Home | Nourish to Grow

Growing well nourished families

Nourish to Grow - Een ééndaags retreat als ode aan alle toekomstige moeders. Terwijl we on

Mama

Nourish to Grow is er om jou en je (groeiend) gezin te ondersteunen.

Verwacht je een kindje? Ontdek dan wat ik voor jou kan doen als Doula.

Ben je net zwanger of heb je al drie kleintjes rondlopen, en geïnteresseerd in voedzame maaltijden voor je gezin? Bekijk dan zeker onze food blog en meal plans!

Voeding Consult

Ontdek wat ik voor jou kan betekenen op vlak van pre- en postpartum zorg & voeding.

Aanbod

Doula
Begeleiding

Verse Maaltijden

Hey, ik ben Shady!

Het gezicht achter Nourish to Grow. Een klein beetje over mij:

Na 10 jaar ervaring als dierenarts sloeg ik een andere weg in toen mijn dochter ter wereld kwam. Haar geboorte raakte me zo diep, ik wist dat ik hiermee verder moest.

Wanneer een baby geboren wordt, wordt er ook een mama geboren. Ik ben er om jou daarin te ondersteunen. Voor, tijdens en na de bevalling.

Ik richt me op een holistische voorbereiding van de geboorte en benadruk daarbij het belang van voeding. Zowel voor de zwangerschap als de postpartum periode, met als doel een gezond lichaam en een gezonde baby.

Shop

Tallow Balm

Belly Oil

Hair Oil

18€

24€

21€

Coming Soon

@nourishtogrowbyshady

I’m so into baking lately - I just whip things I have in house and it always turns out great. My daughter is obsessed with mandarins these days so promised her a cake! This time, I wrote down the measurements (you know for this future (cook)book 😜)
🍊 Easy Mandarin Mascarpone Cake 🍂
Soft, moist and full of cozy autumn slow morning vibes

You’ll need:
🥚 2 eggs
🥣 180 g mascarpone or 150 g Greek yoghurt
🍊 3–4 mandarins (cut in small pieces — scissors work great!) + 1 tsp grated mandarin or lemon
🌾 150 g oats, blended into flour
🍯 Pumpkin spice / cinnamon / ginger / cardamom
🧂 1 tsp bicarbonate + 1/2 tsp sea salt
🍦 1 scoop vanilla whey protein (Elvou)
(no protein? add 1–2 eggs + 2 tbsp chia seeds instead)

Optional toppings:
Mandarin slices, dark chocolate (70% caramel sea salt 🤤), nuts or coconut — whatever you love.

1️⃣ Whisk the eggs, mascarpone and a drizzle of honey until smooth.
2️⃣ Add the rest of the ingredients and fold in the mandarin pieces.
3️⃣ Bake at 180°C for 35 minutes, then let it rest in the warm oven until ready to serve.

Enjoy warm with a spoon of Greek yoghurt, peanut butter or some melted dark chocolate.
🍁 Cozy, nourishing, and just a little bit indulgent.

(This one is gluten free and dairy free if you swap the mascarpone for coconut yoghurt) ENJOY 🍁🍊🍂🥮

**Postpartum foods 🍲✨**
After birth it’s all about warm, soft, nourishing meals – think congee, stews, broths, and chicken soup. Your intestines suddenly have so much more space and can be extra sensitive (read: gassy 💨). That’s why easily digestible food feels so supportive – like a warm hug from the inside. You also need to grow your baby now outside your body with your milk so good nutrition is still so important! 💕

✨And don’t forget your eggs (choline remember 🍳) and ! fats ! Grass-fed butter, ghee, coconut oil, or cream, lard, tallow, … Breastmilk is rich in fats and this is a time you should increase your intake (fattier milk = better neurological development).

✨Think also of Ayurvedic spices: turmeric, ginger, cardamom, shatavari, ashwagandha, saffron, and cinnamon. I love using them in pancakes, congee, rice pudding, or even a shatavari sweet potato brownie!

What to avoid in the early days: cold foods like raw vegetables or iced drinks. Instead, keep your water at room temperature and sip on herbal teas like chamomile (soothing for baby’s tummy), fennel, verbena, ginger, nettle, raspberry leaf, or lady’s mantle (all supportive for recovery and breastfeeding). 🌿

💛 Favorite midnight snack: medjool dates stuffed with grass-fed butter and topped with sea salt – heaven!

💖 Big thanks to my husband for preparing my meals exactly the way I want them 🤓 … and for making the best placenta smoothies 🩸😋.

(They just don’t look very appealing on the pics 😜)

🪷🪷🪷 One week Nilou(far), one week family of 4 🪷🪷🪷

8/08 ✨✨ Lionsgate 🦁🔮

**Floating Session**
with @leen_heusdens — @vertrouwdevroedvrouw 💧✨

Yesterday we had the most beautiful water relaxation session in a warm pool, guided by our beloved midwife Leen. Surrounded by floating tools and held by your partner, you’re gently rocked, supported and fully carried — both physically and emotionally.

It’s a moment of total surrender. Your body softens, your breath slows, and for a while you leave the outside world behind.

You hear only your own heartbeat, the subtle sounds from your belly, and feel yourself floating so freely — almost exactly like your baby growing inside you. Your baby, too, hears mostly your heartbeat and muffled voice. It’s a truly magical connection.

Toward the end, Leen let us float together — belly to belly, hearts aligned. I barely noticed what was happening, because I was in such a deep state of peace.

And it’s not just for the pregnant person. For your partner, it’s a rare opportunity to slow down, to reconnect, to witness the miracle of that growing belly — and just be.

Even small touches — on hips, legs, belly — feel so much more nourishing in warm water. Floating on your back is such a relief too, especially when you’ve been sleeping on your side for months.

**Why water?**
Warm water helps reduce muscle tension, lowers cortisol, supports blood flow, and enhances oxytocin release — the hormone of love, bonding, and birth. It creates the ideal conditions for rest, trust, and connection.

Highly recommend this to any pregnant couple — not just for the physical relief, but for the emotional intimacy it brings. 🌊🤍

Let’s talk about afterpains 🤍
After birth, your uterus contracts back to its original size — a process that can feel like menstrual cramps. These afterpains are often more intense with a second or third baby, but every woman experiences them differently. I really suffered from these afterpains with my first baby and it was something I never thought about actually. So, I want to be prepared for this time 💪🏻.

Oxytocin, the “love hormone” released during breastfeeding or skin-to-skin cuddles, triggers these contractions — so you might feel cramps especially when nursing. They usually ease after a few days.

🌿 Supportive herbs I bought:
• Lady’s Mantle tincture – known for its toning effect on the uterus. From 37 weeks, you can also sip it as a tea to prepare your womb for labour.
• White Willow Bark & Cramp Bark tincture – these herbs help ease uterine cramps naturally and gently, postpartum.

You can keep supporting your body with Lady’s Mantle and Red Raspberry Leaf tea after birth — both help tone and heal the uterus. Let me know if you also suffered from these afterpains and what you did about them? Also applying some heat on your uterus will help 🔥

Gentle care for a strong recovery 🌸 #afterpains #nourishtogrow #postpartum

.pro-gallery-wix-wrapper {display: block !important;} .pro-gallery-wix-wrapper .gallery-item-container {opacity: 1 !important; display: block !important;}