From Pregnancy to Postpartum: Why Your Nutrition Plan Needs to Change (Again)
By Nicole Roggow, Certified Postpartum Nutrition Coach | Published: November 3, 2025
When it comes to nutrition, here is the life-cycle of most clients that come to us:
They do their best during pregnancy to follow a solid nutritional approach.
They gain appropriate weight, east as best as they can and are for the most part confident about their choices.
BIRTH.
They stumble into motherhood in a brand new, squishy, never before seen body that feels so foreign from what they have been used to their whole life and they panic.
Especially if they are breastfeeding - they are usually really unsure what their goals are, should be, what they need to be eating, what is most important and how to feel like they are taking control of their nutrition while also not giving into bounce-back culture or hindering milk supply.I
If this resonates with you, or you're struggling with the same confusion, you are not alone! As a postpartum nutrition coach providing personalized nutrition coaching to new mothers for over 7 years now, I see this every day. Postpartum nutrition is an entirely different challenge that requires personalized nutrition coaching specifically designed for this phase.
Everything Changes After Delivery
Your Energy Needs Skyrocket
If you're breastfeeding, you're burning an additional 300–500 calories per day (equivalent to an intense workout!). That's more than you needed during most of your pregnancy. Yet most women are quick to panic about "the baby weight" and actually aim to EAT LESS or go into an immediate diet phase postpartum.
Your Body Is Healing
Whether you had a vaginal delivery or C-section, your body went through major trauma (almost all of it being internal and out of sight). Recovery requires energy (calories!), protein, and a consistent flow of nutrients that support tissue repair and wound healing.
Your Schedule Becomes Unpredictable
Gone are the days of predictable meal times and hours available to prep and plan food for the week. Now you're eating with one hand while holding a baby, grabbing quick things between feeding sessions, and for women left to their own devices early on: forgetting to eat until they're shaky from hunger.
Your Hormones Are Wreaking Havoc
Pregnancy hormones are crashing while breastfeeding hormones are surging. This affects everything from your appetite to your blood sugar stability to your mood. Within hours of delivering a baby, you are in a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT body than you were in the last few hours of pregnancy.
The Most Common Postpartum Nutrition Mistakes
Immediately Restricting Calories (The Opposite of Personalized Nutrition Coaching)
The pressure to "bounce back" leads many women to slash their food intake right after delivery. This backfires spectacularly when you're trying to heal and potentially produce milk. Add an active mom into that who is looking to get back to some form of workouts, or even just a mom of more children (specifically a toddler or preschooler who demands LOTS of attention daily) and it is a recipe for disaster that almost always leaves us with diminishing returns and a more drawn out healing process.
Ignoring Hunger Cues
Postpartum hunger is intense and frequent. Many women fight it because they think they "shouldn't" be hungry anymore now that they're no longer pregnant. My biggest reminder to my clients stuck trying to ignore hunger is that you were actually not "eating for two" for most of your pregnancy, but if you are breastfeeding YOU ARE CERTAINLY EATING FOR TWO now!
Sticking to Pregnancy Eating Patterns
The small, frequent meals that worked during pregnancy typically do not work well at all when you are early postpartum. You get easily preoccupied with the new baby, get nap trapped, can be up at odd hours of the night and have seemingly "less time" to spend on yourself - specifically in those early weeks. Your body needs larger, more filling meals that are going to provide sustained energy hours as your life now requires round-the-clock baby care.
What You Actually Need Postpartum
If You're Breastfeeding:
Extra calories: 300–500 above your pre-pregnancy intake
More protein: Assists milk production and tissue repair
Increased fluids and electrolytes: You'll be thirsty constantly — listen to that signal
Iron-rich foods: To replenish stores lost during delivery and can help keep fatigue down
Fats rich in Omega-3: For brain development (yours and baby’s), increase the density of your milk
If You're Formula Feeding:
All of the above are STILL important to ensure you are getting the nutriton you need for optimal healing, improved energy, and building muscle back that may have been lost through pregnancy or maintaining the muscle you have kept
Focus on healing: Adequate calories and protein for recovery
Iron replenishment: Important for mom after blood-loss during delivery
Energy stability: Foods that provide sustained energy for caring for a newborn (fats rich in omegas!)
Mood support: Nutrient rich foods will nourish your body and support mental health during this transition
A 3-Phase Postpartum Eating Strategy That Actually Works
Phase 1: The First 6 Weeks (Recovery Mode)
GOAL: Heal, rest, and establish feeding routines (for both you and baby!)
STRATEGY: Eat when hungry, focus on nutrient-dense foods, accept help with meal prep/food preparation in any way, be vocal about what you want/dont want and encourage those who are supporting you to respect your wishes of nutrient dense foods to help nouris you and baby
Priority Foods:
Easy proteins: hard-boiled eggs, make ahead egg cups, pre-cooked chicken (think rotisserie or grilled chicken from the pre-made section), Greek yogurt, protein smoothies
Iron-rich options: lean beef, beans, fortified cereals, leafy greens, chicken breast
Hydrating foods: soups, smoothies, coconut water, water-rich fruits like watermelon and cantaloupe
One-handed snacks and meals: nuts, cheese sticks, meat sticks, apples, bananas, energy balls, PB&J sandwiches, also throwing together rice bowls or salads ahead of the week to make it easy to grab and eat with one hand
Phase 2: 6 Weeks to 6 Months (Establishing Rhythm)
GOAL: Find sustainable eating patterns while caring for baby and returning to "normal" life (getting back to work, workouts, having less help around, other kids routines)
STRATEGY: Meal prep when possible, organize your workout and family tasks in a calendar, focus on foods that provide sustained energy
Key Strategies:
Batch cook food on weekends (aim for 2 proteins, 2 carb sources, a veggie mix, and even breakfasts for the week)
Keep healthy snacks visible and accessible (the less non-nutritious stuff you stock, the less you will eat it!)
Set meal times for yourself to hold yourself accountable to staying fueled throughout the day
Understand that your calorie needs may INCREASE during this period of time as you start getting back to more daily activity and intensity of workouts
Phase 3: 6+ Months (Long-term Sustainability)
GOAL: Develop eating patterns that work for your new normal and understand how to adjust moving forward if things change (stop nursing, increase exercise intensity, ect)
STRATEGY: Gradually adjust portions and timing based on schedule, what feels comfortable, your breastfeeding status and your energy needs month to month
Practical Postpartum Nutrition: What Works in Real Life
"I'm Always Hungry"
It likely you need bigger more fulfilling meals are are probably eating too many "snacks" throughout the day. Stop searching for "protein rich snacks" and instead focus on adding bigger protein sources, more fiber rich foods and more volume to your meals by increasing portions of quality food.
"No Time to Eat"
Prep grab-and-go options: overnight oats, make ahead egg muffins, mason jar salads, bistro boxes, pre-cut fruits and vegetables, even crockpot soups and chilis! Your cup needs to be filled first and fueling yourself well should be a TOP priority. not something you do only if there is "time"
"Nothing Sounds Good"
High stress environments (which can be much of the postpartum season, especially those early weeks) typically make us lean on more bland/comfort foods and dont always make us feel like colorful, veggie filled plates. Thats okay! Find ways to keep appealing things that check the "comfort food" box and find ways to make them more nutritious: chicken noodle soup where you sneak in veggies, protein pasta with butter, whole grain/seed toast with avocado. Sometimes simple comfort is exactly what you need!
"But I Want to Lose Weight"
When we focus on nourishing out body FIRST rather than restricting it, the body responds much better. Weight loss will happen naturally as your body heals and returns back to baseline. I have seen it time and time again in my clients - they think they need a structured cut right away postpartum and instead where they really get results is when they start nourishing the body to make it feel safe and taken care of. It will respond in amazing ways and a structured cut down the line will be even more effective.
Once clients start to understand that postpartum nutrition can be quite different than pregnancy nutrition, it all starts to make more sense. Working with a coach through this time can be incredibly beneficial as it can help you resist the urge to cut calories and instead show you what honoring your hunger can actually do for you! Increased energy, stable and plentiful milk supply, increasing muscle mass and decreasing body fat - all without diet and restriction.
Take Home Advice from a Postpartum Nutrition Coach
Eat when you’re hungry, even if it’s more than you ate during pregnancy
Prep easy, nutritious foods over elaborate recipes
Understand that your body needs time to heal before focusing on weight loss
Ask for help with meal preparation and grocery shopping, explore grocery delivery in your area
Trust that your body knows how to nourish both you and your baby without a defiict
Postpartum nutrition isn’t about perfection. It’s about adaptation, flexibility, and giving yourself the fuel you need to thrive during one of the most demanding periods of your life. That’s what nutrition coaching for postpartum women is all about and the exact concepts I love coachig my mamas through!
If you are struggling with the transition from pregnancy to postpartum nutrition, don’t have to figure this out alone.Get personalized nutrition coaching that supports your recovery and your new reality.
