What to Eat in Week 4 Postpartum (Meals and Snacks for Recovery)
All of the recipes I’m sharing here are from my upcoming cookbook, The Nourished Mother: Healing Recipes and Family Food for Postpartum + Beyond, now available for pre-order!
My best friend had a baby a month ago and I’m cooking my way through my new cookbook, The Nourished Mother: Healing Recipes and Family Food for Postpartum + Beyond (now available for pre-order!!) in order to bring her the best healing meals and snacks for her postpartum season.
I can hardly believe we’re at week 4 already! She’s settling into her new rhythm with baby, and while recovery is still ongoing, the focus now is on steady energy, deep nourishment, and nervous system support.
Keep reading to see what I recommend for week 4, the exact recipes I made, and the nutritional focus for this stage. If you missed weeks 1-3, you can read them here:
What to Eat in Week 1 Postpartum
What should you eat in week 4 postpartum?
By week 4, you may notice that the early adrenaline of the newborn period has worn off. The days and nights are still long, sleep is still broken, and fatigue can creep in more heavily. Your body is continuing to heal internally, and equally important is nourishing yourself for sustaining energy, breastfeeding, and nervous system balance.
This is a week to lean into:
Hearty meals that replenish your nutrient stores, especially minerals.
Recipes that are batch-cooked, family-friendly, and freezer-friendly (multiple portions out of each cooking effort!).
Snacks and drinks that calm the nervous system and bring steady fuel to keep you going through day and night.
The Nutritional Focus in Week 4
By the fourth week postpartum, your body’s nutritional needs are centered around:
Replenishing minerals like calcium, magnesium, and iron that were depleted during pregnancy and birth, and continue to be drawn on during breastfeeding.
Supporting steady energy with protein, healthy fats, and complex carbs to keep blood sugar balanced.
Continuing tissue repair with protein- and collagen-rich meals.
Caring for the nervous system with calming herbs and mineral-rich foods that support resilience and mood.
Sustaining milk supply with calorie-dense meals and snacks that make it easier to eat enough consistently.
What I made: Chicken, Chickpea + Quinoa Stew with Tahini
This recipe is abundant in nutrition and perfect for postpartum. It’s a big-batch, freezer-friendly meal that delivers protein from 5 different sources (chicken, chickpeas, bone broth, quinoa, and tahini!) energy-fuelling and digestion-supporting fiber and complex carbs, thanks to the chickpeas, veggies, and quinoa, extra warmth from the ginger, and many of the most needed minerals for you during this one-month postpartum window including magnesium, iron, potassium, phosphorus and copper.
Tahini isn’t just delicious in this stew — it’s also a great source of bioavailable calcium, one of the minerals most important to replenish during postpartum. Calcium stores are drained during pregnancy and breastfeeding (building a brand new skeleton and set of teeth!), so this meal helps rebuild while also offering steady energy and hearty comfort in a bowl.
What I made: Braised Chicken with Dates + Ginger
Dates aren’t just for prepping for labour — they’re also perfect for postpartum! Dates are naturally sweet, mineral-rich, and provide energizing carbohydrates, which makes them especially valuable when fatigue is high and you need fuel that can both nourish you and keep you energized.
We talk a lot about warming, digestion-friendly soups and stews for postpartum, but this method of braising chicken in a warm-spiced bone broth with soft dates and sweet potatoes is another soft, warming, and postpartum-friendly meal I would love to introduce to everyone!
This dish is cooked in a single skillet with chicken, dates, ginger, bone broth, and healing spices. It’s soft, warming, and packed with flavor. The bone broth adds minerals and collagen, while the ginger and spices provide anti-inflammatory support.
The chicken I use here is chicken thighs that are bone-in and skin-on, which is ideal for supporting tissue repair postpartum. It also means that the broth that is created during the cooking process is more gelatinous and nourishing for your gut. Plus, this cut of chicken is going to pack in more minerals and needed fats!
What I made: Soothing Herbal Latte Mix
Postpartum isn’t just physical — it’s emotional too. By week 4, the nervous system is often under strain from sleepless nights, constant caregiving, and ongoing hormone shifts. That’s why I love this Soothing Herbal Latte Mix.
It’s made with calmative nervine herbs like oatstraw and chamomile, blended with others known to ease stress and anxiety while supporting the nervous system. This kind of warm, mineral-rich drink is so comforting and it’s so easy to make. I usually prepare a mason-jar full of the herbal combo I’m choosing (there are several in The Nourished Mother!), so all that’s needed is to scoop some into a tea pot or mug and add some warm milk.
What I made: Magnesium Magic Bars
How good do these look!? I have to say, this is one of my favourite snack recipes in The Nourished Mother. And they really are made to give you the postpartum nutrients you need!
Magnesium is one of the most important minerals to replenish after pregnancy and birth. It’s involved in energy production, muscle function, nervous system regulation, and stress response — all things your body is asking for right now. Yet, many women are low in magnesium, and needs are even higher during postpartum and breastfeeding.
Why These Meals Are Perfect For Week 4 Postpartum
The fourth week after birth is about steady energy, nervous system support, and continuing recovery. These recipes were chosen to offer:
Protein + minerals like calcium and iron to rebuild stores.
Energizing complex carbs to keep blood sugar stable and fight fatigue.
Calming herbal support for the nervous system and mood.
Freezer- and family-friendly meals that ease the mental load of daily cooking.
Nutritious snacks that feel indulgent but support milk supply and energy.
Prepping Week 4 Postpartum Healing Recipes
If you’re prepping ahead for Week 4, or you’re in it right now, focus on hearty, batch-cooked meals paired with simple, nutrient-dense snacks and calming drinks. This is the season when energy often feels lowest, and food is one of the most effective ways to care for both your body and your nervous system.
Every recipe in this post comes from my cookbook, The Nourished Mother: Healing Recipes and Family Food for Postpartum + Beyond, which you can pre-order here to support your body, mind, and family in the weeks, months and years of motherhood!