From Stork Clubs to Frozen Dinners: Meal Solutions for Brand-New Parents

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Are your arms full but your fridge is empty? Find out how to keep healthy meals coming after the baby is born.

Picture this. You've arrived home from the hospital with your new bundle of joy. You and your husband set your bags down, place the baby in the bassinet, and head over to the couch for a few minutes of much needed rest. Almost immediately the phone rings, your in-laws show up to see how everything is going, and the dog needs to be walked. Three hours later the visitors have departed and the baby has been fed and changed. You and your husband then realize the grumbling sound you've been hearing for the last hour is coming from your own stomachs. For the past few days you've had the hospital staff taking care of your every nutritional need, and suddenly you're on your own.

What you are going to eat after you return home from the hospital or birthing center often gets left off the pre-due date checklist, particularly for first-time parents. They don't realize the first few days are going to go by in a blur of catching up on sleep, entertaining visitors, trying to keep the house straightened, and nursing the baby or preparing bottles.

"The hospital really spoils you and it's not until you get home that you realize it's a coordinated effort to take care of a baby," says first-time mom Michele Weir. "Even though I have an amazing husband, it's still hard to get in a decent meal."

Here are a few tips and quick meal ideas that will enable you to still eat nutritiously without having to call for take-out every day.