'It was heaven.' 25 women share the first meal they had after having a baby.

Birthing a baby is hard. I don’t care which way you do it, it’s intense and overwhelming and exhausting and a big deal.

But before having my first child, I didn’t know that on the other side of all that anguish and pain was one of the greatest joys of life. The post-birth meal.

To me, this meal should be talked about in reverential tones. It's something so special and so impactful that it should be the main topic of conversation at every baby shower – who cares what colour you’re painting the nursery, or which names you like, I want to know what you’re going to chow down on once you’ve birthed your baby into the world. 

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My first labour went for 14 hours and ended in an emergency c-section. By the time I got to the ward, it was the middle of the night, there was no dinner on offer, I was bed bound because of the epidural, and I was starving. My husband couldn’t leave and come back with food as visiting hours were well and truly over, and he wouldn’t have been allowed back in. 

So that first night, I had to settle for a piece of barely toasted bread with a scrape of honey (no butter, they’d run out) and a black cup of tea (milk had run out too). It wasn’t great, but I was so hungry I scoffed it down in about 30 seconds.

But here’s the good bit, what I consider my real post-birth meal. The next morning, my sister came to the hospital with a big pack of sushi (which I hadn’t been able to eat for the entire pregnancy as it’s considered a risk food), a large strong latte, and a chocolate croissant.

It was heaven. 

I didn’t share a bite of it with my visitors, I just happily sat in bed munching away while they cuddled the baby. 

I wanted to know what other mums inhaled after they gave birth and asked the Mamamia community for the details of their post-birth meals and wow, like me, people love talking about this. There were so many responses I could only share a smattering of them! 

1. "I laboured for about 18 hours with my son with only a few lollies to keep me going. After he was born, the midwife brought me a hospital breakfast. It was the best cup of tea and bowl of Weetbix I’ve ever had in my life!"

2. "My husband brought me sushi and a huge chunk of Roquefort cheese. That is true love."

3. "My bestie brought me a tray of sashimi fresh from the fish markets. And when I say a tray, I mean a full tray, with varied selections of sashimi. It must have cost her a fortune. It's still one of the most delicious meals I’ve ever had."

4. "I had the best bowl of cornflakes I’ve ever eaten."

5. "Vegemite toast and tea. The ultimate comfort food!"

6. "My husband brought me Maccas to the birthing suite. I was so happy lying on my belly next to our baby muching on a Big Mac. The best."

7. "They brought me the best ham, cheese, and tomato sandwich. It was heaven. I inhaled it in about 0.05 seconds."

8. "My husband brought me a hamper with sushi, a charcuterie board with salami and soft cheeses, and liquorice bullets. It was amazing."

9. "Hot chips and gravy with all the chicken salt."

10. "Homemade veggie soup and a whole head of steamed broccoli. I had such a craving."

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11. "My sister-in-law made me a white roll with ham, soft cheese, pickled onions, and lots of salad, it was the greatest thing I’ve ever eaten."

12. "A hospital roast dinner about two hours after labour. I gobbled it up and said, 'My goodness, I could eat another plate of that.' The midwife said got me another!"

13. "I had gestational diabetes, so I devoured a big block of chocolate once I found out I wasn’t diabetic anymore."

14. "A chicken and lettuce sandwich. In between pushes I kept thinking about how I couldn’t wait to eat a sandwich, and I kept talking about this to the OB and the midwife (I had an epidural, so I had zero pain while I pushed the baby out, and the luxury of thinking about sandwiches)."

15. "My friend ate a chicken parmi in the middle of labour."

16. "My midwife asked me at 4am if I’d like a hot cup of tea and some jam toast. I just wanted to cry with happiness, especially because I’d been off tea my whole pregnancy."

17. "Camembert, all the camembert, and a glass of real champagne."

18. "I missed all meals during the day, bit busy having a baby. I was starving after it all, so my husband went out and got KFC. Then the lady in the bed next to me sent her husband out for KFC as well. She said it was the chips that made her do it."

19. "I had potato cakes, chips, and a huge orange juice; I had gestational diabetes so had to avoid all my favourites during pregnancy."

20. "Maggie Beer Pheasant Farm pate, and a glass of Scarborough Chardonnay."

21. "My mum has brought me a fresh bap roll with butter and ham off the bone after each of my births. It’s so so good."

22. "My husband brought me a Vietnamese pork roll."

23. "Just plain white toast with butter after both my births. It was the best toast I’ve ever eaten."

24. "I don’t know about eating, but that first cup of tea was the best I’ve ever had."

25. "Smoked salmon and cream cheese bagels. I still haven’t tasted ones as good as those first ones after nine long months without them."

Feature Image: Getty.