As a woman that has gone through postpartum twice now – and currently going through it with my second child born last week – there are some things that I have found are so beneficial to helping heal after childbirth. Some of them are postpartum must-haves, while others are just really nice to have on hand!
**This post contains affiliate links, where if you make a purchase through the links, I receive compensation, at no extra cost to you. To learn more about this, please read my Privacy and Disclosure Policy Page.**
Postpartum Must-Haves
Something for bleeding
After having a baby, it is common (and expected) to have some bleeding for a few weeks. It’s called lochia and it can be very overwhelming and scary if you don’t expect it! However, you’re here, reading about what are some postpartum must-haves, which means you are going to be ready for it!
What you want to use depends on your preference. Some women like to just use large maxi pads (this is what I prefer) or some women prefer to use disposable underwear. I would recommend getting a package of each and then seeing which you prefer before ordering more! Or you might like to use a combination of them throughout the days post birth!
Recommendations:
Peri bottle
At the hospital, they will provide you with a cleaning bottle. I will say, if you just have one bathroom you’ll be using, the hospital provided one is great! With my first, I just used that one and never used any that I had purchased. However, if you have multiple bathrooms or want one for on the go, I really enjoy this one. It comes with a bag and the nozzle is great for spraying those hard to reach places.
Stool softener
Not only do I recommend taking stool softener immediately after birth – like while in the hospital, ask your nurse for some – but even taking it for about a week leading up to delivery (if possible, I know that you don’t always know when baby is coming!) is great too.
A lot of women tell you that the first poop after birth is worse than birth itself. It is definitely daunting and can hurt quite a bit. So help yourself out with taking stool softener.
Something I did was for the middle of the night feeds, I’d eat an apple before laying baby down and going to bed myself. This allowed baby to fall deeper asleep, I got some calories, and apples are great for helping digestion!
Witch hazel pads
Oh Tucks. I love you so much. With all the swelling, potential stitches, hemorrhoids, and just discomfort in general, laying down a bunch of witch hazel pads with your liner just feels so soothing. And we’ve earned a soothing feeling down there after bringing a human into the world!
Pain reliever
Do not be like me and run out of pain meds immediately after birthing a human being! Having both Tylenol and Advil is great to have on hand. My nurses set me up with a medication schedule for both and those first few days, I followed it so closely, with alarms on my phone and everything. Otherwise I would feel it. Ouch.
Water bottle
Stay hydrated! Not only will it help with keeping your digestion system moving and helping your body heal, if you’re chestfeeding, you’ll be SO THIRSTY all the time.
Postpartum Items
The following are postpartum items I found to be helpful, but definitely not needed or considered an essential by myself.
Soothing gel pads
I love these gel pads that you can put on your nipples to help calm down the aches and pains of nursing, especially at the beginning.
Nipple butter
Another postpartum item that I highly recommend is nipple butter. I have always liked the Earth Mama brand due to it having calendula – which helps with healing!
If you’re nursing, check out my post with breastfeeding must-haves. After my nearly 2.5 year nursing journey with my daughter, I identified the things that helped me be successful!
Sitz bath and soak
If you’re someone who received stitches, I would highly recommend getting a sitz bath and soak. Not only does it help with cleanliness, which makes you just feel better in general, it’ll also help with the pain as well.
Compression socks
I remember after my first baby, I was shocked at the swelling I experienced in my feet. Oh my gosh, it was so bad. So for my second baby, I made sure to buy some compression socks to address the swelling I had. I was even able to break them in before I gave birth as I started to get really bad swelling in my final weeks of pregnancy too.
Perineal ice packs
I never used these with my first, but the hospital gave me some after my second birth and wow. They helped so much with the swelling, especially in those first few hours after giving birth. Totally recommend these as a postpartum item if you’re looking to add something to your list.
First Forty Days cookbook
I swear by this cookbook, as it provides information and recipes for foods that help your body heal. If you’re looking for ways to help make the postpartum period not as difficult, definitely get this cookbook!
Postpartum Kits
With my recommendations and items listed above, I did want to point out that there are a couple of pre-packaged postpartum kits that you can buy that have the majority of these items all in one spot for you! Feel free to click on each one below to check what all they have included!
1 Comment
Thanks for mentioning pain relievers, some people I know feel they shouldn’t be taking these, now I can send them this posts to convince them otherwise.