Postpartum and the newborn stage can be overwhelming, to say the least! Lucky for you, there are ways to make postpartum more comfortable and convenient, starting with building a ‘postpartum nest’! Here’s how:
Step 1: Comfy spot
A postpartum nest is essentially a dedicated place in your home where you can rest, relax, and recharge after giving birth to a literal human! The point of this nest is for you to speed up recovery by giving your body all the comfort it needs.
So of course, the first step to building the nest is to create an absolutely heavenly, super duper comfortable place to sit for many hours of the day!
Start with either your most comfortable couch or your comfortable bed.
I purposely bought an upholstered bedframe to use as a comfortable postpartum nest spot. Topped with a squishy mattress, silky sheets, and many pillows, it’s a dream!
Next, make sure you have plenty of pillows and blankets in your nest. Throughout the day you may need pillows to prop yourself up, to sleep with between your legs, or to make nursing more comfortable. You can never go wrong with too many pillows!
Finally, set yourself up with a heating pad and/or ice packs. I ended up using a heating pad on my back and an ice pack on my c section incision – the combination was lovely.
Now that your physical nest is all set up, you can sit in comfort all day! All you need now is some nearby supplies.
Step 2: Smart supplies
The next step to creating a perfect postpartum nest is to gather all the supplies you might need during the newborn stage. It’s helpful to break these supplies down into categories: Mama, baby, & for fun.
In the mama category of smart supplies, you’ll want to gather everything you need to recover and refresh yourself during the day. Here’s a list of some things to consider:
- Painkillers
- Water bottle
- Hairbrush
- Lotion
- Chapstick
- Breath mints
- Hair ties
PS – sick of your water bottle spilling all over your cozy nest? You need THIS water bottle from Amazon – completely spill proof and large enough to keep you hydrated for hours!
For baby supplies in your postpartum nest, include everything that your baby will need during the day so you don’t have to constantly visit the nursery for supplies! For example:
- Diapers + Wipes (or set up a changing station nearby)
- Burp cloths
- Binky
- Socks
- Swaddle
- Booger sucker
- Nail clipper
- Extra onesie
Step 3: Commit to the bit
The final step to creating your postpartum nest is commit to using it! Especially for the first few days home from the hospital, try to spend loads of time resting in your nest. Let family members and friends bring you food and clean your house. Give your powerful body the opportunity to rest!
To *really* commit to staying in your postpartum nest, consider including some entertainment options nearby. For example, you might keep your TV remote in your supplies basket, or you might keep your favorite book on the couch next to you. This will make it harder for you to get bored at your nest – instead, enjoy hours of resting and relaxing so your body can heal.
Best of luck, mama, on your postpartum recovery! I sincerely hope you get to enjoy that precious newborn stage, and congrats on surviving pregnancy!
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