How much ghee after delivery is enough?

One to two teaspoons a day, spread over meals, is enough for a new mother. That is the same line ICMR-NIN's 2024 guidelines set for ghee or butter for every adult, and they ask that visible fat stay restricted while breastfeeding. A breastfeeding mother gets about 35 g of fats and oils a day in all, so the ghee sits inside that, with the rest as oil in the cooking.

This page is for a new mother in India, or the mother-in-law, mother, or husband cooking for her, who has been handed a jar of ghee and a list of rules for the first 40 days. We are the Parmar family in Gir Somnath, Gujarat, and we make ghee; we are not doctors or midwives. At home we eat 1 to 2 teaspoons each a day on roti, dal, and khichdi, with more only in winter sweets like adadiya pak and gond. A new mother does not need a bigger spoon than that. She needs more of everything else: ICMR-NIN adds 600 kcal and 13.6 g of protein a day for the first six months of breastfeeding, and that gap is filled by dal, milk, curd, nuts, and grains. Whether ghee makes more breast milk (it does not) is covered on ghee for breastfeeding.

Where the "2 to 3 tablespoons" advice comes from

It comes from the traditional 40 days of care for a new mother, called sutika paricharya in Ayurveda texts, which describe warm, oily food to rebuild a tired body. Many families and several ghee sellers' blogs still quote 2 to 3 tablespoons a day. No study has tested that amount for healing. Two tablespoons a day on top of normal food adds about 8,970 kcal over 40 days, close to four full days of a nursing mother's food, at a time when she is moving less. ICMR-NIN notes that many women gain weight after childbirth for exactly that reason.

When can you start ghee after a normal delivery or a C-section?

After a normal delivery, with the first normal meal. After a C-section, once the ward has you on normal food, starting with one teaspoon. There is no reason to hold ghee back for days after an uncomplicated birth, and no reason to rush it into a mother who still feels sick after surgery.

The NHS says most mothers can eat and drink after a caesarean as soon as they feel hungry or thirsty, and that activities like driving, exercise, and lifting anything heavier than the baby may have to wait 6 weeks or so. Your ward's own steps come first. Here is how the first 40 days usually go in a home that follows the teaspoon line. Screenshot it for whoever is cooking.

Our kitchen plan, built on ICMR-NIN's 1 to 2 teaspoon line for ghee (Guideline 7) and the NHS caesarean recovery and gestational diabetes pages. Your doctor's advice for your own recovery comes first.

Soft moong khichdi with a teaspoon of ghee on top is the easiest first meal at home, for either kind of birth; the method is on ghee khichdi. If the mother's stomach feels heavy, give the ghee with lunch only for a few days before adding the dinner spoon.

How much ghee is in panjeeri and gond laddoo?

About 15 g, or 3 teaspoons, in one serving of panjeeri or one gond laddoo made the traditional way. That is more than ICMR-NIN's ghee line for a whole day, in one piece. The sweets are where a new mother's ghee quietly piles up, because nobody counts the ghee that went into the kadai.

We worked this out from our own recipes on this blog. Both our panjeeri recipe and our gond ke laddoo recipe use 1.5 cups of ghee for 20 servings, and USDA FoodData Central weighs a cup of ghee at 205 g. Here is every common after-delivery portion against a nursing mother's whole day of fat.

Energy from USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 173412 (876 kcal per 100 g; cup 205 g, tablespoon 12.8 g). Teaspoon taken as 5 g. "Of 35 g fat" is the share of a breastfeeding mother's fats and oils for the day in ICMR-NIN's Table 1.6. Sweets: the ghee only, not the atta, sugar, or nuts. Checked 28 September 2026.

So the rule at home is simple: on a day with a piece of panjeeri or a laddoo, that piece is the ghee for the day, and the dal gets oil in the tadka instead of a spoon on top. A small bowl of panjeeri with warm milk every morning, which many families serve, can carry more fat than the whole ICMR-NIN day before lunch. Make the pieces small, and make them for the mother, not for every visitor who comes to see the baby.

Does ghee help the body heal after delivery?

Not directly. No study shows that ghee heals stitches, a C-section wound, or the uterus faster. What ghee gives is dense energy, a little vitamin A, and taste, which helps a tired mother with little appetite eat her dal and roti. Healing needs protein, iron, rest, and time, and ghee carries almost no protein or iron.

Some beliefs come up in almost every family, so here they are one by one.

• "Ghee cleans the uterus and brings out the dirty blood." The bleeding after birth (lochia) is normal. The NHS describes it as heavy at first, then turning brownish and slowing over several weeks until it stops. It stops on its own, with or without ghee.
• "Ghee fills the empty space in the stomach." This is the Ayurveda idea of Vata rising after birth. It is tradition, and warm food after birth is sensible, but it is not a medical finding.
• "Ghee joins the bones and fixes back pain." Ghee has almost no calcium (USDA lists 4 mg per 100 g). ICMR-NIN asks mothers to keep taking the iron-folic acid and calcium tablets from pregnancy while breastfeeding. Those do the job the ghee is said to do.
• "More ghee means more strength." Strength comes back with food, sleep, and the baby settling. Extra ghee past the teaspoon line adds calories, not recovery.

Many families also say ghee is cooling, not heating, which is why it stays on the plate after a summer delivery; the Ayurveda side of that is on is ghee heating or cooling. What a spoon actually carries is on ghee nutrition facts.

Can ghee help constipation and piles after delivery?

A teaspoon of ghee in warm dal or khichdi can make food easier to get down, but water and fibre do the real work. The NHS says most mothers do not pass stool for a few days after the birth, and asks them to eat fruit, vegetables, and whole grains and drink plenty of water to avoid constipation. ICMR-NIN asks for over 2 litres of fluid a day and fibre-rich food (whole grains, dal, vegetables) for the same reason.

Piles are very common after birth and usually settle within days or weeks, the NHS says. The same food and water help, and a midwife or pharmacist can suggest a cream. If constipation does not go away, a doctor can give a gentle laxative. Ghee in large amounts is not a laxative and can loosen stools in a way that just makes a sore bottom worse. More on ghee for constipation and on ghee for piles after delivery.

Will ghee make you gain weight after delivery?

At 1 to 2 teaspoons a day, no: that is 44 to 88 kcal in a day of about 2,245 kcal for a nursing mother. The weight comes from the old tablespoon habit and the daily bowl of panjeeri, at a time when a mother is mostly sitting, feeding, and resting.

ICMR-NIN's guidelines name the weeks after childbirth as a time when women tend to gain weight, from less activity and extra calories, and they advise slow, steady weight loss over crash diets. So the answer is not to cut ghee to zero, which only takes taste off a tired mother's plate. It is to keep ghee at the teaspoon, count the sweets, and start walking when your doctor says you can. The maths behind the teaspoon is on ghee for weight loss, and your own family's daily ghee and oil can be worked out with our ghee and oil calculator.

Who should keep ghee low after delivery?

Mothers who had gestational diabetes, a C-section in the last few days, gallstones, high cholesterol or heart trouble, or a baby with cow's milk allergy should let their doctor set the ghee and the sweets. For them it is often less than a teaspoon, and the panjeeri waits.

The NHS notes that women who had gestational diabetes are more likely to get type 2 diabetes later, which is why the sweet batch matters more than the teaspoon for them; the diabetes side is on can diabetics eat ghee. The full list of people who should go easy on ghee is on who should not eat ghee. This page is general food information, not medical advice.

Which signs after delivery need a doctor, not a diet change?

Any of the signs below needs your doctor, midwife, or hospital the same day, whatever the family says about food. The first five are from the NHS pages on recovery after birth and after a caesarean; they can mean bleeding, infection, or a blood clot.

• Sudden or very heavy bleeding from the vagina, or passing large clots.
• A high temperature with a sore, tender tummy.
• A C-section wound that turns more red, painful, or swollen, or leaks pus or foul-smelling fluid.
• Pain, swelling, or redness in the calf of one leg.
• Chest pain, a cough, or trouble breathing.
• Low mood or worry that does not lift, or thoughts of harming yourself or the baby.

No food, ghee included, treats any of these. A family that is busy with laddoos can miss a fever or a painful calf, so it helps if one person keeps an eye on the mother and not just the kitchen.

Which ghee is best after delivery?

Plain cow or buffalo ghee with one ingredient on the label, an FSSAI licence number, and a clean smell of toasted milk when warmed. There is no special "delivery ghee". What matters is a jar the family trusts, because a new mother eats from it every day and the panjeeri batch uses a lot of it at once.

A new mother notices every change in the jar, and relatives notice more. In our kitchen, winter milk is richer and the ghee sets with a fine grain; in summer it can stay liquid in the jar; in the monsoon, green fodder turns cow ghee a deeper yellow. All of that is normal. A batch left too long on the chulha comes out dark, bitter, and smelling burnt, and one taken off too early stays cloudy and spoils fast; neither goes into a jar. Sour, soapy, or waxy is never normal. The kitchen tests for a new jar are on how to identify pure ghee, and how the cow ghee jars on the market compare is on best cow ghee in India.

Which ghee for the first 40 days?

At 1 to 2 teaspoons a day, the mother's own spoon uses about 400 ml over 40 days. The sweets are the big user: one panjeeri or laddoo batch from our recipes takes 1.5 cups, about 360 ml, at once. So most homes need one jar for the mother's plate and one for the kadai. How curd Bilona (curd churned by hand) differs from cream ghee is on the Bilona method.

We make and sell ghee, so weigh this with that in mind. For the mother's teaspoon we would pick our own A2 Gir cow ghee: milk from grass-fed Gir cows with no hormone injections, set to curd overnight, churned, and cooked in a matki on a wood chulha. For the panjeeri or gond laddoo batch, our Jafarabadi buffalo ghee is richer and sets firmer, which helps the pieces hold. Each jar is made after you order, and a video of your jar being cooked and packed comes on WhatsApp. Varsha tastes every batch before it is packed, and we test every month against the FSSAI limits; the steps are on how we make ghee.

"Can I give it to my baby?" is one of the questions we get most on WhatsApp. Not yet: a baby's first ghee comes at six months, with solid food, and the amounts are on ghee for babies. Before the birth, the daily amount by trimester is on ghee during pregnancy.

The mother's daily teaspoon on dal and khichdi

1 Litre

A2 Cow Ghee

Gir & Desi Cows

250ml 500ml 1 Litre 2 Litre 5 Litre

5.0

60

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Trial pack of A2 Normal method ghee. Perfect for small families to experience modern purity.

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The panjeeri or gond laddoo batch

1 Litre

Buffalo Ghee

Indian Buffalo

250ml 500ml 1 Litre 2 Litre 5 Litre

5.0

10

60

Trial pack of Buffalo Normal method ghee. Perfect for small families to experience modern purity.

🍯 Bilona

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🥛 Curd Based

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₹ 1999

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Each order is cooked after you place it, and the packing video is of that batch. Past order videos are on the shop.

FAQ

Is cow ghee or buffalo ghee better after delivery?

Either works for a new mother, because the amount matters more than the animal. Cow ghee is lighter in taste and colour, and most families keep it for the daily teaspoon on dal and khichdi. Buffalo ghee is richer and sets firmer, which suits a panjeeri or gond laddoo batch that has to hold together. Both are almost pure fat with nearly the same calories per spoon, so the 1 to 2 teaspoon line applies to both.

Can I drink ghee in hot water on an empty stomach after delivery?

Many families give a new mother a spoon of ghee in warm water or milk first thing in the morning, but no study shows it speeds healing or clears the stomach. It is safe for most mothers if it is one teaspoon and counts as part of the day's ghee. If you have gallstones, reflux, or loose stools, take the ghee with a meal instead. Warm water on its own still helps with the fluids you need.

Is ghee heating for a new mother in summer?

Ayurveda describes ghee as cooling rather than heating, which is one reason families keep it in the diet after a summer delivery. That is tradition, not a tested fact. What does make a new mother feel hot in summer is heavy, fried, and sugary food with too little water. Keep the ghee at a teaspoon or two, go easy on laddoos in hot months, and drink to thirst at every feed.

Can ghee be massaged on the mother's body after delivery?

Oil or ghee massage for the new mother is an old household tradition in many parts of India, and a gentle massage can feel good. Nothing shows it heals the body faster. Keep it away from a C-section wound or stitches until they have healed and your doctor is happy, and stop if the skin gets red or itchy. A thin layer is enough; the rest washes off in a warm bath.

Is homemade ghee better than a bought jar for a new mother?

Homemade ghee is fine if it has been cooked until the milk solids turn golden-brown and the bubbling stops, then strained into a dry jar. Undercooked ghee keeps water and can turn sour quickly, so throw out any that smells sour or grows mould. A bought jar should list one ingredient and carry an FSSAI licence number. In both cases, use a dry spoon and keep the jar away from the stove.

When can a new mother go back to eating normally?

Most families keep the special food for about 40 days, but there is no medical rule that says you must wait. ICMR-NIN's 2024 guidelines say there is no need to avoid foods because of food beliefs and taboos. Once you are home and eating, the family plate with extra dal, milk, curd, and nuts is the right diet, and your ghee stays at 1 to 2 teaspoons.

Sources

1. Dietary Guidelines for Indians, 2024 (Table 1.6, printed p. 11; Guideline 2, printed pp. 15, 18, and 20; Guideline 7, printed p. 54; Guideline 9, printed p. 68), ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition. Checked 28 Sep 2026.
2. Butter oil, anhydrous (FDC ID 173412), SR Legacy, USDA FoodData Central. Checked 28 Sep 2026.
3. Your body after the birth, NHS. Checked 28 Sep 2026.
4. Caesarean section: recovery, NHS. Checked 28 Sep 2026.
5. Gestational diabetes, NHS. Checked 28 Sep 2026.