Post Partum Necessities

Having a baby, especially if this is your first, is a major lifestyle change and you likely want to get into a new normal as soon as possible. Now looking back after three weeks in, here are the items I am glad I had or found myself ordering on Amazon soon after to get me feeling back to normal quickly! Sidenote, a lot of these things are not things you would want to put on your registry for others to buy...However, if you use Amazon, you can put on your registry as "private" so only you can see it but still get the 15% registry completion discount when you buy!

• A schedule - Or should I say a "pattern" or "cycle"...Not so much because it's realistic to have your baby on a schedule during the first few weeks, but for your own sanity. It's not that what you're doing (feed, play sleep, repeat) is hard necessarily; but it can start to feel like groundhog day doing the same thing day in and day out. It's very different from whatever you were likely doing before baby. Having some semblance of a schedule so your days and nights don't totally get out of whack and build good habits can only help get you back to normal faster. For example, I tried to go by the following schedule:

  1. 7:30 - Wake up, change diaper & feed in bed while I watch the news

  2. 7:45 - Lay Penelope back in bassinet while I get ready (if I didn't do this already before waking her up).

  3. 8:00 - Go downstairs for the day, make breakfast/coffee for myself while Penelope lays in her play center looking at black & white cards and "playing".

  4. 8:15 - NAP #1 - Ensure clean diaper and swaddle Penelope up for her 1st Nap. Go into nursery and try to get her to fall asleep by herself in crib.

  5. Onwards - From here on out, it's completely variable based on baby and how long they nap, it's very easy to get out of whack...see my (upcoming) post on what I did to get Penelope to sleep well starting day 1.

  6. Bedtime (anywhere from 7:30 - 9:30 - I encourage you to have a consistent "bedtime" routine

• A PostPartum caddy - I spent most of my time in our living room recliner the first few weeks. It's hard to move when you're breastfeeding and / or holding a sleeping baby so you want everything you need easily accessible. Here is what I kept in mine (photos below):

• Top Tier: diapers, wipes, burp clothes, monitor, basket with smaller things such as thermometer, nail file, brush, lotion, hand sanitizer, baby eye wipes, arnica, chap stick, nipple butter, vitamin D drops for baby/breastfeeding, baby Frida sinus stuff and phone charger.

• Middle Tier: Pump bags, Medela and Elvie pumps, Belly Bandits

• Bottom Tier: At first I had diapers and more post-partum stuff for myself, but then transitioned it to pumping bras, heat packs, nipple covers/pads, hand pump, etc..

For Baby:

• A playtime area / developmental activities - Speaking of playtime, babies brains are quickly forming neural connections from the day they're born (and before). So it's important to make the most of this time and stimulate babies brain! A word of caution here, don't forget your baby is a human and not a project. We loved the Lovevery play gym and the concept that just like food, toys have empty calories...give your baby toys that are enriching and help them optimize each developmental stage they're in! You can even sign up for the first year subscription that sends a box of toys and what to do step-by-step!

• Long sleeve/footed onesies that double zip or open from the bottom - For your sanity, I promise you will not want to completely undress a baby every time they need a diaper change. Also remember babies are cold (even despite the fact that your postpartum body might be having hot flashes and the 70’ room might feel hot to you. Penelope LIVED in long sleeve footed onesies. Here's an example of what you want so baby's top stays zippered up when you change:

• An easy swaddle - The Woombie was a lifesaver our first night home from the hospital. After trying to do blanket origami with the wraps from the hospital (IDK how the nurses make it look so easy); I cried that Penelope was going to suffocate her first night home until my husband saved the day with this. We also found several other easy swaddles the we liked, but do yourself a favor and don't try to do blanket origami...Even if you're good at it, it's a lot more work for nighttime diaper changes and simply unzipping the bottom of the swaddle.

• Sleep Sacks - We stopped the swaddle around 10 weeks and switched to these sleep sacks depending on the temp outside (cool #1, cool #2, cool #3, warm #1, warm #2)

• Easy night gowns - Again, you don't wanna wake baby up too much during the late night diaper changes, I tried many night outifts and these were my favorite.

• Pacifiers - Make sure you have plenty on hand. I would keep one in the bassinet, the crib, by the changing table, stroller/car seat, wherever you sit during the day and have some extras on hand. Penelope seemed to like these Nanobebe ones the best because they're smaller than others. We stopped the pacifier around 9 weeks cold turkey. Our approach here was to not get her too used to any crutch. She cried for a few days and then learned how to self sooth.

• Plenty of Diapers and wipes - I swear we went through about 15 diapers a day and lots of wipes, so make sure you have plenty. A word to the wise though, depending on the size of your baby, they might not be in newborns long, so you want just enough to tide you over at home until you can make a grocery store run.

• FridaBaby Sick Day Essentials - Penelope had horrible allergies / snot and I wish I had this kit with chest balm, wipes and essential oil plus the saline spray and oogie bear from the beginning. I had the snot sucker, medicine pacifier which were helpful!

• Overnight Diaper Booster pads - If you end up having diaper leaks overnight, then consider getting these booster pads. If you have leaks out the top back, get these stick on poop catchers.

• Blackout shades - Babies sleep better in dark rooms, so I got these portable shades I put behind the blinds. They use suction cups to stick to the windows so you can always take them with you when you travel.

For Mom:

• PostNatal Vitamins - I'm sure you know where I'm going with this... Get the Pink Stork Postnatal vitamins! But in all seriousness, you DO need to continue taking postnatal vitamins after baby to make sure you're getting proper nutrition and your little one is too (especially if breastfeeding). These help with energy, recovery, immunity and more.

• Arnica - Arnica is a homeopathic, plant-based medicine for pain relief and swelling. It's a great extra boost for your healing body after either type of delivery. Here's what I took.

• Sitz Bath (and a big Tupperware Container) - My aunt who was a labor/delivery nurse recommended doing a sitz bath at least once a day to clean stitches and help heal faster. While I must admit, I didn't get around to doing it quite that often, it did help! I used this one by earth mama and this one.

• Frida mom peri bottle - In case you're wondering what this is, it's a little squirt bottle you use to clean yourself after you go to the bathroom because you have stitches and can't necessarily wipe. You'll get one at the hospital, which I took home and kept in a bathroom I didn't often use...but trust me, you're going to want the Frida Mom one most of the time (or one similar with the angled spout).

• Lounge Robes / Outfits - Something comfortable for your healing lady parts and easy for breastfeeding. I went with a ton of babydoll dresses / nursing dresses. I would also wear a bando bra with a robe. There's a lot of bleeding/lochia so you'll likely be wearing diapers or granny panties the first few weeks and I found dresses to be the most comfortable / disguising.

Breastfeeding Essentials:

• Breastfeeding Snacks & Lactation Teas - I was determined to do everything in my power to not only breastfeed, but start building extra supply. I researched and ordered snacks and teas that I ate/drank at least once daily. See my post here on lactation snacks or message me for the full list of what all I used.

• The Haaka Ladybugs (skip the haaka manual hand pump) - To me, the haaka hand pump is just a container to catch milk in, and the ladybug product is way easier to do this while feeding.

• Elvie wireless pump - I had the Medela Sonata pump and loved it (I feel like it was very efficient)...But there were times in the middle of the night that I needed to pump and I didn't wanna go downstairs and use that more complicated pump. I got the Elvie soon after getting home and it was a lifesaver to just stick in my bra anytime I needed to pump or do something around the house. Even though I loved my Medela Sonata and it could technically be wireless (I did roll it around on my cart while pumping a few times)...It wasn't near as easy. The Elvie comes as a single or double or you can also check out the Willow. But be prepared, these do leak if you bend over.

• Hands free pumping bra - Depending on what pump(s) you have, you'll need a handsfree bra so you don't have to literally hold the pumps on your boobs for 20mins (what a waste of time)....Get this bra or one like it that is a handsfree pumping bra AND a nursing bra.

• Nursing bras - You might also want some normal nursing bras for a smoother under the shirt look. I got these off Amazon which were a great price and comfy.

• Nursing pillow(s) - After 2 days post baby my arms were sore from breastfeeding her (even with pillows at hospital). While I still wouldn't have brought my nursing pillow there, I can't imagine not having a nursing pillow day in and day out - You need it. It's so much more comfortable to let baby lie there while feeding and even nap! I had the Boppy which is super popular, but there are tons of options - choose what you think will work best for you!

• Medela Gel nipple pads - My friend Kaytee recommended these and omg were they heaven the first week of breastfeeding. I got a few from the hospital, but do yourself a favor and have some extra at home too. Here they are on Amazon.

• Nipple butter - I got a few tubes of Medela Purelan at hospital, but man was it also a lifesaver the first few days that I ordered more. I also had the Earth Mama and a few other brands that I also loved...Just make sure you have something.

• Sheets that you don’t care about & Bed Pad - If you're breastfeeding, there's likely going to be several incidents of your boobs leaking all over your sheets while you sleep which can leave stains - so make sure you have sheets that you won't be upset about getting ruined. I also used a waterproof bed pad I took from the hospital for the first few weeks to help keep our mattress clean from leaks.

• A BIG Water Bottle - The thirst is real post-partum for those breastfeeding mamas. A big water bottle on hand at all times will be needed. I just took the two from the hospital since they were perfect with the handle and long bendy straw.

Miscellaneous

• A plan for meals - We had a meal train setup and some freezer meals ready which made dinner time super easy and mindless. I didn't think about breakfast or lunch as much and was super grateful for the amazing mom friends I had that brought me prepped breakfast/lunch foods. Whatever your situation, it is hard to even have time to microwave something and eat the first few weeks, so have a plan and food ready.

• Sanitizer & distilled water - There are so many little parts to breast pumps, bottles, pacifiers, etc... and you don't want your little one getting sick. I didn't think I'd need a bottle sanitzer, but I was so thankful I got this Baby Brezza one at my shower. I used it pretty much every day. I cannot imagine having to sanitize / boil all the things... Get it.

• Long phone charger - With breast feeding and holding a baby that you don't want to wake up, get a set of long phone chargers and keep them next to your nursing chair and wherever you hangout with baby in living room.

• Red night lights / bulbs - Red light is the easiest on the eyes in the middle of the night. I set my Hatch Rest Nightlight up with red for the middle of the night feeds I did in bed so I didn't wake my husband up. I also recommend getting a lamp with a red bulb for next to where you change diapers. Additionally, I got motion activated red night lights for the hallway between our room and the nursery.

• A stroller caddy / cup holders - I keep extra wipes, chapstick, cash, pacifier, etc in mine!