Holistic Postpartum Meal Delivery Service - Help Us Support New Parents All Over Aotearoa

Project 2021-10-11 09:59:53 +1300

Our vision

We believe in a world where all mothers and parents are supported, nourished and thriving

We created For You Postpartum to pick up the threads of community that have been lost around new parents and bring the focus back to their wellbeing.

We create balanced meals, snacks and teas for the postpartum period in our commercial kitchen and deliver these 1-week packages right to your door, anywhere in the country!

 We want to reimagine and revolutionise the postpartum experience for mothers and parents in Aotearoa.

Next year, in 2022, we are launching Aotearoa's first naturopath-formulated postpartum meal delivery service and we need YOUR help to do it!

Who are we?

We are Sara & Chelsea

We are degree-qualified naturopaths & medical herbalists, Chelsea is a postpartum doula & nutritionist and we are both new mothers ourselves.

We spent 3 years getting our Bachelor degree in naturopathic and herbal medicine alongside one another and have spent over 4 years collectively working in our field and in clinical practice.

We have both since delved into further studies, taking different paths that led us to the same destination, being inspired by ancient ways of support and the healing philosophies of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Ayurvedic medicine. Particularly in the postpartum period.

Through our collective postpartum experiences we have seen firsthand the difference that food can make in this huge time of transition into parenthood. After years of dreaming up this business, For You Postpartum was born!

What are we offering?

We have created a package that provides a week’s worth of main meals, snacks and teas that will be delivered straight to your door. You receive 6-7 meals with 2-3 servings of each meal that is based on traditional recipes. Our snacks range from cacao energy balls, to lactation cookies and raw slices.
We have designed these nutrient-dense snacks to provide protein, healthy fats and other galactagogue (milk-boosting) ingredients to support breastfeeding. We also formulate and include herbal teas designed by us to support recovery, calm the nervous system, build resilience and support hormonal balance. Everything in our package, including all the herbs, are lactation-friendly.

We use organic local produce and have both plant-based and omnivore menus. 

Our meals are slow cooked, easy to digest and warming for the body. These meals are made to align with traditional postpartum practices and are infused with Chinese medicinal herbs to make them deeply therapeutic. Everything is carefully made with love and intention by us!

All our food is then packaged in our home compostable packaging and will arrive to you chilled and ready to eat, refrigerate or freeze. Our packaging is also microwave safe to make it as convenient as possible for you.

Our why

We feel deeply that every birthing person needs and deserves to be nourished after birth and it is our mission to bring that to the birthing people of New Zealand. 

We have been inspired by the traditional ways and the wisdom that has been passed down through generations, in many cultures around the world. These cultures understand and value the importance of postpartum, this fourth trimester, and the need for healing and rest to be front and centre.
 

Zuo Yuezi refers to a period of confinement or “sitting in” which is custom in Traditional Chinese Medicine and in Ayurvedic medicine it is believed that the first 40 days affect the next 40 years of a birthing person's life. This means that if you prioritize rest, warmth, nutritional food, and support during your postpartum, this will improve your health and wellbeing in the years to come. 

Unfortunately, the postpartum period is not valued enough in Western culture. People have a lot to say about wellness during pregnancy but somehow postpartum health has, for the most part, been forgotten.  

Once a baby has been born, the focus often shifts entirely to the baby, whilst nourishing the new parent falls by the wayside. Parents are more likely to receive messages such as “When can we see the baby?” rather than “How can I support you? What’s your favourite meal? Let me come over and fold the washing for you.” 

Mothers feel the pressure to be everything to everyone and it quickly leads to a burnout that can be detrimental to the whole family and community at large. 

Community care must be at the core of rewriting the newborn mother narrative.

That's where we come in.

Our meals are naturopathically-formulated to assist healing, replenish the body after pregnancy and birth, provide the extra nutrients for breastfeeding and support the body through all the stresses that being a new parent brings.

If we can provide nourishment for the new mother or parent, then they can focus on bonding, resting and recovering postpartum.

How it will work

You will be able to hop onto our website, select your package and any ‘add ons’ you like as well as which menu suits you (plant-based or omnivore).

You just need to order before the end of the week to have your week's worth of ready-to-eat meals delivered to your door by that following week.

If you are buying a package as a gift, you can include a personalised note that we will include in the delivery. You will also be able to purchase smaller bundles such as just teas and cookies instead of the full packages. There will be an option for everyone and we will expand and develop our offerings even more over time.

The journey so far

We initially planned to start small in our local area, but after sharing about our idea on social media, and testing our packages on some new parents, the resounding feedback was that parents all over the country need and want this service. 

This reaffirmed to us how much this support is needed and we are now setting our business up to have a much larger reach. 

This is where you come in!

Your support will enable us to cover our start-up costs, allowing us to upscale our production and provide seamless service to new parents all over New Zealand. 

Our vision is clear and we have done our research.

We have designed our menus, trialled our recipes, ensured our food and kitchen is safe and chosen the most practical packaging that also takes care of the planet. 

We know how we can deliver all over New Zealand, now we just need the money to help get us over the line and up and running.

Your support and pledges will allow us to get into our commercial kitchen space and begin creating meals for parents all over Aotearoa by February 2022! 

What next?

Our holistic meal service is just the beginning for us. We want to work alongside other passionate practitioners, birth workers and humans to create a movement of postpartum care and support. 

A very important goal of ours is to create a ‘pay it forward’ system built into our business model that allows us to give meal packages to parents and mothers in need or with limited financial support so that they also receive postpartum nurturing and support. As we grow we will also be looking at other ways we can give back to the community and provide regenerative postpartum care for everyone.  

Our goals: Where your pledge will go 

First tier goal

$20,000 

This is our minimum goal. This will enable us to cover our start-up costs, extra equipment to make larger volumes of food, kitchen registration and audit, order our packaging and purchase a machine for sealing our packaged meals (most practical option and a home compostable choice). With this money we will be able to build an easy-to-use website, and deliver to all regions of New Zealand right from the get-go! This is the boost we need to get up and running. Having these start-up costs covered means we can offer a smooth service and begin supporting postpartum parents by February 2022!

Second tier goal

$25,000

This would be a big achievement for us! A large portion of this money will go towards the system we are creating to provide packages and support to mothers in need. It means we can start donating packages and food right away. This will also give us a head start to be able to work on new offerings for you such as family food packages, collaborating with other local businesses, new menus, and more. 

Third tier goal

$30,000

Reaching this tier would help us skyrocket our business! We would use this extra money to begin developing the next stage of our business which is creating packaged dry mixes for broths, soups and curries as well as dried herbs to add to your meals for extra goodness. Think dry ingredients for lactation cookies, energy balls and more! These could be shipped all around the globe to reach more and more parents. We can also implement personalised doula/postpartum support offerings alongside our meals for a truly holistic service.

How can you support?

The best part about supporting our campaign is that not only will you help us bring this offering to new parents but you will also receive some epic rewards!  

No amount is too little. Even a small donation of $5 not only helps us reach our target but lets us know you support our vision. If you don't have any cash to give but want to support us, please share our campaign with your community on social media, or simply spread the word! The more we talk about postpartum care the more people will realise how important taking care of new parents really is.

 Help us take care of mothers

Because we believe mothers and parents have the most important role on the planet. Raising our future generations.

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