Nourishing Your Body from Pregnancy through Postpartum: A Birthsmarter x Solette Guide
Monday, November 24, 2025
When someone says it’s important to “eat well during pregnancy,” it sounds simple … until you’re actually pregnant. Suddenly, the idea of a “balanced diet” meets real life: nausea, cravings, aversions, the emotional comfort of one meal. Add to that a firehose of marketing messages from prenatal nutrition companies, social media influencers, and well-meaning but outdated family advice, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.
What should you be eating? Not eating? And, why?
In this special collaboration with Solette, a service that brings chefs into your home to cook personalized, nutrient-rich meals, we’re exploring how pregnancy and postpartum nourishment can be both realistic and restorative. No overwhelm, no guesswork, and no guilt.
At Birthsmarter, we approach nourishment through the same lens we use for everything else: The Birthsmarter Framework. That means there’s no universal “right way,” but rather your own best decisions based on the overlap between the Physiological Process, the Societal Context, and your Personal Circumstances.
Let’s explore:
The Physiological Process
Just like planting a seed in a garden, your body requires certain nutrients to grow, birth, and recover from growing a human. During pregnancy, nutritional needs increase to support both your developing baby and your own physical resilience.
We look at seven key nutrients: folate, iron, omega-3 fatty acids, choline, vitamin D, calcium, and protein. Each plays a vital role in supporting fetal growth, brain and organ development, and your own recovery.
But meeting these needs day to day, amid nausea, cravings, and exhaustion, isn’t always easy. This is where Solette’s chefs can provide meaningful support. They design customized meals that gently meet your nutritional needs, incorporating foods like:
- Iron-rich lentils and spinach balanced with vitamin C from roasted citrus
- Omega-3–packed salmon with turmeric-spiced root vegetables
- Protein-rich quinoa or eggs paired with leafy greens and avocado
During the postpartum period, the focus shifts from fueling growth to healing and replenishment. Meals that are warm, digestible, and deeply nourishing (like soups, stews, and porridges) help stabilize energy, regulate hormones, and support milk production.
Solette chefs often prepare postpartum-friendly menus full of collagen-boosting broths, hormone-balancing healthy fats, and hydrating ingredients to help new parents recover with ease and comfort.
The Societal Context
Pregnancy and postpartum nutrition exist within a culture that sends deeply conflicting messages: “Eat for two!” versus “Don’t gain too much weight.” “Fuel your body!” versus “Snap back fast.” We’re told to trust our bodies, but also that they need managing and control.
At the same time, many of us were raised without a strong cultural foundation of food traditions or intergenerational knowledge about cooking and nourishment. When that grounding is missing, we often turn to modern “brands of wellness” — influencers, supplement companies, and niche food trends — to tell us what to eat, buy, or avoid. The wellness industry profits off our desire to do things “right,” selling powders, protocols, and perfectly styled meal plans that often overpromise and underdeliver.
The systems shaping what’s actually available to eat are far larger than individual willpower. Big agriculture, food lobbying, and fast-food culture influence what’s accessible and affordable far more than any personal discipline or nutritional virtue. Even when we want to eat “better,” we’re doing so inside an environment designed to make processed, convenience foods easier to get than fresh, nutrient-dense ones.
It’s important to remember: nourishment isn’t a moral issue. It’s not a reflection of how hard you’re trying or how much you care—it’s a reflection of the systems we live within and the resources we have access to. You’re allowed to work within your reality, not against it.
Personal Circumstances
Your personal circumstances shape how you nourish yourself during pregnancy and postpartum. Your energy, culture, budget, and support system all play a role. Some people love the ritual of cooking, others can barely manage a smoothie between feedings. Both are valid.
If cooking isn’t feasible, or if you’d simply rather focus your limited time and energy elsewhere, services like Solette bridge that gap beautifully. Their chefs cook in your home, with your preferences and dietary needs in mind, so you can focus on rest, recovery, and bonding, while still feeding yourself (and your family) well.
Bringing It All Together: Practical Tips
Feeding yourself well during pregnancy and postpartum isn’t about perfection—it’s about consistency, support, and self-compassion.
Here are some ways to make it easier:
- Batch cook or double recipes so you have leftovers on hand for tired days.
- Accept help from friends, family, or meal services like Solette. Let others nourish you the way you’re nourishing your baby.
- Plan for real life. Some nights call for takeout, others for home-cooked comfort. Balance is the goal.
- Keep snacks handy. Nuts, seeds, yogurt, and fruit can prevent crashes and help meet your nutrient needs.
At Birthsmarter, we help parents think critically and confidently about nourishment and recovery. And with Solette, you can bring that vision to life, creating meals that are nutritious, comforting, and completely customized for every stage of parenthood.
Because true nourishment is more than what’s on your plate, it’s how supported you feel while you eat it.
👉 Explore
Birthsmarter’s classes in childbirth, postpartum prep, and lactation, and learn more about
Solette’s in-home chef services designed to support pregnancy, postpartum, and family wellness.
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