There were some postpartum essentials that have been so helpful during this time and I wanted to share the differences and what I actually used and needed. I wanted this recovery to be as natural, non toxic, plastic free as possible. In saying that, here is what my postpartum is looking like and the tools that helped me to recover quickly.
This is my third child and my first daughter. A woman at church had told me her third was a push; I didn’t understand what that meant until labor hit, water broke and the push made so much sense. She was a vaginal, drug free birth, but it was a tough one. I’ll post the positive birth story very soon, so stay tuned. Moving on, there were a lot of different things about this pregnancy from my first two which led me to thinking my postpartum was going to be very different too. Aside from baaaaad post birth contractions/ cramping, it was (and has been) a simple recovery.
With my husband being an invaluable player of the home life, I’ve been able to rest, eat and sleep any time I needed to, which was dramatically different with my first two. I had meal prepped A LOT of things, mainly baked goods and bone broth since that takes the bulk of my kitchen time. I’ll be sharing a post on my preparations made before baby soon as well!
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Deep dive into the good stuff
This will be very in-depth; literally everything I used and needed daily. My postpartum essentials consisted of a lot of items I already had. I tried my best not to buy into a ton of products and unnecessary things. Not that I ever do that in the first place, but I (and I’m sure all us mamas) can get that overwhelming sense of needing all the things and all of it to be in place before baby arrives.
These postpartum essentials were left over from my last pregnancy and then things I needed while I was pregnant. Then some essentials for postpartum were gifts from friends and family. Even with my numerous requests that I didn’t need anything, everyone was so gracious and giving. I found myself with some new items that have been wonderful during this time.
I will also update my newborn essentials list as well because after three babies I’ve figured out what I and baby needs in those first few weeks to make everything go smoothly, well as smooth as it can at least 🙂
Here are the postpartum essentials for me:
POSTPARTUM CLOTHING:
I tried to get dressed daily to keep myself from falling into the blues or overwhelmed or mom guilt. Any of those big feelings that happen postpartum. Don’t get me wrong they happened here and there but I didn’t want to become a slave to them. So I kept my spirits up my doing random daily things that kept my mind and emotions on track. I also gave myself a lot of grace in the moments and on the days where I just needed to not get dressed or put on deodorant . Gross I know, but hey that’s newborn life sometimes.
Big underpants– I had to buy bigger ones anyway for pregnancy so I used the same ones of course. Preferably I buy all organic cotton ones, like these, they’re the most affordable and they last for a long time. So I knew they’d hold up and I wouldn’t need to replace them even after postpartum.
Motherhood maternity /wrap bras for night time – I LOVE these and have had them since my first pregnancy. They’ve lasted a long time, held up well and still fit after all these years. They’re all cotton and supportive enough to help hold everything in but comfy enough to not be irritating. I use those for nighttime and regular wrap bras, like these, for daytime. I do have the standard nursing bras with the clips, but I’ve come to realize I prefer the wrap style so I don’t have to fiddle with clips to get things on and off.
Nursing pads reusable- These ones were from my first pregnancy too and they’ve been a postpartum essential since. You can find them here. I also made some from some old receiving blankets.
Outer layers
Leggings/ thermals- I tried to wear dresses and skirts as often as I could. When we’d leave the house and just on the days I wanted to be fully dressed. However, there is so much moving around and up and down, shifting and nursing, so leggings and thermal long underwear have been a big part of my postpartum essentials. I have this pair and then just a hodge podge of random ones I’ve had over the years.
Shelf bra tank tops- I actually wish I had bought more of these because it makes it easy to nurse subtly and not have my entire belly hanging out, making me cold and self conscious. I bought basic Walmart ones with removable pads which also act as nursing pads. If I bought more I’d buy a value pack for sure.
BATHROOM POSTPARTUM ESSENTIALS:
All items I used in the bathroom and for the physical recovery. I ended up using a few of the mesh underpants from the hospital but they irritated me, so did the pads they provide. I didn’t use anything cold because it didn’t feel helpful at all, it was just uncomfortable.
Natura pads long and max– My go to for period times when I’m not nursing. They’re all cotton, even the wrapping is made of paper. They don’t bother or irritate me whatsoever and they’re fragrance free.
Peri bottle– I saved my last pregnancies peri bottles and used those for diapering so I kept the ones from this hospital visit as well. There are fancy ones available but these work great, I have a use for them after postpartum and they last forever.
Witch hazel – I used the ones from the hospital for the first few days then I turned over the container and saw all the other random ingredients and immediately stopped using them. I grabbed some straight up witch hazel and soaked it in my pads as needed.
Postpartum essentials don’t have to be full of chemicals and micro plastics.
Coconut oil- Surprisingly coconut oil was a big part of my postpartum essentials kit because it moisturizes, helps balance ph levels, is anti bacterial, plus a little makes a huge difference in the postpartum healing. I used this more than the witch hazel.
Sitz bath tea by Earth Mama– My good friend gifted this to me and I hadn’t heard of it before. I love earth mama products but didn’t know they had made a pre-blended sitz bath tea! I haven’t tried this yet but will tomorrow because I’m feeling ready for a a good herbal soak in the tub!
Lanolin nipple cream- They do offer this at the hospital too. It’s 100% lanolin, it’s safe for baby and breastfeeding. This simple stuff REALLY helps you get through the hard beginning of breastfeeding. Such relief, seriously.
Homemade belly butter- By the herbal academy, I made this twice during pregnancy because I used it so dang much. I’m using the last of it right now and will be making another batch. It’s the best lotion and moisturizer. It’s so luscious and creamy, I fell in love with it instantly! I’ve been very dry and itchy this pregnancy and postpartum so this has been another fantastic product in my postpartum essentials kit.
NIGHTTIME NECESSITIES:
I try to eat right before bed so I’m not completely famished in the night. It’s worked so far. As long as I have a full cup of water and these items, I can make it through the night no problem!
Hair ties & lip balm- These are pretty self explanatory. I did get gifted those fancy spiral hair ties and I only use Portland bee balm now because it’s just too good to go back!
Blue blockers- After 830/9pm, I wear these anyway, but occasionally I’m up for an hour or two in the night nursing so I’ll put on a show and wear these so I don’t have any trouble going back to sleep. I don’t want my brain to be all wired and woken up!
Rock salt night light- The best night light for changing and nursing. I had to steal this back from my kids room because it’s bright enough for me to see everything I need to but dim and unalarming enough to not wake up anyone else when I’m doing our night routines.
Heating pad- I only used this for the first week or so. The cramps were almost as bad as labor pains so the heat pad was crucial. They get worse with each baby apparently but they cleared up way faster than the other times. It’s also useful for my back and neck being hunched and slumped so often.
EXTRA NUTRITION:
As I mentioned above, eating right before bed or at least 30 minutes before has been really necessary to have a good night with baby.
A big water bottle with a straw- Whether you breastfeed or not, your hands will be full so opening a screw top water bottle is very difficult. It can be done but it may not be your favorite thing after a while. I found a good deal on a huge Stanley during pregnancy and it had a handle so that was perfect because I drink a lot of water!
Magnesium tea- Calm is my favorite. I used this all throughout pregnancy and just enjoy it before bed if I don’t know what kind of tea I’m in the mood for. I tried the chamomile honey this time and liked it very much!
Beef liver capsules- From Ancestral Supplements, I took these throughout my pregnancy too. Most of what I do in pregnancy I continue into my postpartum for at least two months. I also had anemia this pregnancy so I want to be sure I’m getting enough iron and protein especially during the first few weeks of postpartum.
Fermented Cod Liver Oil – If you know my blog at all, you’ll know I eat a nourishing traditions diet which you can read about here. I take this during pregnancy and afterward as well. It’s an essential fat that my body thrives with for sure.
Many of these aren’t essential, I simply found them very useful.
Prenatal Vitamins- I choose whole food prenatals like these to get extra nutrients and I have a few bottles left over so I’ll take these until they’re gone.
Equip protein– I need a lot of protein right now so when I have my decaf coffee in the morning I throw in a huge helping of Equip protein who my mom turned me into. It’s a bit on the expensive side but it’s a very very high quality and well worth the price for me. I put this in my kids smoothies too.
Meat sticks– I just crave them. Those and peanut butter. I eat them in between meals and man are they good. Just one of those random things that made it onto the list of my postpartum essentials because protein is definitely an essential in our house!
Postpartum conclusions…
That is everything! And I mean EVERYTHING. I wouldn’t put them in this article if I didn’t love it enough to tell you, dear reader, about it. There wasn’t much else I used, I kept it as minimal as I could because we will be moving AGAIN next month. Much of our home is already packed and now we are playing the waiting game. More on that later.
I may also update my hospital bag checklist too. This trip I barely used anything in the bag I brought and even that was kept pretty minimal. You can read the old one and check out my other birth stories here.
Thanks for sticking around until the end of this. I’ve got so much to share because being on sabbatical this past year was needed. However, now that baby’s here, I have the urge to write and share my journey again! I have truly missed this.
In deep gratitude friends,
Tayler
