25 Comments
User's avatar
Eva Lydon 🌺's avatar

“Cradle cap or pastry flakes” 🤣 Loved this post. I had to go back and check you said “giant” toblarone when reading about the tea dipping... is he mad?! WTF?! 😉🤣

Expand full comment
Lauren Bravo's avatar

Honestly nobody understands it, but he's happy.

Expand full comment
Reiko Megan's avatar

Beautiful and absolutely spot. Took me back to the days of late night feedings in front of the tv, holding the baby with one arm while she fed and devouring protein bars with the other. Both of us totally insatiable. The Toblerone in tea is completely unhinged, but sits right in early parenthood. 🤣

Expand full comment
Lauren Bravo's avatar

❤️ There is no hunger like it. And I wish I could say he wasn’t still doing the Toblerone thing two years later, but

Expand full comment
Big Bodega's avatar

This is the most perfect description of food in postpartum! I remember so many long walks to get a coffee and a pastry, and the coffee splashing around everywhere because those coffee holders DO NOT WORK but it's like I forgot every single day haha. I really enjoyed reading this, thank you

Expand full comment
Lauren Bravo's avatar

Oh my god yes, so many coffee splashes all over the Bugaboo hood that I have *checks notes* never washed in two years

Expand full comment
The Peg's avatar

This is so beautiful - I’m at the ‘toasties after the baby class’ phase but also recall the ‘eating snacks while feeding in the dead of night every few hours’ phase too as if it’s some distant memory when it was only a few months ago!

Expand full comment
Lauren Bravo's avatar

Thank you! It's amazing how quickly the memories fade into a sort of hazy, sugar-addled film montage

Expand full comment
Fiona Whittaker's avatar

Yes yes yes. I remember my mother bought me bags of "cereal topper" when I was exhausted from night feeds, which had chunks of dried apricot and mango and seeds, and I would just eat it by the handful in deep gratitude. And the joys of baby wearing in order to cook and eat "cradle cap or pastry flakes" made me laugh out loud.

Expand full comment
Lauren Bravo's avatar

Mmmm nutritious! I remember doing something very similar with one of those seedy salad toppers, and sometimes just handfuls of Bran Flakes from the box

Expand full comment
Jodi Wilson's avatar

There’s so many reasons why postpartum food is practical support. But also, eating food made with love, delighting in comfort food that’s warm and makes you feel settled and soothed, helps to release oxytocin, the hormone of healing, breastfeeding and bonding. Postpartum meals literally heal you ✨

Expand full comment
Lauren Bravo's avatar

A very beautiful point!

Expand full comment
Jemma Crudeli's avatar

This really resonated with me and I didn’t even realise it would! ❤️

Expand full comment
Dressed Down's avatar

Food is the greatest gift. I just loved this 💗

Expand full comment
Cynical Vegan's avatar

Goodness me. This is brilliant.

Expand full comment
Lauren Bravo's avatar

Thank you! x

Expand full comment
Helen's avatar

I remember the food parcels from my mum! And that we went to a wedding when my son was 5 weeks old. I was breastfeeding and constantly starving, and I ate all the cucumber sandwiches at the reception. They were the most delicious thing I have ever tasted!

Expand full comment
Lucy Corry's avatar

This is beautiful, so evocative of that intense time. I had a friend who would text the night before that she would be dropping off a food parcel in the morning, I swear it was the only thing that got ne through those long, lonely, broken nights. (And the contents were ALWAYS delicious.)

Expand full comment
Daisy Buchanan's avatar

Oh, Lauren! This is ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL. XXX

Expand full comment
Heather's avatar

This transported me back to my post partum haze from 3.5 years ago and has also reminded me of what lies ahead (my second is due next week). Thank you for such beautiful writing!

Expand full comment
Lauren Bravo's avatar

Eeee good luck and congrats! I hope there will be food parcels as far as your weary eyes can see XX

Expand full comment
Emily May's avatar

My baby is 6 weeks old and I feel all this, food is my almost everything topped with the delicious smell of the top of her head - if people come around without food I feel like screaming alongside her!

Expand full comment
Lauren Bravo's avatar

One day they will manage to bottle the baby head smell into a rollerball perfume, and whoever does will become a billionaire.

Expand full comment
Laura Price's avatar

GIVE THE GIRL A BOOK DEAL!

Expand full comment
Wendy Varley's avatar

Beautiful, Lauren. Takes me right back.

Expand full comment