal subzi or a wheat based quesadilla or pasta.
- For now it is a kuzhambu or rasam (without chilli, tamarind or coconut), a kootu or thogaiyal, a dry subzi (poriyal) with rice, ghee, fried manathangali or other vathal, and microwaved appalam (papad). Drumstick, gourds, garlic, fenugreek seeds and greens, cumin seeds, turmeric and pepper in various combinations, all cooked in ghee or occasionally in sesame (gingelly) oil
- Mid afternoon - some fruit, at room temperature
- Dinner by 7 pm - khichidi, as it is nutritious, warming and easy to digest. Different vegetables each day to keep a variety. After the first week, chapatis with dal and subzi instead of khichidi, on some days.
- Warm Soup around 9.30 pm - different vegetables and flavours each day or a Banana Milk shake at room temperature.
- Nuts and raisins or dates as well as fruit, milkshakes, to fill in a gap between meals.
Cooking for the New Mom- Meal Plan for DAY 1 :
This is actually the 3rd day after the baby was born, but is the First Day home from the hospital
First thing after waking up: Coffee with 2 biscuits (caffeine is to be avoided, but Momma needs her morning cuppa, no?).
Breakfast: Idli - 4 soft warm idli's with ghee and a light chutney of coriander leaves, peppercorns, curry leaves, salt.
Midday: Carrot and apple soup.
Lunch: All sautéing is in Ghee (clarified butter)
Milagu Kuzhambu -Pepper Sambar- a fluid gravy from a paste of black peppercorns, fenugreek and curry leaves cooked in ghee
Avarakkai Poriyal - Broad bean sautéed dry curry
Podalangai Kootu - Snake Gourd cooked in moong dhal
Manathangali vathal - Indian nightshade berries fried in ghee
Rice
Microwaved appalam (papad)
Mid afternoon - Fruit bowl - sliced apples in room temperature
Early Dinner - Khichidi - Rice and Moong dhal and sliced marrow (chowchow) pressure cooked with ghee and ground pepper, ginger, garlic, turmeric.
9 pm hunger pangs: Carrot and walnut soup with homemade stock
Water - sipped during the day, lukewarm (boiled with ajwain/ caraway seeds) - about half a teaspoon of seeds to a litre of water. Add the seeds to the water you set on the stove, and boil well. Strain and pour into a flask so that the new mother has a flask of water at hand. Encourage her to drink some water before and during breastfeeding the baby.
Meal Plan for Day 2: (Day 4 from delivery)
First thing after waking up: Coffee with 2 biscuits
Oats Porridge cooked in milk and with raisins
Mid day: Carrot and walnut soup and a banana on hand as there is a hospital visit before lunch.
Lunch: All sautéing is in Ghee (clarified butter)
Drumstick Poritha Kuzhambu - a gravy from a paste of black peppercorns, black gram dal, asafoetida and cumin seeds cooked with split moong dhal and turmeric.
Mentiya Keerai Poriyal - Methi/ Fenugreek leaves sautéed dry curry
Karuvepalai Thogaiyal - a paste from sautéed Curry leaves with fenugreek seeds, peppercorns and asafoetida.
Manathangali vathal - Indian nightshade berry fried in ghee
Rice
Microwaved appalam (papad)
Mid-afternoon - Sliced apples at room temperature
Early Dinner - Khichidi - Rice and Moong dal with vegetables pressure cooked with ghee and ground pepper, ginger, garlic, turmeric.
9 pm hunger pangs: Banana milk shake
Water - sipped during the day, lukewarm (boiled with ajwain/ caraway seeds)
Meal Plan for Day 3: (Day 5 from delivery)
First thing after waking up: Coffee with 2 biscuits
Breakfast: Semiya Upma: Vermicelli cooked in water and tempered with ghee, mustard seeds and curry leaves (no chilies)
Mid day: A Banana
Lunch: All sautéing is in Ghee (clarified butter)
Pathiya Milagu Jeera Rasam/ Pepper Jeera Rasam - soup of tamarind extract boiled with garlic, peppercorns, cumin seeds and curry leaves.
Katirikkai Poriyal - Long thin/ small round, purple brinjal sautéed in a little gingelly oil
Peerkangai Thogaiyal - a chutney of ground sautéed Ridge gourd peel with peanuts, lentils, fenugreek seeds, peppercorns and asafoetida.
Manathangali vathal - Indian nightshade berry fried in ghee
Rice
Microwaved appalam (papad)
Mid afternoon - Sliced melon with sugar (at room temperature)
Early Dinner - Chappatis with Palak Paneer Subzi (Indian flat bread with Spinach and Cottage cheese curry)
9 pm hunger pangs: Banana milk shake
Water - sipped during the day, lukewarm (boiled with sount - dry ginger)
Meal Plan for Day 4: (Day 6 from delivery)
First thing after waking up: Coffee with 2 biscuits
Breakfast: 2 Slices of whole wheat bread Toast with butter and honey
Mid day: A Banana
Lunch:
Milagu Kuzhambu -Pepper Sambar- a fluid gravy from a paste of black peppercorns, fenugreek and curry leaves boiled in water and tempered with mustard seeds and fenugreek in ghee
Kovakai Poriyal - Ivy Gourd sliced into very thin rounds and sautéed in sesame oil
Peerkangai Thogaiyal - a chutney of ground sautéed Ridge gourd peel with peanuts, lentils, fenugreek seeds, peppercorns and asafoetida (carried over from the previous day as it was very tasty)
Chow Chow (marrow gourd) kootu - diced marrow cooked in moong dhal and peppercorns
Rice
Microwaved appalam (papad)
Mid afternoon - Fruit bowl - sliced pear in room temperature
Early Dinner - Khichidi - Rice and Moong dhal pressure cooked in ghee and ground pepper, turmeric and cumin seeds.
9 pm hunger pangs: Banana milk shake
Water - sipped during the day, lukewarm (boiled with sount - dry ginger)
Meal Plan for Day 5: (Day 7 from delivery)
First thing after waking up: Coffee with 2 biscuits
Breakfast: 4 small warm idlis with ghee and sugar
Mid day: A Banana
Lunch: Was special today as it was Pongal (Sankranti)
Sakkara Pongal: Rice and moong dal cooked with melted jaggery, milk and ghee
Lemon Rice: Rice mixed with lemon juice tempered with mustard and powdered cumin seeds and peppercorns, and curry leaves and turmeric in ghee.
Microwaved appalam (papad)
Early Dinner - Khichidi - Rice and Moong dhal and vegetables pressure cooked in ghee and ground pepper, turmeric and cumin seeds.
9 pm hunger pangs: Banana milk shake
Water - sipped during the day, lukewarm (boiled with ajwain / carom seeds)
Meal Plan for Day 6: (Day 8 from delivery)
First thing after waking up: Coffee with 2 biscuits
Breakfast: Oats porridge with dates
Mid day: Gond laddu (store bought)
Lunch:
- Rice
- Pepper Cumin Rasam (Milagu jeera Rasam) with tomatoes and cooked moong dal with ground pepper, cumin and coriander, tempered in ghee with mustard, cumin seeds and curry leaves
- Vendakkai (bhindi/ ladysfinger) curry -sauteed in sesame oil
- Chow chow (marrow gourd) kootu in cooked moong dhal, with ground pepper and cumin, tempered in ghee with mustard, methi seeds and curry leaves
- Manathangali vathal - dried Indian night shade berries fried in ghee
- Microwaved appalam (papad)
Mid afternoon: a pear, at room temperature
Early Dinner - Methi paratha with red masoor dal
9 pm hunger pangs: Banana milk shake
Water - sipped during the day, lukewarm (boiled with saunt (dry ginger)
Meal Plan for Day 7: (Day 9 from delivery)
First thing after waking up: Coffee with 2 biscuits
Breakfast: Oats porridge
Mid day: Gond laddu (store bought)
Lunch:
A one pot lunch today: A simple pulav of rice cooked with carrots, capsicum (green) and baby zucchini, with onion seeds, turmeric powder and minced pudina (mint leaves) in ghee, liberally flavoured with fresh ground pepper and cumin seeds.
Dinner - Plain paratha with a chutney of tomato and pudina
9 pm hunger pangs: Banana milk shake
Water - sipped during the day, lukewarm (boiled with ajwain (carroway seeds)
The 7 day Menu for cooking for the New Mom, above, may be rotated or the items mixed and matched for each of the following days in the 40 days period. It is important to keep the balance in nutrition while cooking for the new mom - rice or chapatis, at least 2 different vegetables, a dal or a sambar/ kozhumbu or rasam, for lunch. Khichidi with different vegetables each evening for dinner or Chappaties with vegetables from the menu above instead of khichidi, if rice was taken for lunch.
When planning the meals for the new mother, ensure you do not give her raw salads or raw onions, tomatoes, carrots etc. Also, do ensure the warm water with ajwain or fennel seeds is taken through the day, as it is believed to help in lactation. Lentils should form part of the meal at least once a day. Green leafy vegetables every alternate day. Carrots to be added whenever possible - to the khichidi or the dal or the kootu. Mridula does not care for curd, otherwise, curd rice would have been good at least once a day - with hot rice and curd at room temperature. No pickles along with curd rice, though!
Recipes For the New Mom
Preeti says
Hi Sujata Ma'am, I'm a first time Mom to be (due in November 2022) in Canada and it'll just be myself and my husband here for the delivery. Your post is so useful to me! Could you please share some tips and how-tos on what to prepare ahead to time, bulk cooking if any, or if we can make and freeze stuff in advance? It'll just be the two of us and we have to look after the baby as well as manage cooking and other chores, so any guidance on how to prep and plan in advance would be great!
My email address in [email protected]
Sujata Shukla says
Thanks for visiting my blog, Preeti. Ive emailed you. regards
Sujata Shukla
sonam says
Same for me, thank you so much. My email is [email protected]. Very Grateful for the post.
Manisha patel says
Dear mam,
Thank you so much for these amazing recipes. I am due in august with my second child. We are in the US, no help from my mom as she is helping my sister with her second baby on London. So me and my hubby and I plan to do this on our own. So your daily menu will be our guide. Can you pls suggest any recipes we can do ahead of time? Also how do you make oats porridge and rice porridge?
Thank you
Sujata Shukla says
Hello Manisha. Im glad my posts are helpful to you both when you are expecting your baby. I will post recipes for porridges, some dals and sabjis in the next few weeks and will intimate you on email once these are done. Will also advise on items that can be made in advance. All the best!
Neha Nair says
This post is really helpful and very informative. I am about 9 months pregnant now and alone with my husband in NC. I was looking for post pregnancy food recipes and found this post.
This is Neha Nair by the way, hope you remember me ☺️.
Thank you again for this beautiful post and keep up the good work.
Sujata Shukla says
Hello Neha. Of course I remember you. How are you. My sincere apologies, there was some glitch and a whole bunch of comments did not reach me till now, hence my delay in responding. Im so glad you found this post and it was of some use to you. I will mail you separately so that we can be in touch.
Azaath Samsudeen says
Hi maam. My daughter just have birth and i am managing her confinement under lockdown here in Malaysia.
Your posts are of great value to me as a single father who has never managed such matters.
Would highly appreciate if can share via my email on any additional recipes that would boost my daughters breastfeesing efforts.
Sujata Shukla says
Hi Mr Samsudeen, and thank you for visiting my blog. Im glad it is being helpful to you. I have replied by email that I will get back to you in a day or so with further information that may be of use in your daughter's breast feeding and lactation. All my good wishes to her and your grandchild for their well being.
Sandhiya says
Hi. Thank you so much for this post. I am going to prepare my post partum meal plan fully based on your post. I am expecting my second one in June and have no help. My husband and I are going to manage ourselves out here in the US. Could you share your podis and rasam recipes to [email protected]
Sujata Shukla says
Hi. Thank you for visiting my blog, and Im glad you find the content on Cooking for the new Mom, useful. I am sending you an email with some recipes. For rasam and rasam powder, the recipe is already on the blog, please search for Pathiya rasam on my site, for the same. Wishing you a happy and safe delivery and much joy.
Daphne says
I am so new to all this recipes. I am going to be a new mom in a month:). Husband and I will be managing ourselves in Toronto. Your blog was so helpful. Thank you so much for sharing. If possible could you please share some prep work I can do and freeze or podi for side dishes which I can make ahead would be very helpful. Thank you so much again.
Sujata Shukla says
Hi Daphne!
Thanks for visiting my blog and Im glad you find it useful.
I am attaching and giving below some further recipes that you may find useful. The podis are very simple ones, with mainly pepper and jeera/ cumin required. Please keep them in air tight jars with lids that close well, to preserve the nutrition and flavour.
Please feel free to ask me if there is anything else I can do to help, whether through a comment on my blog, an email or whatsapp.
It must be a little worrying to have to handle everything yourselves, but many couples have been doing just fine on their own in the past year, and I am sure you and your husband will also do the same.
My New Mom recipes are broadly on a Tamil vegetarian/ TamBrahm plan (with exceptions like pasta, pizza). If the Tamil veg diet is not your usual diet and you find some of the items unfamiliar, you may find it useful to follow the framework- what kind of ingredients are suitable, not suitable, drinking herbed water as recommended in my post, etc.
Wishing you a safe and happy delivery.
Padma says
Very descriptive recipes with heaps of information for all the new moms. Thanks a ton!!! I am expecting my little one this May and like others, it's just me and my husband who need to manage everything here in Melbourne. Would you be able to help me with the Rasam recipe only with pepper/jeera, rice kanji, lehya recipes and Podi's to use ready made which I could prepare now and store for later, please.
Sujata Shukla says
Hi Padma.
Thank you for visiting my blog and I’m glad you find it useful
Please feel free to reach out to me in any matter that I can help with, through a comment on the blog, or email or whatsapp me on the number I have given on email.
All good wishes for the delivery and the arrival of the little one.
I have sent you some recipes for podis and rasam. I will get back to you on kashayam and kanji recipes as I am yet to write these. Will send them shortly. I will also plan some more podis and inform you.
Divya Bhandary says
Thank you so much Ma'am for this blog. So informational. I am following this for myself and a distant relative who lives close by. Both of us have had babies in 2020 about 2 months apart. We could not have anyone from family travel to Sydney because of the travel restrictions. It is difficult as we both are 1st time moms but Blogs such as yours is helping guide us to handle this situation better. Thank you heaps!!
Sujata Shukla says
Hi Divya. Im so glad the Pathiya Samayal posts were useful both to you and your relative in Sydney. Thank you for taking the effort and time to give your feedback. I would be happy to know how you think I can improve the post, what further guidance or recipes may add value and also what is missing or not clear in it. If possible please do let me know here or else by email to [email protected]
Thulasi K says
Hi mam,
I am expecting baby by another 2 weeks. Because of the pandemic situation, my husband and myself are going to manage the newborn without parents support. Can you please send me postpartum podi and related tips and receipes to my email id. [email protected]
Thank you in advance.
Regards
Thulasi k
Sujata Shukla says
Hi Thulasi.
All good wishes to you in welcoming home your baby. Feel free to reach out at any time for any support I can give. I am emailing some podi and rasam recipes to your email id.
Meera says
Hi mam, thanks much for these recipes as it is so useful for my daughter. Our daughter delivered her second one just 2 days before the lockdown. With less availability of veggies n pulses i could able to manage these recipes. But the taste was awesome. I got your link from Mrs. Shanthram from instagram.
Sujata Shukla says
I'm so glad my post and recipes were useful. All good wishes to the health and well being of your daughter and grand child.
Thivyamalar Visvanathan says
HI sis, wish to know about receipts for new mom. and also what are the food can intake for boost milk for breastfeeding.
Sujata Shukla says
Hi. Have you gone through the article on Cooking for the new mom. It gives links to recipes on my blog for such food. Or just search for New Mom on my blog. For breastfeeding mothers,these ingredients to be added to the diet to help in lactation: 1. Garlic - add it in dal, rasam, kozhumbu etc, making it a part of every meal. 2. Oats- oats porridge/ kanji in the morning, cooked in milk. Add fruits, raisins, nuts to the porridge. 3. Fennel seeds/ saunf/ sombu: These can be boiled in water and the mother drink this when she is breast feeding the baby. I have mentioned this in my post. 4. Sesame seeds/ ellu 5. Menthiam/ fenugreek/ methi seeds: Add to poriyals/ curries as well as give her menthiya kuzhambu. Those with low thyroid - better to check with doctor before giving much of mendiyam.
Rama Balachandran says
Thank you so much. you have given very good information and useful tips. thank you...
Pls send me receipes for rice kanji and podis.
Sujata Shukla says
Hi Rama and thanks for visiting my site. Im glad you find it useful. I do not have a rice kanji recipe, I will try and create one shortly. I am sending you an email, please check.
Meera says
Hai mam, felt truly blessed to visit your site.. searching for the past two days for pathiya samayal.. even though i am going to be grandma again, it is almost after 11 years.. i want to try all your advice n recipes you have posted.. thank you so much.. saved your page in my home screen 💕
Sujata Shukla says
Thank you much for the kind words. I will send you some extra recipes by email in two days time as I’m presently traveling.
Kanickai says
Being a mother of a pregnant daughter I too was planning for the meal plan from day 1of her delivery.
If you can send the recepe for podis.
Sujata Shukla says
Hi and thanks for visiting my blog.
I have sent you an email with the details you have requested, please check.
regards
Sujata Shukla
Preethi says
Hi Mam,
My due is in 3 weeks now. Really appreciate all your efforts. My husband and me have to prepare all pathiya samayal. If you provide recipes and podi's in detail it will be really helpful.
Can you please share podi's and curry recipes to email address [email protected]
Thank you so much in advance for your help.
Sujata Shukla says
Hi Preethi. Glad to hear from you. I will email some podi recipes today. All best wishes to you!
Abi says
Hi mam can we drink fenugrek boiled water instead of dry ginger or fennel
Sujata Shukla says
Hi Abi. Thanks for visiting my site. Regarding methi/ fenugreek water: methi and methi water are considered under Ayurveda to have several health benefits including helping in lactation for nursing mothers. However, I have recommended only sount/ dry ginger and ajwain /carrom seeds in water. This is because methi creates a lot of heat and should be consumed only in small quantities, or else it can cause negative effects such as very dry skin. It is also not recommended for those with any kind of intestinal ulcers. Methi water is also best taken early in the morning, and not through the day. As most of the recipes I have given on my blog contain methi as one of the ingredients, methi water may result in excess intake. Hence I have recommended ajwain and sount which have healing properties.
Sravanthi Karoor says
Hello mam! How long are we supposed to follow this diet and when can we introduce gassy vegetables like potatoes and cauliflower? How should our diet progress through the one year ?
Sujata Shukla says
Hi and thanks for visiting my site, Sravnthi. This diet is for the 40 days after delivery. After this period, start introducing new items such as potato, cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli. Introduce them only one item at a time, eg a little potato for lunch on one day. Give it 24 hours to see if it upsets either the mother or the baby's stomach. If everything is ok, you can gradually bring potatoes back into your diet. On the whole, keep such gas creating vegetables to a minimum while the baby's digestive system gets stronger. Chili can be also be gradually introduced but kept to low levels. I suggest new ingredients are introduced only at lunch.
Saranya says
Hello mam, could you please reply to my comment 😒 I'm nearing to my delivery date. It would be helpful if I get additional tips from you
Sujata Shukla says
Hi Saranya. I had replied to your earlier query on podis and rasam recipe, via email on 21st March 2019, to [email protected]. Shall I send the email to you again or is there another email id I can send it to? I have not posted the recipes here as I have not written posts or taken photographs for them yet. However I had sent you recipes for easy podis and the rasam powder/ rasam recipe.
Please let me know how I can help.
Saranya says
Please forward me mam. I didn't receive it. The email id is same [email protected]
HMB Support says
Ok. Will send it this evening. Maybe it went to spam/ junk
Sujata Shukla says
Hi,Saranya, Ive sent you an email with recipes. Please let me know if received, and whether there is anything else I can help you with. All good wishes for your safe delivery.
Saranya says
Hello Mam, Could you please help me with podi's which I could prepare now and use it postpartum. I'm in my 8th month now.
Saranya says
Hello Mam, I'm in my 8th month now.. As others said, It's only me and my husband has to prepare all of this. Could you please help me with the Rasam recipe only with pepper/jeera and Podi's to use ready made which I could prepare now and store it. And anything else that I could prepare now use it later. It would be so helpful
Sujata Shukla says
Hi Saranya. I will email you recipes for some podis that may be prepared in advance. Let me know what else I can do to help you prepare!
Aishwarya says
Mam thank you for such a nice and detailed post. I felt like my mom was explaining it to me, she passed away 6 years back... Miss her too much to describe in words.
I'm now blessed with 2 boys and my lil one is gonna be 2 months in a few days. I'm managing all by myself so this post is a great help.
Can you pls share the podis and other things we can keep ready for all kootus/curries... Thanks a ton in advance!
Sujata Shukla says
Thank you Aishwarya. I'm touched and I can empathize with how you miss your Mom. I started writing these posts when I saw how much my daughters liked the pathiya samayal regime I put them through after delivery. As the recipes for the podis will take a little time to post, I'm sending them to you directly, by email. Please feel free to get in touch with me for any advice or support I can give. All the best to you and your family.
Subha Srinivasan says
Dear mam,
Thank you so much for these amazing recipes and very clear instructions. I have 8 more days before delivering my second child via c-section and my hubby and I plan to do this on our own. So your daily menu will be our guide. Can you suggest any prep work (podis ground for poriyal and rasam) we can do ahead of time? Also how do you make oats porridge and rice porridge? Your daughters are truly gifted to have you and you have created this wonderful resource for moms like me who are confused by so many internet recipes. Thanks and my best regards.
Sujata Shukla says
Thank you Subha for your appreciation. I will send you ‘podi’ Recipes later on today/ tomorrow as well as for porridge/ kanji. All the best and do let me know if there is anything I can do to support your husband and you at this time.
Sujata Shukla says
Hi Subha! Please check your email - I have sent you some podi recipes
Maithreyi says
Your recipes have variety. I am sure my daughter will love it. And I also love the food plan for each day. Can you tell me how to make banana milkshake?
Sujata Shukla says
Thank you Maithreyi. I will give you the milkshake recipe tomorrow
madhumita says
Hello Sujata madam,
The post is very useful and has variety of different items from the normal ones which is boost for foodies like me :). Can you please share details of food recipes for 10th and 11th day from delivery?
Sujata Shukla says
Hi Madhumita. I'm glad you found this post useful. I have given the menu for 7 days and after that, the menus can be repeated for the remaining days or else some mix and match can be done, keeping within the framework of the menu. My daughter preferred thin vegetable khichidi for dinner almost every evening during the 40 days. If there is any specific recipe you would like (that I have not given) please let me know.
Harini says
Hi mam, the post is a big relief to the naanis. I am going to take a print of it n keep it ready for my mom who will be coming to US during my delivery this yr.
Btw we have met in a baking class (Jeyadra'a place) in blr.
Once again thanks for the handy recipes. Pls keep posting more.
Sujata Shukla says
Hi Harini! Thank you and I wil be posting recipes for all the various items in Cooking for a New Mom, soon! Feel free to ask if you want any specific recipes.
Mridula says
As the key recipient of this wonderful package, on thing is for sure. Lunch is the highlight of my day. Never imagined that my post partum diet could be so full of variety, flavour and sheer yumminess! Between my tamilian Thalis, the khichiris, the pastas and the roti subzi combos, their is really nothing I am missing!
Sujata Shukla says
Glad that you are enjoying this, in spite of the little glitches that come up!
Sundari Giri says
Very well compiled post for a new mom and for the mother of a new mom. Good and useful information, tips, suggestions.
Sujata Shukla says
Thank you so much, Sundari Giri! Time is the big challenge, I have yet to post the really traditional and lesser known recipes. I'm hoping to post one a day this week. No time for setting up props or even decent photography as its all I can do to reach the food to the table on time!