The Conversation We Need to Have About Postpartum Mental Health

The ongoing Lindsay Clancy trial has brought national attention to postpartum mental health and the urgent need for greater awareness, earlier intervention, and better access to specialized maternal mental health care.

Postpartum depression and anxiety aren't simply a case of being tired, emotional, or overwhelmed by having a new baby. For some mothers, postpartum mental health struggles can become severe and even life-threatening.  While you're busy making sure your baby is fed, it's easy to forget that you need nourishment, too, including nourishment for your brain.

Postpartum recovery asks so much of you, both physically and mentally. Your body is recovering from pregnancy and birth while adjusting to a completely new season of life, often on very little sleep and with very little time to care for yourself. While nutrition is not the whole story when it comes to postpartum mental health, it is one meaningful piece of supporting your body and brain during this incredibly demanding season. 

Research has found recent connections between maternal nutrition, nutrient status, and mood. A review of the literature on perinatal depression found that inadequate intake or depletion of certain nutrients, including iron, B vitamins, zinc, and omega-3 fatty acids, may be associated with maternal depression and mood changes.

We aren’t suggesting a bowl of stew can instantly fix postpartum depression. 

But it does mean that what we feed a mother matters and can no longer be ignored. 

Why Postpartum Nutrition Matters

For nine months, your body is providing the nutrients, energy, and building blocks your baby needs to grow. Then comes birth, which can involve blood loss, inflammation, physical trauma, and a huge expenditure of energy.

And then, for many moms breastfeeding begins. Your body doesn't suddenly stop needing nourishment because the baby has arrived. For many moms it actually increases. 

Postpartum nutrition isn’t just about eating enough calories, either. It’s about eating the foods that replenish and rebuild. 

Protein for repair. Iron to help replenish what may have been lost during birth. Healthy fats to support the brain. Minerals, vitamins, carbohydrates, and fluids to help provide the energy required to care for yourself and your baby.

And then there's sleep, or the lack of it.

Sleep deprivation and chronic stress can make everything feel harder. When you're exhausted, it becomes even easier to skip meals, grab whatever is fastest, and realize at 3 p.m. that you've barely eaten.

This is why postpartum nourishment needs to be easy, accessible, and consistent.

Not perfect.

Hearty Sausage Stew by Restorative Roots

How Food Can Influence Mood

Your brain is not separate from the rest of your body.

It requires a steady supply of nutrients to function, and the nutrients you eat provide the raw materials your body uses for everything from energy production to neurotransmitter synthesis.

Protein

Protein provides amino acids, which are used to make neurotransmitters involved in mood, sleep, motivation, and nervous-system function.

It also helps keep you satisfied and can provide more stable energy throughout the day.

This is one reason we encourage postpartum mothers to make protein a priority, not because you need another nutritional rule to follow, but because your body is rebuilding.

Healthy Fats

Your brain is incredibly rich in fat, and essential fatty acids play important roles in brain and nervous-system function.

One of the biggest mistakes you can make postpartum is cutting out fats. It may be tempting, especially if you're thinking about losing the baby weight, but your body and brain need healthy fats to support recovery and overall health.

Omega-3 fatty acids, particularly DHA, have received significant attention in research on maternal mood. The study we reference below found an association between lower omega-3 status and a higher incidence of maternal depression, although nutrition is only one factor among many.

Foods like wild-caught salmon, sardines, pastured eggs, and other nutrient-dense sources of healthy fats can be a valuable part of a postpartum diet.

Iron

Iron deserves special attention after birth.

Blood loss during delivery can contribute to depleted iron stores, and iron deficiency can leave you feeling exhausted, weak, foggy, and depleted.

If you're experiencing significant fatigue or think you may be low in iron, talk with your healthcare provider about whether testing is appropriate. Food is important, but sometimes supplementation or medical treatment is needed, too.

Choline

Choline supports brain and nervous-system function and is especially important during pregnancy and lactation. It is believed to be the most choline-demanding season your body will ever experience.

Egg yolks are one of our favorite food sources, and liver is another incredibly nutrient-dense source. 

This is one reason you'll see foods like eggs and organ meats show up in traditional postpartum diets. They're small foods with a lot of nourishment packed inside. It’s why we use them in our postpartum meals.

B Vitamins

B vitamins are involved in energy metabolism and nervous-system function.

They're found throughout a varied diet, including meat, eggs, seafood, leafy greens, legumes, and whole grains.

Again, the goal isn't to obsess over individual nutrients.

It's to build meals that contain a variety of real, nutrient-dense foods.

Zinc & Magnesium

Zinc and magnesium are involved in countless processes throughout the body, including immune, muscle, nervous-system, and cellular function.

Foods such as meat, seafood, pumpkin seeds, leafy greens, nuts, and legumes can help contribute these important minerals to your diet.

Don't Underestimate Blood Sugar and Mood

Have you ever gone too long without eating and suddenly found yourself shaky, irritable, anxious, or completely depleted? Now imagine doing that while recovering from childbirth and caring for a newborn. Skipping meals can make an already exhausting season feel even harder.

There’s growing research suggesting that blood sugar fluctuations may influence how we feel, including energy, mood, and feelings of anxiety or irritability.

Blood sugar rises naturally after we eat, but larger or faster increases can happen when we eat carbohydrate-rich or refined foods on their own. For many Americans, this can look like candy, refined grains, chips, or even dried fruit when eaten without anything else.

One simple way to support steadier blood sugar is to pair carbohydrates with protein, healthy fat, and fiber. Instead of eating carbs alone, think about creating a more balanced meal or snack. This can help slow the absorption of glucose and may help you feel more satisfied and steady afterward.

Check out some suggestions below. 

Instead of toast:
Toast + eggs + avocado

Instead of fruit:
Fruit + full-fat yogurt + nuts

Instead of crackers:
Crackers + cheese + leftover meat

There Is Wisdom in Traditional Postpartum Foods

Long before we had studies on neurotransmitters and nutrient deficiencies, cultures around the world recognized something that modern mothers need to hear:

The mother needs to be nourished, too.

In traditional Chinese postpartum practices, warm, cooked foods and nourishing broths have long been emphasized during the early weeks after birth.

Ayurvedic traditions similarly emphasize warm, easily digestible, grounding foods during the postpartum period.

Across many cultures, you'll find foods like:

• Bone broth

• Congee

• Slow-cooked meats

• Stews

• Cooked vegetables

• Rice

• Warming spices

• Easily digestible grains

• Nourishing porridges

Every culture has a different approach, but the underlying principle for many are the same:

Don't just tell the mother to eat, nourish her. There's something deeply practical about this wisdom that the Western wold has forgotten. 

A warm bowl of congee or a slow-cooked stew isn't complicated. It can be made in a large batch and is easy to reheat. It's hydrating. It's comforting. And when made with nutrient-dense ingredients, it can provide protein, minerals, carbohydrates, and healthy fats in one simple meal.

Nutrition Is One Piece of the Puzzle

This is an important distinction.

We believe deeply in the power of food, but we don't believe food is the answer to everything.

Postpartum mood is influenced by so many things, including:

• Hormonal changes

• Sleep deprivation

• Stress

• Social isolation

• Birth trauma

• Genetics

• Previous mental health conditions

• Breastfeeding challenges

• Lack of support

• Physical recovery

And sometimes a mother is doing everything "right" and still doesn't feel okay.

That is not a failure.

If you're struggling with postpartum depression or anxiety, you deserve support. That might mean therapy. It might mean medication. It might mean working with your doctor, a psychiatrist, a therapist, a nutrition professional, or a combination of providers.

Do not suffer silently.

Seeking medical care doesn't mean you've failed at taking a holistic approach to your health. Sometimes the most holistic thing you can do is get the help you need.

When to Reach Out for Help

If you're experiencing persistent sadness, overwhelming anxiety, hopelessness, loss of interest in things you normally enjoy, difficulty bonding with your baby, or feelings that you're unable to cope, please talk with a qualified healthcare professional.

And if you are having thoughts of harming yourself or your baby, seek immediate professional help.

Postpartum depression and anxiety are common, real, and treatable.

You don't have to simply "push through."

And if you feel dismissed when you ask for help, keep advocating for yourself. Find a provider who listens, takes your symptoms seriously, and works with you toward a treatment plan that feels appropriate and supportive (remember, your doctor works for you)!

You are allowed to ask for another opinion, find a new doctor, and seek out alternative medicine. 

Simple Ways to Nourish Yourself Postpartum

We don't want nourishment to become another thing on your postpartum to-do list. It should make your life easier, not harder. Here are a few simple places to start:

1. Put protein on your plate.

Aim to include a meaningful source of protein at each meal: eggs, meat, poultry, fish, full-fat dairy, beans, or whatever works well for your body.

2. Eat before you're starving.

Keep simple foods within reach so you aren't waiting until you're completely depleted to eat.

3. Keep nourishing meals in the freezer.

This is one of the most practical forms of postpartum preparation.

Make meals ahead of time, ask someone to cook for you, accept a meal from a friend, prep nourishing meals to keep in your freezer, or order them from Restorative Roots. 

The goal is to make the nourishing choice the easy choice.

4. Drink water throughout the day.

Especially if you're breastfeeding, keep a water bottle nearby and refill it often.

5. Don't fear carbohydrates.

Your postpartum body needs energy. Rice, potatoes, oats, fruit, and other whole-food carbohydrates can absolutely have a place in a nourishing postpartum diet.

6. Accept help.

Let someone bring dinner, hold the baby, do your laundry, etc. Remember, they probably want to help!

7. Choose consistency over perfection.

Some days your meal may be a beautiful bowl of stew while other days it might be eggs and toast eaten one-handed while the baby cries.

The goal isn't to eat perfectly, it is to keep nourishing yourself.

You Deserve to Be Nourished, Too

We stress so much about the right diapers, right car seat, bottles, foods…but somewhere in the middle of all that prep, the mother can disappear. We want to change that.

Postpartum recovery isn't about "bouncing back." It's about building back. When we nourish the mother, we nourish the whole family.

At Restorative Roots, this is the philosophy behind every meal we make. We don't believe postpartum mothers need another complicated thing to do. We believe they deserve to be cared for, fed well, and given the space to heal.

Your baby needs you and you deserve to be nourished, too.

Shop our nourishing postpartum menu here.

Sources

Leung, B. M. Y., & Kaplan, B. J. Perinatal depression: prevalence, risks, and the nutrition link—a review of the literature. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2009;109(9):1566–1575. Read the research on PubMed