10 Postpartum must haves…
A new baby in the house is a total blessing. With that blessing comes a whole lot of work though! Plus a loss of sleep to!
There are plenty of things you can make the most of after having a baby that will make your post partum experience run far smoother!
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One piece of advice I have so far is, create routines and ‘methods’ of doing things. With our bub we have a soaking bucket, (not filled with water) that sits beside the change table then whenever she messes up her clothes they go straight into there.
Then every morning we run a wash cycle dependent on how many clothes she has wrecked! As long as it is more than 3 we put it through every day or every second day.
This way whilst she is so small. She only fits a select few clothes, she won’t run out!
You will find ways of doing things that get you in a good routine and make things easier for yourself and your baby.
Postpartum must have #1 – White Noise Machine
A white noise machine is going to be a total blessing for you! Trust me I was so not convinced but they are amazing hands down.
Also during the day something like a radio or the tv can be great. Babies sleep best generally with background noise, you would be surprised what they sleep through.
If you think about when babies are in the womb they can hear bits and bobs going on outside from about 18 weeks they also hear your heartbeat and all your internal body sounds!
Complete silence isn’t natural for them! Knowing this just may help as you navigate the early days with a new baby.
Finding a good white noise machine can be super helpful. The features of a white noise machine you may want to look for are as follows:
- A couple of different sound settings
- Holds its charge well
- Good volume settings, quite loud to quite quiet for different situations
- Small and lightweight preferably with some sort of clip so it can go easily on your pram or capsule or bassinet/cot
We have the Yogasleep hussh white noise machine and it is fab!
It is lightweight, easy to hook to anything. It also has 3 different sound settings and a good range of volume!
As well as having everything we need it for it holds its charge really dam well! Plus runs of a little charge when we don’t get time to fully charge it! Couldn’t ask for more…
Click this link now to get your white noise machine! Say hello to better sleep.
I also want to add, it helps me sleep! There is something about white noise that is really good for ya.
Must have #2 – Maternity Pads
Good maternity pads!
Post partum bleeding is completely natural and just a part of the process after bubs arrives.
This doesn’t mean it isn’t an annoying part of your after care.
When your placenta comes away it leaves an open wound similar to thar you may get on your knee which takes time to heal.
Making yourself as comfortable as possible is key to managing your postpartum bleeding in the early days.
Comfy undies as well as good pads are really important to make the whole process less in your face!
Undies should be:
- Stretchy
- Your favourite fit
- A gusset that is good for putting pads on (some aren’t practical)
- As simple as possible so that bleeding won’t ruin them (your welcome to wear white lace just remember blood can stain very well!)
- Breatheable
Pads should be:
- Good coverage at the back and front
- Wings or no wings depending on your preference
- As natural make up as possible
- Super absorbency to begin with
- Comfortable!
Buying a selection of pads with wings and no wings, and different absorbency’s as well as lengths is super important to try out and see what works for you!
In the beginning I 100% thought I would be a wings girl all the way, but after having a go with no wings found I liked them way more!
Must have #3 – Lots Of Pillows
Lots of pillows!
Ok so it might sound random but hear me out…
After giving birth the first few weeks can be a bit uncomfortable in general. As well as healing you are learning how to take care of a newborn!
It is a time of learning and time of limited sleep, this is why being comfortable while you sleep or feed your baby is so important.
Having a tri pillow and a normal pillow to get yourself comfy in bed can be a game changer.
Honestly in the early days pillows offer so much comfort for adjusting yourself and not having to hold yourself up, simply resting.
There are circle pillows similar to the shape of a doughnut with a hole in the middle that can be great after a natural birth.
The biggest goal after any sort of birth is to make yourself comfortable, pillows help with this!
Post Partum Must Have #4 Soaking Bucket
A total postpartum must have is a soaking bucket/washing bucket for baby clothes! Trust me it is a total lifesaver….
One thing people don’t tell you about having a baby is that there is plenty of washing to do when they arrive.
Between baby spills, weeze leaks and poo explosions babies are totally glamorous… lol!
Having a great soaking bucket/washing bucket beside your change table will be a life saver, as soonas they spill or have a leak you can just pop it into the bucket beside the table…
New routine every morning, pop your bucket in the washing for a baby only wash.
Why is it important to wash babies clothes separately to say your husbands work clothes?
You know how babies have such beautifully soft skin? That skin can be quite sensitive.
Washing your babies clothes by themselves with fragrance free gentle powder is so important to avoid any skin conditions or nasty rashes!
Plus keeping up with babies washing ensures you always have what you need as they sure do go through quite a few outfit changes a day…
Little things like this are a total blessing when it comes to the early days in parenthood.
Postpartum Must Have #5 – A Good Water Bottle
A bit of a different one here! Having a good water bottle or water cup is so super important especially for breast feeding mums… trust me feeding that bubba will make you thristy!
Being a mum in general is thirsty work… probably cause you never quite make it to your water.
I have the tumbler below which I totally love and felt perfect for me with having had my first daughter!
Making sure you drink enough is key to nourishing your body and helping you in the early days, plus producing milk takes a whole lot of work.
The other bottle I am going to be purchasing soon is this bottle! With times to make sure you drink enough during the day that way you don’t lose track of where you are at with keeping on top of your water…
Must Have #6 – Comfy Loose Clothes
Super important! Comfy loose clothing is a postpartum must have!
Feeding clothes especially, are designed comfortable but are also made to be easy access for breast feeding mums which is a godsend as you get back to your day to day lives! This time with baby in tow.
Feeding clothes are honestly all I have worn since having my first baby, they are cute, comfy and make my life far easier than it would be otherwise!
Below are some of my favorite feeding clothes…
Postpartum Must Have #7 – A Good Feeding Pillow
Back to pillows!
I wouldn’t be without my feeding pillow…
No one talks about it but breast feeding is actually quite physicaly tolling in the early days, your back aches and your arms get n ew muscles you didn’t know existed! It is crazy.
Finding a good feeding pillow is awesome when your out or if your at home, being able to have a little but of support will help with taking care of your body and making life easier.
That in turn makes feeding easier.
Postpartum Must Have #8 – Heat Pack
This is a post partum must have… NO an essential.
During my labour and after I relied on a heat pack! They provided pain relief, comfort and help you sleep…
What more could you ask for?
There is a whole lot of different names for these but in the end a wheat bag, heat pack, hot water bottle, any of the above will do the exact job you need them to do and that is all that matters.
Heat packs are worth there weight in gold, they are even fantastic for putting baby down when it is cold, you just pop the heat pack in there bassinet for a little warm it up then when you place them down no startling or panicking from losing your warmth.
I used a heat pack/wheat bag non stop in the early days.
Must Have #9 – Nursing pads
These were a total postpartum must have…
In the early days as your milk comes in leaking can be a super hard thing to deal with! Thankfully breast milk isn’t stick it just gets cold when your clothes get wet…
Nursing pads help keep you dry! Which in turn can help painful breast conditions, they help avoid your let down leaking everywhere and are useful for so many things past simply just nursing pads!
People also freeze these pads with a bit of water in them in the early days to help with breast pain.
Postpartum Must Have #10 – Cordless pump
I am in love with my cordless pump! Breast feeding keeps me still enough so being able to do stuff while I pump is a blessing!
I have the Tiny Bloom cordless pump and I couldn’t love it more…
I am not going to say too much about it as I am going to be completing a review very soon! Trust me though a cordless pump is a must have, this allows you more freedom in the long run!
Bonus Must Have -Feeding Station
My bonus must have and advice from my LMC, set up a feeding station or for me it was a feeding basket!
It has my fave crackers and some muesli bars and nuts + my breast feeding spray that worked wonders in the early days!
Having them on hand made managing breastfeeding easier, I coped really well in the early days watching TV and snacking whilst feeding her, it was really enjoyable and a lifesaver, plus in the basket I could take it anywhere!
To Finish…
There are many postpartum must haves, they are all things that can make life easier in those exciting, but tiring early day’s with your new family member.
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