New baby and I'm stress eating

jgaff11

My wife and I just had our first baby on Tuesday! One of the things I've been struggling with is eating well. With all the stress and being up all night it's been really hard and I'm gaining weight fast. Any tips?

daveejane

I don't have any tips, as i am the same i totally understand what your saying. there is never enough time in the day to sit down as other things are needed to be done.

smolmaus

I don't have any experience with babies but when my friend had her first I gave her a bunch of frozen, pre-prepped lasagnes in individual containers which she said helped a lot when she was in the situation you're describing.

Taking a few hours on one day to prep frozen meals for the future will pay back the time investment very easily. Stews, soups, curries, pasta sauces all batch-cook and freeze very nicely and there are a lot of resources out there for meal prep ideas these days.

On the other hand, is it really such a big deal if you gain some weight during a very stressful and extremely important time in your life? You don't have a baby every day! Don't spend it worrying about your waistline. Cut yourself some slack if you need to.

And congratulations!

puffbrat

Congratulations! Caffeine and naps are your friend! Seriously, the stress and eating are far easier to manage when not exhausted. Otherwise, it's a short period of time (few weeks to couple months in general) while you adapt to the new normal. Balance the eating by taking the baby for a walk, which will also let your wife take a nap.

quiksylver296

I don't know if your wife is breastfeeding. If not, here's what hubby and I did. It worked awesome.

Baby and I went to bed around 7:30. (Baby in his own room, not ours.) Hubby stayed up til 11:00 or so, when baby woke for a bottle. He then went to bed. I got up for the 4:00ish feeding, having got around 8 hours of sleep. Hubby slept til 7:00 or so, also getting around 7-8 hours of sleep.

mbcieslak87

It will get better... those first few weeks are so hard, but go to the store and stock up on healthy easy snacks and meals... frozen stuff is your friend right now. You will sleep, workout, and prepare healthy meals again, I promise!

dechowj

Mom of two here, it does get better. Having a new baby is a huge change and can be very stressful, so give yourself a break and don't add extra stress in the form of food guilt.

My husband and I lived out of our crock pot for a while after each kid. Find some easy recipes to toss in in the morning and not worry about cooking later in the day when your even more tired. one of my favorites is a couple of chicken breasts and a jar of salsa, when done just toss it in a tortilla. And any easy grab low calorie snacks you can make in bulk are so helpful. I would pop a whole bunch of air popped popcorn and keep it in a gallon bag to just munch on all day.

I could never nap when the baby napped, so I set "work hours". From 8 am til 7 pm when the baby napped I would try to get something done. Wash dishes, make a batch of peanut butter protein bites to snack on, laundry, ect. And then after that I didn't even try to do anything productive. It was my rest time when I could get it, and guilt free because I had already accomplished something that day.

And please, DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK PEOPLE FOR HELP!!!! Having a friend or family member pick up your groceries one day or just come hold the baby so you can shower can make a world of difference.

amgreenwell

Ask some friends or family to get you guys some easy meals that can be warmed in the oven or even microwave that are healthy and easy. You can add a salad to each one when you have time.
Otherwise, keep healthy snack available so you aren't reaching for crap.
My husband was sure to make oatmeal for us every morning with blueberries so not only was I getting a good start but so was he. it is easy to reach for bread and other such carbs during these first few weeks but remember to keep wifey fed and hydrated well. you can work off the extra calories while walking the baby around the house or going for strolls to get everyone some fresh air. Don't stress these first few weeks so much, easy to say but I promise you there is no reason for it. As long as everyone is eating, healthy and drinking you are on easy street.
I have two kids under two.