This post is all about the post partum essentials you’ll love having with you post-baby!
Recovering from birth is such a wild experience, especially when it’s your first time having a baby! Between your physical body changes, the mental/emotional transition into parenthood, and suddenly having an entire human to take care of, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed!
There are tons of tools you can use to ease this transition! Here are a few items I LOVED having with me post partum.
Post Partum Essentials
First, I wanted to say that the hospital gives you a TON of stuff to use for physical healing – medicine, pads, disposable underwear, etc. I didn’t include any of those basic necessities on this list because 1) the hospital items work great 2) you save a bunch of money by using what the hospital gives you, and 3) I don’t know which brands I would have used instead 🙂 The hospital has everything you need to at least survive the first few days, and this is just a list of things you can get for extra comfort!
Nursing Pads
It turns out that during the first few days or weeks of having your baby, you produce a ton of extra milk until your body figures out how much you actually need. I did not realize this! All the extra milk soaks through your clothes real quick, so you’ll want a giant box of nursing pads. For my first 2 months at least I had to change pads multiple times during the day, so I truly recommend you stock up.
Now that my baby is 5 months old, I don’t wear nursing pads during the day. However, my baby sleeps longer and longer stretches at night. This means that if I don’t want to pump, I need some pads to keep milk from soaking my clothes and bed.
Anyway, I’ve linked the big box here that I got from Amazon, of which I only have about 8 left haha. Wish me luck!
Nipple Shield
I’ve heard many moms complain about the pain of breastfeeding and luckily that was not my experience. I actually had a lactation consultant in the hospital give me a nipple shield, which helps a newborn baby find and stay on a nipple while she nurses. It also protected my nips which meant I had hardly any chaffing or anything. After a month or two it took my baby a day to wean off the shield, which hurt mildly but seemed very worth it in the end. If you are nervous about the pain of nursing, you might be able to request this tool at the hospital or you can buy one here. I absolutely loved having mine and will use it for every baby I have!
Water Bottle
Here’s a sad story: at the hospital I got this giant water bottle that had a straw and a handle. It was game changing because life with a newborn typically limits you to using one hand. I was so in love with this bottle’s ease of use until I got in the car to drive home. It was only then that I realized the bottle was too giant to fit in a cup holder! Granted, post baby I didn’t go anywhere for a while. Eventually we started driving all over the place again and it was so hard not having a good water bottle with me!
Enter this tumbler. Not only does it have the handle and straw, it FITS IN A CUPHOLDER and actually keeps my water way colder because of the material. I also love how much prettier it is, and there are several color options. Whether it’s this or another bottle, consider finding yourself a one-handed water bottle so you can stay hydrated and bounce baby simultaneously!
Robe
I also suggest you get a robe, especially if you sleep hot. Then, if you’re ever sleeping in or napping while baby naps and someone suddenly comes to the door, you don’t have to get dressed you just have a robe. OR if you have a hard day and don’t want to get dressed. Either way a robe is perfect post partum.
Slip on Slippers
Honestly I recommend these slippers to all my friends, baby or not! I added them to this list because I use them so much more with a baby. I get up much more often at night and don’t want my feet to be cold. During the day it’s so easy to slip them on even if my arms are full of a baby. They’re a super cozy, go with everything, treat yourself to luxury kind of item! Linked here.
Lotion
Finally, stock up on your favorite lotion! Chances are that you’ll be washing your hands 10x more after having a baby, especially since they’ll poop, pee, and spit up on you. You’ll be changing diapers and washing bottles, plus washing your hands just to keep germs away from baby. All that washing can dry out your skin real quick so make sure to have plenty of your favorite lotion on hand.
This post showed you all my favorite post partum essentials!
Best of luck to you and your new babe!
PS I would also recommend some nursing-friendly bras except that I haven’t found a brand I like! To all my mama friends: do you have any recommendations? Leave a comment or message me! Thanks 🙂
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