1.) Is there anything particular we should be looking out for to include in our diets? I've heard some cultures have special soups and such for immediate postpartum time and/or the babymoon. I know there are also these little oat cake thingies eaten in Hungary, but I lost my recipe for them... Basically, a lot of cultures have special foods to eat for directly after birth, and then beyond. Anyone have any special recipes, or just general guidelines?

2.) After my last birth I wasn't hungry at ALL, for weeks on end, and had to force myself to choke food down. And considering my usual rule is eat when you're hungry... that was a challenge! And even barely eating the needed amount of food, trying to eat as healthy as possible, etc., I gained about 15 lbs in a few weeks... goodness knows why... Maybe because I was sleep deprived? Anyway, is this typical, because I haven't heard people discussing this before...

So umm... what are your thoughts?

I was famished and scarfed down everything put in front of me for a couple weeks. I think I had grilled cheese and tomato soup first. A soup with bone broth would have been better but I didn't know how to make it then. I drank GALLONS of orange juice the first week, just felt I needed it. The sugars helped balance my blood sugar than kept suddenly dropping, the fluids were good, and the Vit C helped protect me from infection. I found myself very much enjoying shredded wheat too, whole grains have complex carbs, protien, and fiber, I suppose I needed that. Besides that I ate like normal except large portions and frequent snacks.

Bone broth, BTW, is made simmering leftover bones in water, a little vinegar, and a little salt for 1 to 48 hours (I do it overnight after the dinner that produced the bones). It gets a ton of good minerals and flavor.

Here's a story of the opposite I was reading:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070814074932AADnihT

I suggest lots of fiber and water/drinks/soups. Post-partum constipation can be mighty painful...I made the mistake of drinking very little during my 20 hour labor and then eating nothing but a grilled cheese sandwich (I was craving it after ds was born!) and still not drinking enough fluids...not a pleasant experience...