I packed a few snacks to keep on hand during my 2-night stay at the hospital for the delivery of my son, but I truly didn’t need very much. Several friends told me how much they appreciated having healthy snacks on hand in the recovery room, but between my mom and my sisters coming and going all the time, plus my husband who was able to run out on quick errands for meals, I had plenty of delicious food being delivered to the hospital from all of my favorite South Austin spots.
Here are the local Austin foods I enjoyed while I was in the hospital for Milo’s delivery:
Monday morning, 8 am: Labor began late on Sunday night, so by the time 8 am rolled around on Monday morning and it was time to pack up for the hospital, I was feeling the edges of a caffeine headache creeping in due to going all night without sleep. Contractions were strong and my tummy felt too nauseated to handle black coffee, so I sent Nate to the grocery store to pick up some sparkling Yerba Mate from a local Austin brand called CLEAN Cause. Each can has 140 mg of caffeine, which was plenty to knock out a caffeine headache and give me some organic energy for the long day of birthing ahead.
Monday morning, 10 am: I only made it halfway through a piece of whole grain toast with butter before a big contraction hit, and while I was moaning and breathing through it, Storm (our cat) came and licked the butter off the second half of my toast… 😉 Nate called in to Juiceland and placed an order for a Percolator smoothie + hemp protein that I sipped on the way to the hospital. I desperately didn’t want to drink that smoothie, but Nate said I should really try to get some protein in my body before the long day ahead. He was right.
Monday noon: My sister arrived at the hospital with a box of a dozen Round Rock donuts in her arms. I was deep in labor at this point, but the thought of getting one of those orange-glazed donuts definitely gave me an extra boost of motivation. 😉
Monday evening, 9 pm, post-delivery: My first meal after giving birth? Ramen! A cold front blew through Austin, and nothing in the world sounded better to me than a big, hearty bowl of rich broth and chewy noodles. Michi Ramen offers their soup to-go, and while I prefer Ramen Tatsu-ya on any other day, Michi is my top choice when I need to get a bowl of ramen to take-out. My mom and sisters went to the restaurant to eat, and they brought back two bowls of soup to the hospital for Nate and me to eat in our recovery room.
Tuesday morning, 8 am: My older sister, Cara, had to leave early to go back to Dallas for work. “Need anything for breakfast?” she texted me. “Breakfast tacos! Bacon/egg/cheese” was my response. She knows me well enough to know to get them from Polvo’s. I devoured my taco while she gave Milo some snuggles.
Tuesday morning, 9 am: My younger sister, Kylee, showed up at the hospital and placed a cup of hot, black coffee in my hand. Kylee said that the barista at Mañana gave her the coffee on the house when she mentioned she was picking it up for her sister who had just given birth. So kind! My mom walked in with some treats from La Patisserie, including their famous CroBrio; one bite of that and my mom said, “ooh, that’s sweet!” It’s a combination of a brioche and a croissant, stuffed with a thick vanilla custard.
Tuesday evening, 7 pm: We turned on the World Series on the hospital TV, Nate went to Pinthouse Pizza to pick up two of my favorite pizzas (Pepperoni + Basil, and a Cannonball), and my mom stopped by Central Market for one of my favorite salads (kale, ginger, and cranberry from the prepared foods section) and a bottle of Rosé and Pinot Grigio. We watched the Astros lose game 6, but we were so cozy and snug in that hospital room with our family pizza party that it hardly mattered.
Wednesday morning, 8 am: Milo’s 36 hour check was at 5 am that morning, and by 8 am I was desperate for some coffee and breakfast. I sent Nate out to Patika to get a pour-over and a Rosen’s bagel for breakfast.
We came home on Wednesday afternoon to a clean, cozy home where my mom was busy preparing some delicious homemade soups and stew for the next several nights of dinners. Now a week into my maternity leave at home, I’ve consumed so many nutritious, homemade meals thanks to my mom, my husband, and my mother-in-law. Life is extra sweet right now.
