My Postpartum Essentials
I feel like everyone has a different pregnancy, labor, delivery, and recovery experience. I have really hard pregnancies and labors, however then I have really easy deliveries & recoveries. I go home from the hospital feeling pretty close to normal and ready to go and get back to regular life. I always joke that it is my reward for throwing up for 9 months and having a really sickly labor. I also feel like everyone’s postpartum essentials will be a little bit different based on how their recovery is. When I had King you better believe that I used the little squirt bottle they give you for when you go to the bathroom…with Lettie I didn’t even need it. I think that it truly will change based on each little one that you have and how easy/hard your recovery is.
// WATER BOTTLE \\
If you are going to breast feed your little one drinking enough water is key. Having a good water bottle that you can fill up, keeps your water cold, and that you like is all the difference in drinking enough water. I have this water bottle and absolutely love it!
// ADULT DIAPERS \\
I swear by these! Even the nurses in the hospital were obsessed. The mesh panties that they give you don’t hold anything where it should be, plus if you leak well then game over. Wearing an adult diaper was game changing. They are so much more comfortable than the mesh panties, kept a pad right where it needed to be, plus absorbed anything if I leaked!
// NIPPLE CREAM \\
When I had King I used Lansinoh nipple cream and sadly my body doesn’t like it and I had yeast on my nipples and King had it in his mouth. This time I used Milky Mamas Nipple 911 and it worked like a gem! Having nipple cream on hand for the first few weeks of breast feeding is literally something that can make or break your nursing experience.
// A GOOD PILLOW \\
I like to be on the bed most of the time the first few weeks when I feed my babies so having a good pillow that I can prop up to lean against is key. Plus having a pillow that I sleep really good with when I am able to sleep is also a must.
// NURSING BRAS \\
If you haven’t nursed a baby before then you probably don’t know that your boobs change sizes massively in the first few weeks! Wearing nursing bras makes nursing your littles so much easier. I recommend this sports bra nursing bra for in the hospital, night, and to wear consistently the first weeks after you have a baby because it allows your boobs to change sizes easily and it is crazy comfortable. I am searching for a good regular bra nursing bra and will keep you posted on what I find.
// BREAST PUMP \\
Having a breast pump is key for me to not get mastitis. I am super prone to it so I have to pump pretty regularly even though I am nursing Lettie too. I used a Medela Pump ‘N Style with King, picked a Spectra S2 from my insurance this time, and have the Willow hands free pump also. I am going to do a full post on breast pump reviews, but I think that having a breast pump is something super important after you have your baby.
// PADS \\
Let’s just say this is something that you will want to buy the mega pack off of Amazon of. You will go through a lot of these after you have your little one and that is normal!
// NURSING PADS \\
I leak like a faucet so having nursing pads is crazy important for me unless I want to walk around with milk all down my shirt. I have tried the disposable ones (I love these) and I leak so much I have to change them every couple of hours so at this point they aren’t realistic for me because I have to wash them so frequently. I have been using these that say they are for massive leaks ha which is apparently me and they have worked really well! I still have to change them every 4 hours or so, but they hold a ton of milk!
// PROBIOTICS \\
My midwife recommended me being on a probiotic to help prevent mastitis. I have shared these on my stories and am still obsessed with them and take them every single night!
// PAJAMAS OR SWEATS YOU FEEL GOOD IN \\
Your body won’t be the same for awhile after you have your baby and that is okay! Buy yourself a nice pair of pajamas or sweats that you feel put together and good about yourself in. I lived in these after I had Lettie and honestly still wear them and absolutely love them!
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