Before Baby Arrives... Stock Up for You Too - 19 Postpartum Essentials

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The Baby is coming! You're prepped and ready to go; diapers, wipes, sleepers, bassinet, car seat... everything is ready. WAIT...... You're forgetting something aren't you. Yes, you are.

What about the amazing human who's about to give birth to this baby? Do they need anything? YES. YES THEY DO.

Society has been programmed to think about the baby when someone is pregnant. The "baby shower" is literally that; focused on the baby. I think SLOWLY more and more people are starting to give gifts that are focused on the individual giving birth, but 9 times out of 10, the stuff you get is for baby.

What about you?? You are about to go on a marathon, deliver this baby, and then be required to care for this baby 24/7 all while still recovering yourself from childbirth. You're going to be sleep deprived, probably forget a meal or two, potentially go days without a shower and likely walk around the house in just a diaper for the next few weeks.

Honestly, with my third baby, I completely forgot about getting anything for my postpartum recovery until I was about 38 weeks pregnant. TMI... But I remember sitting down to go to the bathroom, losing a little bit of my mucous plug, reaching to my bathroom counter for a pad and realizing I didn't have any.... wait. I DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING. I was about to have a baby and be in pain and bleeding for the next 3-6 weeks. So off to the store I went.

There's a few things that you can get ready BEFORE baby is here to help you make this fourth trimester run a little bit smoother.

If you have seen my most recent Instagram post, you will know that I posted about my top 5 postpartum bathroom essentials. If you haven't, I will include them here as well, but there's a few more things that I'm going to add that might make postpartum recovery just a little bit smoother.

I'm not going to sugar coat it. The fourth trimester (when baby is born until about 3 months of age) IS FREAKING HARD. So let's prep for ourselves just a little bit.

Postpartum Essentials

I'm going to break this down into three categories: My postpartum must haves, things I recommend, and things that are helpful, but not necessary. There are so many different products out there that are marketed towards new parents, but are they really helpful or necessary? In no particular order, let's walk through it together:

POSTPARTUM MUST HAVE'S:

These are all items I personally think that everyone who is postpartum should have in their home, readily available for them to use as soon as they're home from the hospital or immediately after a home birth:

1. Peri Bottle: Usually the hospital will supply you with a peri bottle. It is recommended to use this to cleanse after going to the bathroom until your bleeding stops. That area is sensitive, and tender, plus, bending and trying to reach to wipe is a lot more difficult, and can be painful after having a baby, especially after a c-section. The one from the hospital will be very basic, but there are other options you can purchase online if you so choose.

   
   

2. Adult Diapers/Pads: Whether you had a vaginal birth or a c-section, it doesn't matter. When you have a baby, you will bleed afterwards. The bleeding is caused from 2 things; the shedding of your uterine lining that supported your pregnancy, and the wound that was created in your uterus after your placenta was removed. It's more so personal preference whether you choose pads vs. diapers. Some find the convenience of diapers nice, where as others hate the bulkiness and prefer a pad in their underwear. Whatever you choose is totally fine, as long as you do not put anything internally until you have been cleared by your provider, as that will increase the chance of infection.

   
   

3. Comfortable Underwear: Again, this will be personal preference. Usually the hospital will supply you with disposable mesh underwear that you can wear postpartum with a pad. Some people love them, others find they aren't very supportive, especially after a c-section. If that is the case, find a pair of reusable underwear that is breathable material, large in size, and has a higher waist band. It will be more supportive than the mesh and not put pressure on your incision. Personally I preferred reusable underwear over the disposable mesh, but you have to try them to know.

   
   

4. Witch Hazel Cooling Pads: The common brand of these is known as TUCKS, but you can find no-name ones as well. The package will say "Witch Hazel Cleansing Pad" or something along those lines. You can wipe the area with them, or place them on your underwear/pad/diaper and keep them against your skin. The witch hazel helps with cooling to the area with pain and burning. These must be removed and changed every time you go to the bathroom.

   
   

5. Hemorrhoid Ointment: Hemorrhoid's are very common after having a vaginal delivery, especially if it's your first baby. You push on average for 1-2 hours with your first vaginal delivery, however, hemorrhoid's are very common in pregnancy in general. So having some ointment on hand is handy for both prenatal and postpartum. You can either insert the gel inside, or apply on the outside.

   
   

6. Stool Softener: The thought of having your first poop after delivering your baby is quite intimidating. The area is tender and sensitive, and the thought of having more pain while pooping, is not very enjoyable. Drinking plenty of water will definitely help with this, but also using a gentle stool softener can help make that first poop a little less uncomfortable. I personally ALWAYS recommend it, and offer it to every one of my postpartum patients. You can get one in pill form, or in a drink.

   
   

7. Pain Medication: Both Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen are safe to take postpartum for afterbirth pains. Pain can occur in multiple places when you are recovering from child birth; your vaginal area, your breasts, your c-section incision, and your abdomen. The abdominal pain is more cramping, and that is caused by your uterus contracting to help shed that uterine lining and shrink your uterus back down to pre-birth size. The more babies you have, the more painful the abdominal cramping will likely be. So take your pain medication.

RECOMMENDED:

Sometimes having items that make our postpartum life more convenient are definitely beneficial, but everything that is listed below I wouldn't consider a must have. Do I recommend having them? Ya. Can you survive without these things? Also ya. But they will be handy to have on hand IF you need them.

1. Frozen Padsicles: For everyone who has never had a baby before, a Frozen Padsicle is a homemade ice pack for your nether regions. You can buy Instant Ice Maxi Pads, but they're also super simple to make. There are many recipes online if you want to get fancy, but essentially you take an Extra Heavy Maxi pad, and run it quickly under some water and put it in the freezer. If you want, you can also had Witch Hazel and Aloe vera to them prior to freezing. They're amazing for those first couple of days/weeks postpartum and help with both pain and swelling.

   
   

2. Nipple cream: Nipple cream, balm or butter is wonderful to put on your nipples when you are nursing. When you are first starting to nurse, your nipples can become quite sore, chafed, even cracked if your baby has a bad latch, and nothing is worse than trying to nurse with sore nipples😖. Colostrum/breast milk will work in a pinch, but some just prefer a nipple balm to hand expressing colostrum. They are also nursing safe, so you don't need to wipe them off prior to pumping or nursing your baby.

   
   

3. Hand Held Breast Pump: I like to recommend a hand pump for people who are planning on exclusively breast feeding. It's nice to have in a pinch for a couple different reasons. If you are feeling EXTREMELY engorged and having a lot of pain and hand expression just isn't doing the trick, using a hand pump to express out 10-20 ml of milk can help with that engorgement. When we pump large amounts, it signals our body to produce more milk, so you don't want to pump a full feed. But pumping a few ml's with engorgement will not affect your supply. Also, if your baby is having troubles latching in those first few days, or goes on a nursing strike out of nowhere, having a hand pump will ensure that you can still pump for that feed and your supply doesn't dip.

   
   

4. Haaka: One of the things that happens when you are nursing is something called a Letdown. That is when after baby has been suckling for a short period of time, or you have been pumping, your body signals your breasts to release your milk for a feed. You will have a tingling or filling sensation in your breasts and your milk will start to flow. Some women have a strong letdown where they will leak milk from the side that they are not nursing on. The Haaka can be beneficial for this by catching the milk that flows out. You can build up a frozen milk stash without putting in the extra effort of pumping.

   
   

5. Nursing Bras: There are many types of nursing bras; some that clasp in the back, some with thick straps, some that are more sports bra like, and some with thin straps. Some unclip on the front to "open" the bra to nurse, and some you just slide to the side. There's no right or wrong one to buy, and you can even just use a sports bra if that's what you prefer or go with no bra at all. Just remember to avoid bras with underwire, or ones that are too tight. Those can actually restrict your milk flow and increase your risk of mastitis.

   
   

6. Cleansing wipes/deodorant: These aren't necessary, and could potentially fall in the next category, but one thing I wish I would have done in my postpartum stages was keep some facial cleansing wipes and some deodorant in my diaper caddy that I carried around the house. Like I said before, somedays, you will not get a shower, and it's nice to have these to just grab and at least throw on a little deodorant and wipe your face off to feel the SLIGHTEST bit fresh.

HELPFUL, NOT NECESSARY:

Some pregnant individuals swear by these products, others say they are absolutely not necessary. These are some of those products that are marketed towards a postpartum mom to "make life easier". But none of these I would personally say are an absolute must have. And most of them you could likely buy after baby is born if you decide they are necessary for your postpartum journey.

1. Silverettes: Even if you have a great latch when pumping or feeding your baby, you are about to put your breasts and nipples through some serious work. They aren't used to feeding a baby every 2-3 hours, or the crazy cluster feeding nights. So your nipples are likely going to experience discomfort at some point in your breast feeding journey. Silverettes are little metal cups that you insert in your bra to cover your nipples. It provides cooling relief as well as protects your nipples from rubbing on the inside of your bra. A lot of moms have said these are a must for them in their breastfeeding journey. They are on the pricey side, so keep that in mind.

   
   

2. Nursing Night Gowns: I decided for my third baby that I wanted to try out button down night gowns at night to see if I liked them. I didn't want to have to deal with the hassle of fiddling with a nursing bra at 3am in the dark. I wish I would have bought them with all three of my babies. It was SOOO much easier for me, and a lot more comfortable than sleeping in a bra. There are both short sleeve and long sleeve options available, depending on what you prefer. I had both and preferred the short sleeve, because postpartum night sweats can be ROUGH.

   
   

3. Breast Pads: If you have a heavy letdown, or you tend to leak anytime you hear a baby cry (yes, this is a thing for some moms) breast pads can be great. It'll catch that extra milk that you leak and prevent it from getting on your clothes. Breast milk can stain, so having that extra layer of protection is super nice. There are both disposable and reusable options available.

   
   

4. Electric Breast Pump: There are many reasons why you may need a breast pump; baby is having trouble latching, baby is too small to latch effectively, baby is in the NICU and unable to breast feed just yet, you want to give baby breast milk but don't actually want to nurse etc. Whatever the situation, there are many options available for pumps, including hands free pumps that you can wear around the house and is powered by a rechargeable battery, or a stationary pump that has to be plugged in to the wall outlet in order to work. Each one has their own pros and cons.

   
   

5. Milk Storage bags: If you do end up pumping, or you build a supply using a Haaka pump or some other let down catcher, you will need a sanitary place to store that milk. Milk storage bags come in a package and are sealed until ready to pour your milk in to help decrease the risk of contamination.

   
   

6. Nursing Pillow: You can use a regular house pillow for nursing, or no pillow at all, but nursing pillows can be extremely helpful, especially for someone who is struggling with nursing or has to tandem nurse twins. They are a supportive surface for babies to lay so you can hold them and position them properly to feed. It also helps to free up one of your arms to read a book or get a drink of water during those inevitably long nursing sessions.

At the end of the day, you don't NEED a million things in order to recover from childbirth, but there are lots of things out there that will definitely help! If you want to avoid going overboard, I would at least have the Postpartum Essentials prior to having baby. Those will be 100% beneficial to have in your initial postpartum days.

And remember. You just gave birth. So give yourself grace, take the time to rest and recover and enjoy those early postpartum days, because as hard as they might be, they'll be over before you know it.

Until next time!

-Bai