How I'm Prepping For Postpartum
By the time this gets published, I’ve either already had our baby or we are getting close to meeting her! Postpartum is rarely talked about in parenting books or birth books. It is the most crucial point in becoming a parent and both parents can take it in many different ways. Prepping for postpartum should be a step on every parent-to-be’s list, and it’s something I didn’t take as seriously the first time around. This time we are preparing in so many ways and I am going to walk you through them!
Sitz Bath
A sitz bath is something I didn’t learn about until after a few friends of mine had children of their own! I gifted every single one of them some lovely sitz bath kits to ease their discomfort and plan on using it myself this time around. A sitz bath can ease your discomfort from pain or hemorrhoids, reduce swelling, and promote good hygiene and healing after birth.
Organic Mother’s Milk Tea
It will naturally take a few days for your milk supply to come in if you plan on breastfeeding, but I plan to nurture my body so it has everything it needs for this consuming time. Mother’s Milk Tea is a nutritious combination of herbs that help improve lactations, such as fenugreek, anise, coriander, and blessed thistle. Just as you would drink raspberry leaf tea to prep your body for labor, I plan to drink Mother’s Milk Tea to prep my body for milk making. It is incredibly effective, so after my supply comes in, I may have to cut back until my supply becomes a little more regulated.
Organic Cotton Breast Pads
When your milk first starts to come in, your body won’t quite know how much to make. It will take a while for your body to regulate and you may experience leaking. To prevent milk stains, I will be using my organic cotton breast pads. These are washable and reusable and I loved them previously! I have a whole stash clean and ready to go already. I also recommend sleeping with a couple extra, put a towel down, and maybe have washcloths ready to go. If you sleep on your stomach normally like me, your body will be so ready to do it again and it will probably squeeze that milk out. There were so many mornings that I woke up engorged and in a puddle. It’s embarrassing and uncomfortable, but it will more than likely happen and I’m better prepared this time around.
Bidet or Peri Bottle
We actually have a bidet this time around! But I know the hospital will also send me home with a peri bottle. I got a peri bottle with my first daughter and it made going to the bathroom so much easier with a quick spray before and after. I’m actually looking forward to our bidet this time around since the water is also temperature controlled and I think that will help a lot with these winter temperatures!
Postpartum Underwear
I pushed off purchasing period underwear for way too long and ended up falling in love with them! I never had leaks, they were comfortable, and so much better for the environment. So this time around, I have those and I’m purchasing some in a larger size to accommodate my postpartum body. It will be a while until my body is back to normal, if it goes back at all, and I don’t want to set myself of for failure by attempting to squeeze into all my normal clothes. (update: I ended up fitting in both sizes and it was great to have the 6 on hand! I kept a bucket of water in the bathtub and switched out my underwear anytime I used the toilet. These worked amazingly well and I never leaked onto my clothes like I did last time!)
Spare Pajamas
Despite all your best efforts, leaking may happen. My mom gifted me some comfortable and cheap pajamas after having my first daughter and that was probably the best present! I didn’t have to worry if they stained (which they did), I didn’t have to squeeze back into my regular pajamas, and I was still cozy without worrying. This year, I headed to the thrift store and found some cozy winter pajama bottoms for super cheap that I won’t mind staining. They are comfortable and stretchy too.
Perineal Spray or Dermoplast
Another thing that was provided at my previous hospital was a perineal spray. This spray will help numb your perineal area and provide immediate relief from any pain or itching.
Nursing Bras
Aside from comfortable clothing, you will want some comfortable nursing bras. I love these Cantina Nursing Bras! They don’t provide much support, but I wasn’t too worried about that after giving birth. They are comfortable, soft, and allow your breasts to breath which will help prevent mastitis or any other discomfort that may come with breastfeeding.
Nipple Cream
NIPPLE CREAM. This is something I had no idea existed and didn’t know until it was too late! It wasn’t really too late, but would have made things a lot easier had I known beforehand. I have some Badger Baby Balm, coconut oil, and Earth Mama Nipple Cream ready to go this time. Applying safe cream both before and after is what I have found to help reduce pain, both for breastfeeding and pumping. Your poor nipples need chapstick during this time too, so don’t forget them or you will be in a lot of pain! If the pain still continues, be sure to check how the baby is latching or consult a lactation specialist for more help.
Tucks or Witch Hazel Pads
If you are birthing in a hospital, these will more than likely be provided - take them. Witch Hazel Pads will help reduce any swelling, pain, or bruising you may have in your vaginal area after delivery. They can even fight off bacterial, so very useful in preventing infections!
Haakaa Pump
This is something I wish I had early on. I didn’t go buy one until later in my pregnancy, and loved it! During those first few weeks (maybe even a couple months), your body is going to have to learn how to regulate milk production. So often times when you bring your baby to latch, your other side will experience letdown as well, causing leakage and stained clothes. Instead of letting everything spray all over me this time, I’m starting off right away by catching it in the Haakaa pump to freeze for later. We probably won’t need a freezer stash this time around, but I want to catch it for just in case moments and not letting it go to waste. I’m also hoping to donate to local mothers in need this time around.
Coconut Water
Hydration! Hydration is so so so so so important. I wasn’t getting enough water my first week home and was so dehydrated that I had to get an IV during my blood patch only 5 days from coming home from the hospital. I’m not messing around with that this time. We are staying hydrated from the get-go! Coconut water has so many amazing natural electrolytes to keep your body hydrated and energized too. Bonus: it helps with breastmilk production. I like to get a massive size of the regular coconut water cartons, then mix them with a bottle of Body Armor so I can have 32 oz a day, in addition to my regular water intake.
Freezer Meals
We thought these were absolutely pointless our first time around *cue me crying every time I attempted to make dinner*. I decided there was no way I was not going to do this simple thing if it even meant there was a chance of lightening our load this time around. My husband is actually getting paternal leave this time, so we might not need freezer meals, but I know it will save us a bunch of headache if we have them! He has a lot of big ideas planned for his leave, but we will see how he feels after multiple nights of no sleep. I also know we will have our family members coming up and we won’t feel like hosting, so being able to say dinner is already prepped and just needs to go in the oven will feel great!
Meals I’ve made this time around:
Stuffed Shells
Shepherd’s Pie
Jambalaya
Chicken Gnocchi
Chicken Paprikash
Chili
Curry
Minestrone Soup
Exercising Throughout Pregnancy
Exercising throughout pregnancy, even just a daily walk (preferably inclined), has shown massive benefits for both your pregnancy and your postpartum recovery. Throughout the first two trimesters, I enjoyed getting some cardio movement in through gentle dance workouts and weighted exercises, yoga, and daily walks. For the third trimester, I focused on taking things slower. I’ve been doing 100 weighted squats a day and wall squats to get my lower body prepared for labor. Surprisingly enough, these also mostly got rid of my pubic bone pain! It was getting to the point where it was so hard to walk some days and I had to stop doing my pilates exercises. After starting weighted squats and wall squats, I have had little to no pain. I have also been doing daily labor stretches. These are a mix of gentle yoga exercises that are targeted towards prepping your body for labor and gentle pilates exercises. If you can, I would also recommend keeping your pelvic floor active throughout pregnancy to prevent issues later on! Often times, your midwife, doula, or OB can recommend a pelvic floor therapist if you need assistance.
Books
There are so many wonderful books out there! I have been loving these ones lately:
Orgasmic Birth by Elizabeth Davis - I feel so many ‘expecting’ books are all about the pregnancy and so little about labor. This book really informs you about what to expect once you get into the hospital and how to be prepared for it.
The First Forty Days by Heng Ou - An amazing read on how to care for your body, how to allow others to care for you and baby, and what to focus on during postpartum. There are even recipes that target healing a mother’s postpartum body.
Cribsheet by Emily Oster - Data-driven guide to what conventional pregnancy wisdom is missing and how to tackle decision-making in the early years.
Montessori Baby by Simone Davies - While we aren’t 100% Montessori, I absolutely love and agree with most of the principles.
The Gift of A Happy Mom by Rebecca Eanes - This was a book with a bit of a self-reflection workbook mixed in. I absolutely love it and it influenced my parenting ideals. Honestly, I could use a refresher and have even added it to my ‘must read again’ list.
Maternal/Paternal Leave
I was lucky to have our first daughter right after my semester was over, so I had all summer before school started back up. Of course, I liked to get my readings done before school started and had to learn how to navigate that during nap time. My husband was promised two weeks, then was only given one, and it was not enough time. This time around he’s been able to prepare a few months paternity leave to help out and I’m already so grateful for how much this will help! I’ve been slowly working on getting some articles written ahead of time and scheduled so I don’t have to worry about weekly postings either. I typically like to post as close to real-time as possible, depending on what it is, so it will feel odd. But I’m looking forward to having a few months off writing! I’ve also left my calendars closed for photography bookings for at least the first few months. I experienced postpartum anxiety my first time around and I want to take it slow and easy to see if I experience it again this time before jumping back into work.
Asking for Help
With my first daughter, I struggled a lot. My husband wasn’t home often because of work, so I spent many days at my parents house. I worked for them at the time and was trying to make side income throughout the remainder of my college, but much of it was also spent sleeping. Chores were difficult to keep up with, I couldn’t cook dinner without getting into a fit of rage, and everything was seemingly flipped upside down. This time around, I now know what to expect and to lower those expectations. I know it’s going to be rough and our schedule won’t look the same for a while, if at all. I know to focus more on the baby and myself instead of worrying about the house. I also know, to ask for help. As I mentioned, my husband is actually getting paternal leave through his job this time around (it is through a different company) and I’ve been laying the groundwork of my expectations while I’m recovering and what he can expect from me for at least the first week or so.
Besides having this communication with my husband, we’ve also invited our family to come to our homes instead to help out - whether it’s watching and playing with Evelyn, doing the dishes, making dinner, or throwing in a load of laundry, anything will help this time around. It may seem strange to ask for help taking care of your household, maybe even going against your nature, but trust me on this: practice asking for help before the baby comes. Bonding with the baby the first few weeks after coming home is so important for both baby and parents health and should be prioritized above everything else. Either the house will wait, or your friends and loved ones would love to do a quick load of dishes before holding the baby and letting you shower. Postpartum is definitely not a time to be worrying about how your house looks and it will feel strange at first!
That’s it! That’s everything I’m doing to prep my body and my home for postpartum this time around. I hope this helps you plan for your postpartum period and be sure to ask your care provider what they already provide before running out and purchasing some of these items. Would you add anything else to the list? Let me know in the comments below!