Postpartum Prep: Pack the Freezer to Nourish the Family Part 1: The Absolute Best Baby Gift Isn’t on Your Registry

By Ariel Voorhees, Owner of Gather Round Family Chef Service

When you’re preparing your home for your baby’s arrival, most of the questions revolve around the baby. Where will the baby sleep? What will the baby wear? How can this space be as welcoming as possible for the baby? 

If you’re a 21st-century consumer like I am, the answers are usually found in an online gift registry. And it’s wonderful to feel the love and generosity of a community as your friends and family give your baby all of those things.

When I was preparing for my second baby, though, I looked around my crammed house and realized that the baby was all set for things. Now it was time to prepare my home for the needs of the family. 

What I needed was real-life support to keep my household happy and healthy, even with a newborn baby around. It was time to look beyond the registry.

So I started cooking. I packed my freezer full of heat-and-serve meals that could feed all of us at a moment's notice during the postpartum period. Those curries, stir-fries, soups, and stews kept us all nourished and sane during a really crazy time. Everyone gobbled up the lactation cookies, but (thank goodness) only one of us boosted our milk supply. And -- don’t judge me -- the breakfast burritos were definitely eaten around the clock. 

Years later, now that I've launched a business as a family chef, I do the same for busy families. Helping expecting parents stock their freezers with healthy postpartum meals is a large part of my business. And each meal is custom-made to suit your dietary profile, whether you’re vegetarian or vegan, navigating around allergies, or simply have strong opinions about what you like and don’t like!

And did you know that you can register for a Pack the Freezer meal stash so that your family and friends chip in to fund this vital postpartum service?

I'll pack your freezer full of customized meals that will comfort and sustain your family, promote postpartum healing, foster parent-baby bonding, and allow you to focus on what’s really important: raising a relaxed and healthy family. 

When your friends and family contribute to a Pack the Freezer gift certificate, it’ll be the best gift for the baby as well as for the family. You’ll feel the love and generosity of a community. You’ll also feel nourished and strong, able to handle the intensity of this postpartum moment.

And you’ll feel pleasantly full, which, aside from the love of your baby, is the best feeling of all.