Feeding Myself After Feeding Her
(Postpartum Nutrition – A story of finding strength, one spoon at a time.)
The morning after birth, someone brought me toast.
It was cold.
I ate it anyway — with hands still trembling, arms sore from holding her all night.
I remember thinking: “Is this how I get strong again? Dry toast?”
The truth is… I had no appetite.
Not because I wasn’t hungry.
But because I was tired in a way no one had warned me about.
Feeding her every two hours felt like running marathons barefoot.
And when I finally sat down alone,
my hands reached for the monitor, not the spoon.
It took three days — and a visit from my aunt — for me to eat something warm.
She handed me a little thermos.
Inside: herbal chicken soup, light but rich.
Steam rising. Ginger scent.
One sip, and I could feel something unclench inside me.
She said nothing dramatic. Just:
“You can’t pour from an empty bowl.”
And I cried.
Because I didn’t know how empty I had let myself become.
Since then, I’ve kept a jar of postpartum soup herbs on my shelf.
Not because I’m “doing confinement right.”
But because when I make a pot and sip it between feeds,
I remember I’m still healing too.
That warmth matters.
That taste matters.
That I matter.
Some days, I drink it out of a thermal mug with one hand while bouncing her with the other.
Some nights, I stir in a spoon of collagen powder just because the label said “repair” and I needed to believe that included my spirit, too.
And when there’s no time at all, I grab a pouch of grain porridge,
swirl in some almond butter,
and eat it cold.
It’s not Instagrammable.
But it’s nourishment.
It’s effort.
It’s love.
I’m learning that feeding myself isn’t an afterthought.
It’s part of mothering.
Part of survival.
Part of coming back home — to this new version of me.
Herbal Postpartum Soup Kit : My go-to comfort during early healing. Just add water, simmer, and feel whole again — one sip at a time.
Thermal Mug : Keeps my soup warm while I nurse, nap, or cry. A small luxury that feels like self-respect.
Collagen Powder : Quick, quiet nutrition for moms who are doing more than anyone sees.