Marianne is a graduate NICU mom who also knows a lot about nutrition. We are so grateful to her for sharing her great advice with us; it means so much when the advice comes from someone’s who has been there!
When you are pregnant, one of those cheery bits of advice everyone gives you is “freeze lots of meals so you are ready when baby comes home!” and “fill the fridge with healthy food”. While this is good advice, when baby arrives weeks or months early, it doesn’t really apply.
I’m a mom of four Sunnybrook babies, and three out of those four were preemies who spent time in the NICU. During my first two babies’ stays, I focused solely on the babies and didn’t worry about my own nutrition. Meals and snacks were whatever I could quickly grab and get back to my baby… often fries or a grilled cheese. It was honestly hard to even care about what I ate, when baby required a tube to feed or wasn’t tolerating her feeds at all. Now I am a Culinary Nutrition student, and when you know better, you do better.
Normally I would be telling you to prepare food from scratch, but this is the not the time! Baby needs mom and dad to be strong and while nobody is likely going to be whipping up gourmet healthy meals while he is in the NICU, there are some easy things you can do to maximize health in minimal time.
1. Green Smoothies. Smoothies are one of the best and easiest things you can have for breakfast when baby is in the NICU. Get someone to pick you up some bananas, pre-washed baby spinach, almond milk, papayas, protein powder and frozen berries. Whip up a quick smoothie in your blender and no matter how the rest of your day goes, you’ve started off on the right foot.
2. Fruit that comes in its own wrapper: apple, bananas and clementines. Honestly even peeling and segmenting an orange can seem like a huge ordeal when you have a sick baby to take care of.
3. Pre-cut vegetables (carrots, sliced peppers, celery) with store-bought hummus. An indulgence I normally don’t purchase, but at that crazy time, whole unpeeled vegetables in my fridge would have just gone to waste. These make an easy and healthy lunch. Pack them in a lunchbox or cooler and bring with you.
4. Trail mixes. When someone asks what they can get you at the store, have them pick up packages of (preferably organic) trail mix. Nuts and healthy dried food can provide the fuels you need to make it through those long bedside sessions.
5. Raw energy bars. There are several brands of energy bars (such as Larabars) that contain only healthy foods and no strange additives. I had family pick me up a large box and kept them in my purse at all times.
6. If you have a rice cooker, you can throw some whole grains (like brown rice or quinoa) in there in the morning and when you get home at night, just mix it up with some of the pre-washed baby spinach, some nuts and seeds, any cooked meat if you’d like, any leftover vegetables, and add a little hummus or avocado for flavour.
7. If mom is breastfeeding, oatmeal is one of the best things you can eat for iron and to help with milk supply. Google recipes for “overnight oats in the crockpot” – just throw it in there before bed and it’s ready in the morning. There are even cold “overnight oats” where you just mix up cold ingredients and they are ready to eat in the morning. If there is simply no time for that, most coffee places have some sort of packaged oatmeal. It might contain lots of preservatives and extra ingredients but it’s better then some other unhealthy options.
8. Water! Don’t forget to keep hydrated. Drink as much water as you can. I need a slice of lemon to keep it interesting. If you are just not a “water person” try caffeine-free herbal teas.
I hope these tips help you come up with a quick shopping list to give your loved ones when they ask what they can get for you. Stay healthy so you are at the top of your game when it’s time to bring home that precious bundle – you will need your energy for those all night parties baby will love to have once he comes home!!
Marianne Theo
My 31- and 33- weekers supporting their fellow preemies 🙂
Tweet me @tinyteaparties
