I had no idea what to expect with my first baby, but with my second, I was ON.THE.BALL. when it came to preparing all of my postpartum items. Since having Jude, I discovered the “mom washer” which was a godsend, and many other fun products, but the tried and true were still on my list like maternity leggings and nursing pads. I’m going to write a whole post on breastfeeding essentials, which include a few of these below plus many other fun products, and there will be a post on newborn essentials too. But this post is important because it focuses on MAMA and what her needs will be after birth. You put your body through one of the hardest things it’ll ever be put through. Be kind to yourself after giving birth. Rest, enjoy your baby, relax when you can. Let your neighbors bring you meals. Let your husband love on that new bundle so you can take a much needed shower. And don’t EVER put a mirror to your lady bits unless you want to be scarred for life. Kidding! Sort of… So here goes: the 10 postpartum items you absolutely need for postpartum care (in no particular order)! *Please note this post contain affiliate links*

• Fridababy Fridet, The MomWasher – The MomWasher is like a peribottle on steroids. I love this thing! It’s easier to squeeze and the titled tube allows you to reach much easier. I wish I’d known about this with Jude!

• Padsicles (learn how to make them here) – These are frozen pads with witch hazel & aloe. They’re super easy to make and feel like HEEEEAVEN! When I was getting stitched up after I had Hattie, I kept saying, “I can’t wait for you to be done so I can wear a padsicle,” and Swiyah brought one for me immediately after. It was seriously the best feeling.

• Lactation Cookies – This is my favorite recipe. My (future) sister-in-law made me some of these and I ate them in like 2.5 seconds flat. So of course, I had to make my own. I eat them a lot and seriously think they help up the boobie supply.
• DulcoEase Stool Softener – Let’s get real here for a moment: it’s going to hurt to poop for a while. #sorrynotsorry that I blasted the lid off that one. I wish someone had warned me of this before baby numero uno. Luckily, the hospital gave me stool softener and it made doing a number 2 slightly less painful. DON’T for get this one or you’ll be crying the first time you realize you have to poop and it feels like childbirth all over again.

• Nursing Pads  – I went through ten zillion of these a day right after baby, and still go through quite a bit 3 months PP. Your girls are going to leak, and the last thing you want is milk stained bras and shirts when you aren’t prepared for it (or, really, anytime). Stock up on nursing pads so you don’t have to smell like stale milk alllll the time.

• Epsom salt with lavender – A good ole epsom salt bath will do you wonders, and the lavender only adds to the healing and soothing power! After your lady bits have gone through so much trauma, soothe yourself in a 15-20 min epsom salt bath each night. Lavender is the icing on the cake. You’ll never want to get out!

• Tucks Pads  – Because unforuntaely, hemorrhoids are pretty common after childbirth and they don’t feel so great. These can be used with the padsicles or after you no longer need padsicles.

• Goat’s Rue Lactation Aid Support Supplement  – These combined with the lactation cookies make an EXCELLENT team in bringing up your milk supply. When I started back at work, I started taking these whenever I felt like my milk supply was going down. They work wonders for me where fenugreek lacked.

• Full Length Maternity Leggings /Nursing Leggings – But, WHY you ask? When you’re nursing, you do this fun thing called lifting your shirt up and I’ll be damned if everyone is going to see my flabby stomach at all times. #amirite?! I still wore my maternity leggings postpartum when I was going to be around people so my stomach stayed warm and away from view. They make nursing leggings but I just used my maternity ones!

• Large Water Bottle & Snacks – Be prepared to drink a tonnnnn of water. Get a huge water bottle and fill it up prior to each nursing session is always a good rule of thumb. And make sure you have plenty of easy snacks handy you can eat while nursing – preferably ones that don’t leave a zillion crumbs on your little one’s head. Not that I’m speaking from experience or anything…

Well, there you have it! These are my top 10 essentials when you’re a postpartum mom. They are seriously the 10 postpartum items you absolutely need. Make sure you have them ready before baby comes. If you end up formula feeding, I still vouch for the maternity leggings (sooo comfy) and the water bottle/snacks for bottle feeding sessions. You won’t regret it! Stay tuned for my must-have items for nursing mamas too!

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