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WTF Are Postpartum Confinement Meals? A Look Inside Julia’s Kitchen

Rarely does one roll into the the fourth trimester unscathed…

The postpartum period feels like Van Gogh’s Sunflowers period, a radiant period when we’re holding a beautiful baby in our arms, intermixed with personal, mental, and physical challenges.

Fun times!

In Chinese culture, there’s Postpartum Month/ Confinement Month, where varied traditions are practiced to help new mothers heal from childbirth.

Healing in the form of confinement is a deep commitment! This 30 to 45 day-sentence includes (but isn’t limited to) no hair washing, no going outside, no physical activities, and a ban on the consumption of cold food or beverages (Goodbye ice cream, my old friend).

In Vancouver, you have three options on how to navigate your Confinement Month.

  1. Family - When you’re driven by a strong filial duty to eat every prepared dish (everything has ginger in it) AND listen while century-old wisdom is being imparted (which you don’t believe in but listen to anyway in case you do regret the arthritis later on in life).

  2. Confinement Nannies - A nanny comes to your house, cooks postpartum meals, and takes care of your baby. It will set you back around $10K for a month of services.

  3. Confinement Meals Delivered To Your Home - You know what I appreciate about ready-to-eat, pre-made meals? They provide the nourishment without the additional advice (IYKYK), making meal delivery services geared towards new Moms both a time and sanity-saver…

While looking into meal delivery services, I discovered Julia’s Kitchen, a licensed commercial kitchen and catering company in Richmond that specializes in Chinese postpartum meal plans. Julia generously gifted me with a One-Day Meal Tasting Experience, and here was what went down.

First of all, wtf are postpartum confinement meals?

I can tell you that confinement meals and drinks are never, ever served cold. Chicken, eggs, pork, ginger (warming properties), and red dates (helps with blood loss) carry a postpartum seal of approval that is impenetrable through the ages, so be prepared to eat this on rotation for a month… to heal!

How does Julia’s Kitchen do confinement meals?

Julia’s Kitchen strives for a personalized meal experience and will ask about your food preferences, dietary restrictions, and allergies during a consultation call. Ensure the meal plans are tailored to your needs by sharing your labour experience too.

Julia’s restorative soups and curative dishes are prepared Cantonese-style. They’re intended to be low in sodium and oil. Hello healthy goodness!

What was included in my One-Day Meal Tasting Experience?

WTF Hubby carried in a hefty box of food on Sunday, and I was excited to find the following inside:

Breakfast - sticky rice, egg with corn and carrots, and squash porridge
Lunch - pork patty with purple rice, cabbage with dried shrimp and sauce, and coconut chicken soup
Dinner - Stir-fried chicken, mushrooms, and snap peas with sauce, grilled salmon, vermicelli with winter melon? and sauce, brown rice, and lean pork with figs soup
Sweet soup - red bean sweet soup
Snack - oatmeal cranberry cookies
Other - brown rice tea packets and organic chicken essence

My Experience

Don’t get me wrong. I appreciated the food I received from our family, but after two weeks of ginger pork, it needed a restraining order. Desperately craving novelty, Julia’s Kitchen delivered.

Speaking of delivery (see what I did there?), meals can be scheduled to arrive at your home either every day or every other day. The delivery driver will also give you a heads up when he/ she is close by. The meals typical arrive between 3 to 7pm, and you would start with the dinner portions.

Julia’s meals were easy to heat up, homey, and comforting! It’s healthy food that makes you feel good from the inside out. The portion sizes never left me hungry afterwards which is saying a lot because these days, my appetite is pretty much ravenous.

My favourites from the tasting experience include the fragrant sticky rice, squash porridge, pork patty with purple rice, coconut chicken soup, lean pork with figs soup, organic chicken essence, and the cookies!

What meal plans are offered by Julia’s Kitchen?

The quality of food is the same across all meal plans. What varies is the number of days you can choose from: 15, 20, 30, or 45 days worth of meals.

Meal options are rotated every 14 days, so expect some repetition.

Julia’s Kitchen is gearing up for a Mother’s Day Promotion with cash voucher draws taking place on May 31st. They also have a loyalty program, where every $1 spent is a star. You can start redeeming for special postpartum products at 300 stars.

Interested?

For more information about your own One-Day Meal Tasting Experience at home or any of the available meal plans, message Julia’s Kitchen on Instagram or visit the website.

Wishing you a speedy recovery, however you’re spending your time this postpartum period.