Knowing what you need for yourself during postpartum can be quite overwhelming. Especially when it’s your first baby. I remember wracking my brain around what I would need and what I would actually use that would help me during this transition. I wanted to make sure that I bought as little as possible and that I would use the things I bought daily. These items helped with my recovery and made the early days of motherhood a lot smoother.
Here is the comprehensive list of my must-haves.
Have Meal Times Sorted with Pre-Cooked Healthy Meals This was hands down the biggest lifesaver, especially since we didn’t have any family around. Two weeks prior to giving birth, I cooked up a ton of nourishing meals to keep in the freezer. I made different veggies stews, dhals, and soups that were packed with a variety of nutrients to ensure optimal nutrition. The first few weeks of postpartum are absolutely crucial in making sure you are eating a well-balanced diet to help you restore your body and soul. You are so consumed with looking after your baby that it is easy to let yourself fall to the wayside and the last thing you want to do is cook a meal. By preparing meals in advance, you take the pressure off you to where you can fully focus on yourself and baby.
Looking after your soul is just as important as looking after your body, so I added little notes of encouragement to each one of our precooked meals, so I had a bit of a pick-me-up to keep me going those first few weeks. Little things that read “hey mama, you got this!” or “hey mama, you look amazing, don’t let those bags under your eyes tell you differently!” Every time I pulled a meal out from the freezer the notes always put a smile on my face, it was like chicken soup for my soul!
Feel Supported with Bengkung Belly Wrapping
At the time of my pregnancy, belly binding was all the rage with the celebs, but once I looked into it, I absolutely fell in love with the ancient tradition behind it. It is a cloth that you bind around your belly postpartum- it helps to promote a faster recovery, supports and assists the abdominal wall, and helps to ensure that vital organs return to their pre-pregnancy size.
I loved the morning ritual I had when I put it on every day and cannot speak highly enough of the support your body feels wearing it. I purchased mine through IBU AYURVEDA, an amazing Australian company that sells a range of skincare and wellness products specifically designed to enhance wellness, motherhood, beauty and balance. I also used their adaptogen-rich herbal body oil on my tummy prior to wrapping. They offer a range of oils based on your dosha, for this reason, I choose the Pitta oil, which was divine!
See if Placenta Encapsulation is Right for You I got my placenta encapsulated after doing a lot of research on it. I loved the idea of being able to replenish myself with the organ that nourished my baby throughout my pregnancy. Your placenta is filled with a range of nutrients, from iron to vitamins B6 and B12 as well as hormones like progesterone and estrogen. These hormones naturally dip after having a baby, which can cause postpartum depression. People who have ingested their placenta have claimed to have more energy, better moods and, overall, a smoother recovery.
Besides having my capsules, they also gave me a placenta tincture and a balm that was infused with a healing blend of calendula and specific healing essential oils that were safe for baby too. The balm had a range of uses, from perineal healing to nappy rash. I could also use it on my nipples, but needed to remove it prior to feeding. It’s hard to say if it made a difference, especially if you don’t have another postpartum journey to compare it to, but from my personal experience, I had a very smooth recovery and felt very balanced emotionally. I would do it again for my next pregnancy, no questions asked!
Cool Down the Postpartum Burn with Padsicles The healing phase after giving birth can be a very trying time. There are so many things to consider depending on the type of birth you had, i.e. vaginal or c-section. Obviously, each way requires different healing techniques. Since I had a vaginal birth, I can speak to what helped me. One of those things in the first few days of giving birth was padsicles. For me, the most welcome feeling down south was like a cool breeze on a hot summer’s day. Your vagina can feel extremely uncomfortable, and having a cold compress makes all the difference in the world.
Prior to giving birth, I stocked my freezer with TOM maternity pads. I unwrapped each one individually and covered it in witch hazel oil before folding it back up and popping it into the freezer. I didn’t add any essential oils to it as I had a separate perineum spray my doula had made for me and I really wanted to keep things as simple as possible. The witch hazel was all I needed and, to be honest, it gave instant relief and sped up my healing process.
Avoid Cracked Nipples with Silverette Nursing Cups I absolutely loved these to soothe my nipples and, of course, to prevent them from cracking! They offered relief to me in the beginning stages when my nipples were hardening up from nursing. I love that they are made from pure silver, so can be used multiple times as you grow your family. They are also anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and antimicrobial, assisting in the natural healing of your nipples.
I used them consistently in my first few weeks of breastfeeding. I would put nipple butter on my nipples before putting these cooling bad boys on and it was honestly heaven, I swear by them as I never experienced cracked nipples.
Catch the Let-Down! Breastfeeding is a very emotional experience. It takes a bit of time to get into a rhythm with your baby, and perfecting the right latch and then once you’ve got the latch established, you are left wondering if you are producing enough milk for your baby. It can be quite stressful! I wanted to build my freezer stash from early on, so between breastfeeding, I was pumping, but one thing I loved doing in the first few weeks was catching my let-down during feeds. I was so surprised that while my son was feeding on one boob, my other boob was expressing milk.
The Medela Breast Milk Collection Shells were amazing to wear to catch the letdown. I felt such satisfaction because I could multi-task while feeding. I collected a decent amount after each feed, put it straight into a glass bottle in the fridge, and kept adding to it after each feed. By the evening, I poured the contents of my day’s let-down into a breast milk bag and added it to my freezer stash. Seriously, you will come to realize-no milk must be left behind, so it is definitely worth catching what you can, even the tiniest bit adds up.
