Well meaning people will often offer their help after your baby is born, if only because it gives them an excuse to come and hold him! To prevent added stress and wasted time, try to come up with a list of helpful things to ask for so they don’t just show up with more onesies you don’t need or boxes of chocolates you can’t eat while nursing. If you can do it while you’re still pregnant, more power to you! Here is a list of what we found to helpful;
- Instead of having people buy clothes (which really aren’t that necessary at first, and you risk ending up with 30 onesies that the baby will outgrow within a few weeks), have them pool money together and pay for a housekeeping service. The last thing you’ll want to do with a newborn is vacuum the floors and scrub toilets! And yet, who knew dust bunnies could accumulate so fast?
- Have people bring over freshly made nut milk labeled with the day on which it was made. Or, set nuts to soak overnight, ready for a helping hand to come over and make the nut milk for you the next day. Nut milk stays fresh for about 4 days. Be sure that the nut milk bag is clean, and the jars have gone through the dishwasher (or very hot water) to sterilize them. Blend 2 cups of nuts, soaked, with 6 cups of water and 2 T lecithin until smooth, about 2 minutes. Strain through a nut milk bag.
- Have someone wash your vegetables. Making food is so much quicker when the veggies are clean. Have them peel, trim and wash carrots, and store them in a ziploc bag in the fridge. Do the same for celery. Have them remove kale stems, chop the leaves, and wash everything before storing in the fridge.
- Get someone to make “green smoothie boxes.” Each box would contain the ingredients for one batch of green smoothie, minus the bananas, which don’t store well in the fridge. One box could contain strawberries, blueberries, and pitted cherries, with a big handful of Swiss chard, all cut up and washed. Another one could contain pineapple and mango chunks, with a handful of spinach. Just add bananas to the blender, a little water, and that’s it! Green smoothie boxes last about 2-3 days in the fridge, in a tightly sealed container. You can also freeze the fruits (not the greens) and store them for longer periods of time in the freezer. You just need to let them thaw overnight and use them in the morning, one by one. When the smoothie is done, just rinse the blender immediately. No need to scrub. Set aside to dry naturally.
- Have a friend make enough salad dressing to last 4 days. I like to blend half a cup of olive oil with ¼ cup raw red wine vinegar, a pinch of salt, and a garlic clove. Store the dressing in the fridge for 4 days.
- Have someone play with the baby while you take a shower or get a little alone time. I know from experience how hard it is to believe that yes, someone else can actually take care of your baby, who by the way won’t be scarred for life because of it. You might just be surprised. Or, have them stay within earshot of the baby while he naps.
- Eating a healthy high raw diet is not impossible with a newborn, you just need to be a little resourceful. Friends and family can be a big help if you know what to ask for. With the nut milks, make protein shakes by adding sprouted brown rice or hemp protein powder, or blend them with fruits and frozen bananas for a great shake. Use prewashed salad greens and the dressings above for quick salads. Toss in hemp seeds, dulse seaweed, sprouts, avocados, and chopped veggies, and you’ve got healthy fast food! And who knows, your helpers might learn a thing or two to be healthier themselves.
Joanna Steven is the author of Well Rounded – The Ultimate Guide to a Successful Raw Food Pregnancy, The Milky Way – The Ultimate Guide to Breastfeeding on the Raw Food Diet, and more. Passionate about raising healthy, happy children on the most nutritious high raw diet, she regularly shares recipes, nutritional advice, and food diaries, and writes about her parenting experience through the Tera Warner blog, her own blog, and the Raw Mom Club where she interacts daily with other multi-tasking moms!