The Nourished Mama

Dear Mama,

Our bodies are incredible, they grow, birth, and nourish life. Yet in today’s fast-paced culture, we’re often told to “bounce back” instead of slowing down to honor this sacred transformation.

This month, I invite you to see your body differently, not as something to fix, but as something to tend to, like a garden.

Before we plant a seed, we enrich the soil, we make it fertile and full of life.When the seed begins to sprout, we water it, and ensure it gets sunlight.And after harvest, we lay down a cover crop to restore what was used, to prepare the soil for future growth.

That’s exactly what happens through preconception, pregnancy and postpartum. Our bodies are the soil. Our babies are the seeds. Nourishment is how we help both grow strong and resilient.

Let’s dig deeper and cultivate an appreciation for ourselves and that will carry us through the different seasons of our lives. In health and ease.

With love,

Saba

Mama as Nature

Preconception: Preparing the Soil

Before pregnancy, focus on rebuilding your reserves. Years of stress, lack of sleep, or restrictive diets can leave us depleted.
This is the time to restore with foods rich in iron, folate, B12, choline, vitamin D, magnesium, and omega-3 fats.

Try adding:

• Pasture-raised eggs for choline

• Leafy greens and lentils for folate

• Sardines or wild salmon for omega-3s

• Bone broth for minerals and collagen

• Fermented foods for gut health

Feed the soil so your body can grow life with ease.

Pregnancy: Nurturing the Seed

Pregnancy is a time of creation and expansion both for your baby and for you. As your body grows life, your nutritional needs increase for protein, iron, zinc, calcium, and DHA.

Prioritise real, whole foods that feel grounding and satisfying:

• Slow-cooked stews and soups

• Wild fish or eggs with colourful vegetables

• Whole grains, legumes, and healthy fats

• Hydrating mineral rich nettle tea or coconut water

Think of variety as your sunlight, every colour and texture feeds a different part of your body’s ecosystem.

Postpartum: Restoring the Soil

After birth, the garden needs time to rest and renew. This is your sacred window to replenish and rebuild.Focus on warmth, rest, and mineral-rich foods that support healing and milk production:

• Brothy soups and stews

• Porridges with nut butter and berries

• Eggs with avocado & fermented vegetables

• Herbal teas with ginger or fenugreek

Remember: Your focus should be to restore your health and wellbeing for your future self. Birth and motherhood are initiations, not a return to who you were, but a becoming. This transformation is called matrescence the metamorphosis from maiden to mother. Be gentle as you bloom into your new skin. There’s no going back, only forward, into a stronger, wiser version of yourself.

If you’re ready for deeper support. This is the heart of my work, guiding women to prepare, nourish, and recover through every stage of motherhood. Explore my 1:1 nutrition consultations. If you feel called to be supported, I’d love to walk this path with you.

Growing Together is a community newsletter with a mission to share insights into the world of holistic maternal and infant nutrition through monthly updates. I encourage you to connect and ask me questions on the topic to help foster this online community.