On Caring, Part I: Singapore Curry Noodles

I think I know now why people get the "February blahs."  Though there have been some temperate days, I'm itching to really get back outside again for more than a short walk, and I think I'm itching to do something besides staying at home.  This is entirely unreasonable, I know, given that I am three weeks postpartum and completely sleep deprived, but I'm feeling cooped up.  I guess in many ways, work, no matter how frustrating it was, gave me a place to go every day that offered different challenges and a change of scenery, and our pediatrician told us that we're not to go anywhere with the Bean until she is at least six weeks old.  She's actually a little under the weather as it is, I think ... her nose stuffy and I suspect, listening to her swallow, that she has postnasal drip.

I've been thinking a lot in the past two weeks about community, and the ways in which community has changed over the past few decades.  Most women in my mom's generation seem to remember a time when relatives came to stay with daughters who were new moms, and help them through the first few weeks of newborn life.  While I do know some people who had this kind of help, and we've been lucky to have support, now, new moms seem much more isolated in the weeks after birth, even if friends and family do come by.  And I wonder if that has anything to do with what I perceive to be a rise in postpartum depression.  We're no longer a village raising children and caring for mothers; we're little domestic islands.

I mentioned that we hired a postpartum doula to help out in the first month I was home.  It's definitely a luxury, and we are lucky that we were able to afford it, even if it meant that we had to make some sacrifices to do so, but I wish that it were something covered by insurance, in the same way that prenatal care is covered, so that every new mom could have support.  Having someone help both with breastfeeding issues and with things like folding and sorting the endless piles of laundry, and checking in on new moms regularly, would, I suspect, go a long way towards reducing PPD.  My doula (which means "mothering the mother") is far from perfect--she tends to be a little bit alarmist and to tell stories about the horrible things she's seen in the field, almost looking for problems in our house--but it's still been helpful to have someone be here on a daily basis, keeping me sane by engaging me in adult conversation.

When I had a doula with I., she also made me sit on the couch while she made me lunch, which was often grilled cheese and soup.  This doula doesn't do that, but she does make me take a nap and a walk every day, and she encourages me to eat healthy.  The other day I found five minutes to cook while she was here; I had half a bag of rice sticks in the cabinet, and I'd been thinking about making these noodles for a while.  I'm not actually a huge noodle/pasta fan, but something about these appealed to me ... and it was nice to be in front of a wok, even if for five minutes.  There are endless variations here; vary the spices and vegetables according to your tastes.

Singapore Curry Noodles

6 oz rice sticks, cooked according to package directions and drained
1 T. vegetable oil
1/2 t. sesame oil
1 egg, beaten
1 t. ginger, minced or grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 red or yellow pepper, chopped
(optional: something green, like 1/2 c. snap peas)
1 t. curry powder
1 T. soy sauce
1/2 c vegetable broth

Heat oils in a wok on high heat. Cook egg until lightly browned and remove from pan. Add ginger and garlic and saute for a minute or two (add more oil if you need to). Add carrots, onion, and pepper and saute until beginning to soften. Add curry powder and saute for a minute. Return the egg to the pan, and add noodles, soy sauce and broth, and stir until noodles become just lightly browned or liquid is mostly evaporated. Serve!