Inside: Giving birth takes a major toll on your body. This list of 16 postpartum essentials are exactly what you need to speed up your relief and postpartum recovery.
You’ve just had your baby…
The oxytocin is flowing and you’re probably exhilarated, full of love, and in awe of your new baby.
Then after a little time passes, you may start cramping, then you realize how much blood there is every time you go to the bathroom, how it hurts to pee, how swollen and tender everything is down there.
Not to mention if you’re breastfeeding, you may notice your nipples start to become sore.
All in all, your body is a hot mess…but for a good reason! You just pushed a human out of your body!! It’s an absolutely incredible thing you just did! But it doesn’t come without some battle wounds.
Luckily, these postpartum essentials can help speed up your postpartum relief so you won’t feel miserable!
Also keep in mind that although it may not seem like it, your body eventually does get back to normal, (even if that’s a new normal).
16 Postpartum Essentials
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Peri bottle– This is amazing for taking the sting away when you’re peeing. It’s also great because it washes away a lot of the blood, (so you don’t have to use half a roll of toilet paper to clean yourself every time you go to the bathroom!). The peri bottle is great if you have stitches, but it’s also beneficial even if you don’t have stitches. You may have microscopic tears you can’t see, but you’ll feel when you pee!
Chuck pads– These super absorbent, waterproof large pads are great for several purposes. Spoiler alert…there’s a lot of blood that comes out of you in the first few weeks after you’ve had a baby. Even with maternity pads, you still might leak through them, especially overnight. You can stick the chuck pads under your sheets so the leak doesn’t soak through to your mattress!
You can also use them if you’re breastfeeding. Again, you may leak breast milk, (especially overnight) and these chuck pads will absorb that too so it doesn’t leak through to your mattress.
Another thing I liked using these for was putting them on the floor when I got out of the shower, (again to catch the leaks so it didn’t end up on my towels or bath rug!). They have washable ones, but I preferred the disposable ones! One less thing I had to worry about cleaning!
Here’s another bonus: If you still have some left over after your postpartum period, you can use them during potty training! They definitely come in handy!
Nursing bra– It makes it easy to keep your breasts, (that are now full of milk) supported and they easily unclip so you can feed your baby without having to take the full bra off.
These are also useful if you’re going back to work, because they make pumping way easier!
Nursing tank top– These are wonderful because when you’re at home and it’s just you and your family, you may not want to even bother with a bra! These tanks will offer full coverage and comfort, while making it easy to unclip the front when it’s time to feed your baby.
These are also nice when you have guests over because you can still nurse your baby without having to pull your shirt all the way up and expose your stomach, (which can be uncomfortable for some moms).
Maternity pads– Again, you’ll bleed a lot…and you’ll definitely need pads that can withstand that heavy flow and cover a wide area.
Perineal cold packs– When you push a baby out, everything down there is swollen, tender, with possible tears or stitches…there’s gonna be some discomfort! But these cold packs do an amazing job at soothing that area. It’s not too cold that it’s uncomfortable, it’s just cool enough to offer relief. Your vagina will thank you!
Nipple cream– As you get used to constantly feeding your baby, you may experience some nipple pain, (Not all nipple pain is normal! You can read about proper latching and what to do if you’re experiencing lots of pain). These creams help soothe that initial pain.
Postpartum girdle– These can improve your posture, promote a faster recovery, and can help your stomach muscles return to normal. These can be used for both vaginal deliveries and c-sections!
Breast pads– If you’re nursing, you may leak milk and you could end up with wet spots on your shirt. Not horrible if you’re at home, but definitely something you want to avoid if you’re out in public! You can avoid that happening, by putting breast pads inside your bra to catch the leaks. You can get disposable ones or washable ones.
Maternity underwear– Bottom line, you need larger than normal, comfortable underwear. You need your maternity pads to fit, plus you’ll probably want your underwear to actually fit you all over, (instead of squeezing your midsection because normal underwear is too short/small).
Sitz bath– This is used to soak your sore, tender, nether region. Not only does it work for your vagina and perineum, but it can also help if you have hemorrhoids. There’s two ways to do this. You can either get an actual seat that you attach to your toilet, or you can get the sitz bath salts and use them as directed in your tub. This can speed up your recovery and can be used if you had stitches or not.
Tucks wipes– Lots of women get hemorrhoids from pushing their baby out. They’re definitely unpleasant and if you’ve had them, you know you want to feel better immediately! (After she had her baby, my best friend said she was pretty much in a constant rage because of how painful they were!) These medicated wipes can soothe your hemorrhoids and also double as a soothing wipe for your sore nether region.
Pain relieving spray– If the cooling and soothing options aren’t working for you and you want something that’ll numb that whole area, this spray is probably the best option for you!
Stool softeners– If you got stitches or have hemorrhoids, this is something you’ll definitely want. Lots of people are scared of the first postpartum poop…because the last thing you want to do is push anything out ever again! This will help the inevitable be less painful because you won’t have to push.
Ibuprofen– This helps a lot for postpartum cramping. This can happen if you’re breastfeeding or if you’ve had more than one kid. Of course you may experience cramping even if you haven’t had more than one kid, so it’s safe to say to have some of these on hand!
Cooling pads for nipples– If you’re dealing with normal nipple soreness during breastfeeding, these cooling gel pads feel very soothing! You pop them inside your bra or tank top and it provides your nips relief.
Final thoughts
Even if you have a completely smooth delivery, your body still went through a massive shock! While you won’t won’t feel this way forever, you’ll probably want to feel better as soon as you can!
You’ll want to give yourself plenty of time to heal during your postpartum recovery, and with these postpartum essentials, relief and recovery will come quickly!
Related Reading
8 Postpartum Recovery Tips To Help You Feel Better Faster!
6 Tips For Quickly Healing From A Vaginal Birth
7 Simple Exercises For An Easy Labor And Delivery
