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A midwife has explained the exact reason new mums are given tea and toast after giving birth in the UK. Angie, who has worked as a practicing midwife for the last 11 years, shares advice for mums to be on social media to help them prepare for pregnancy, labour and birth.

She explained why it is traditional for mums who have just given birth to their babies, both vaginally or by a caesarean section, are offered tea and toast by the hospital. In recent years, the act of being given tea and toast has become something mums look forward to, with many describing it as "the best meal of their life".

But why are you offered tea and toast after giving birth? There are actually three logical reasons why it is the chosen first meal, above nutritionally full meals that contain fruit and vegetables.

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Angie said: "Tea and toast is like one of those British traditions that we have the moment we've had our babies. And I know that there'll be lots of people who will come up and say it's not nutritionally the best meal, but let me give you three reasons why it's just fabulous.

"So number one is your body has just birthed a baby, your uterus is basically climbed Everest going through labour and birth, or it's been through major surgery. And having that tea and toast provides carbohydrates.

"If you have sugar in your tea, some extra sugar to really boost your energy so that you can look after your baby, to feed your baby, to produce breast milk if you're planning on breastfeeding and help with the recovery in that very immediate postnatal period."

The second reason midwifes offer tea and toast is due to people being known to associate certain smells and tastes with trauma.

Angie said: "The second reason is thinking about the psychology. So tea and toast are fairly plain, they're fairly plain smells in general, but they are also pretty comforting foods and drinks to have.

"If there's been any sort of birth trauma at any stage, sometimes certain smells, certain tastes, if you were to have that again in the future, it can take you back to that moment of trauma, that birthing room, that birthing environment.

"We know that sometimes our brains can associate certain smells or tastes to certain points within our life. And so tea and toast is a pretty plain first meal to have.

"Nausea and vomiting happens in so many labours and births because of epidurals, pathogen, oxytocin naturally occurring. The amount of women who have vomited their placenta out of the years is just staggering in my experience.

"And it's quite similar to when you've been ill, for example... you tend to start with your plain foods first to see if it stays down. By having something quite plain like tea and toast, for example, if it settles in your tummy, great.

"If it comes back up and bounces and goes the way that you did not intend it to, it's not the worst tasting thing to bring back up.

"If you were to have soups or broths or something else, you may be put off of that for life. There will be plenty of time for healthy, nutritious foods with lots of fruit and vegetables and fibre within your diet in that postnatal recovery.

"But that first tea and toast after birthing your baby and bringing them into the world is like literally the biggest British cultural tradition in having a baby here."

Many people commented on the video to express how the tea and toast made the pain of childbirth "worth it", with another adding they had "never" enjoyed a meal so much.

One user said: "I think I had a full loaf after my birth I couldn’t stop asking for more.. even had jam! I’d say that was worth the pain."

A second added: "my midwife made me about 6 slices of peanut butter on toast and nothing will ever taste so good again."

A third said: "I barely remember what I had to eat after my first baby but the tea and toast is such a vivid memory with my second and I've never enjoyed something quite as much to this day."